By Angela Quintal
The New National Party (NNP) may be closing shop, but some of its members plan to start a new party instead of joining an established political home.
NNP MP Stan Simmons - the only one of the NNP MPs not to join the ANC - said on Monday the new party would be registered in Pretoria next week.
Among the names under consideration was the United Party.
| 'The Independent Democrats' Lennit Max is among those party founders are talking to... ' |
Others involved in the establishment of the party include Western Cape MPL and former MEC Piet Meyer and at least five NNP councillors, Simmons said on Monday.
"A lot of other people from the Eastern Cape, the Southern Cape and the Northern Cape are interested."
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These were mostly NNP members, but ex-Labour Party politicians had also expressed interest.
A meeting would take place in Cape Town's Delft suburb this week, where it was hoped to finalise details of the establishment of the new party.
Independent Democrats (ID) MPL Lennit Max is among those being approached by the new party's founders, Simmons said.
Max, a former provincial leader of the ID, is currently facing an internal disciplinary hearing.
Asked whether Max planned to cross the floor to the new party in September, Simmons said: "I can't say for sure. He is talking to one of my colleagues."
Disgruntled NNP MPs had considered other political parties, but the Inkatha Freedom Party was too regional, while the ID was on record as accepting help in the form of 15 taxis from alleged gangster Quinton Marinus, he said.
Asked how the party would be funded, Simmons said they had contacted a lot of organisations in and outside South Africa.
Should any elected representatives at national or provincial level cross the floor to the new party in September, it would also benefit from state funds on a proportional basis.
Simmons said reports that NNP MP Francois Beukman was in talks with the party were incorrect.
"He was at my office today (Tuesday) waving his ANC membership form. I told him I had not spread the rumour," Simmons said.
Beukman, who chairs parliament's watchdog committee on public accounts, said on Monday that he had no intention of joining the new party.
The NNP will officially disband on the eve of the certification of the local government results, the party's federal congress resolved at the weekend.
At the weekend NNP leader Marthinus van Schalkwyk again urged NNP members to join the ANC.
In its reaction on Monday, the Democratic Alliance (DA) urged the 257 000 NNP voters "left politically homeless by the death of the New National Party, to join the DA".
"NNP politicians have extended their own political careers for a few more years at the expense of the people who voted for them. These voters now face a choice in this year's local government election and beyond. That choice is between the ANC and the DA," DA spokesperson Helen Zille said.
The DA was encouraged that more and more voters realised the importance of a strong independent opposition to stop the ANC's abuse of power and to offer alternative policies to govern the country, she said.
"The DA will carry this message to every province and municipality and we invite all former NNP voters to join us in this endeavour."
- This article was originally published on page 5 of Cape Times on April 12, 2005
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