Cape Town - The Freedom Front Plus has nominated former Western Cape provincial police commissioner Lennit Max as its mayoral candidate for the City of Cape Town and sitting councillor Erica Botha-Rossouw as his deputy.
Max has previously been a member of the DA, with whom he served as the province’s Community Safety MEC.
He was also a DA MP and served as the party’s deputy spokesperson on correctional services.
His political party journey began when he was a member of the now defunct Independent Democrats, which was led by the Good party’s Patricia De Lille, now Public Works and Infrastructure minister in the cabinet.
He also served as special adviser to Police Minister Bheki Cele.
Defending his move to the FF Plus which took place in August this year, Max said he was free to switch parties in the same way as voters change their minds about whom to vote for.
“I will never consider a t-shirt of a political party as something to keep me from service delivery. In this case, I will proudly wear a FF Plus T-shirt.”
Botha-Rossouw is a former deputy leader of the FF Plus in the Western Cape and currently represents the FF Plus as their councillor in the Metro.
During a news conference to introduce Max, Botha and some of the candidates on the FF Plus party list, FF Plus MP and provincial leader Corné Mulder said: “It is important that the people who occupy leadership positions are familiar with the problems on local government level.
"This is so that they can ensure that service delivery is provided effectively and that the people who pay for those services get value for their money.”
FF Plus party leader Pieter Groenewald said the party would consider the issue of coalitions with other parties after the elections.
Meanwhile EFF provincial chairperson Melikhaya Xego has said the party will unveil its manifesto for the election on Sunday.
Speaking about the party’s strategy for the polls, Xego said: “Our candidates are currently busy discussing EFF’s radical policies with communities all over the province.
“We are aware of the fact that the majority of voters are a bit circumspect of our militant and radical approach to issues affecting them.
"In the political situation we find ourselves in, there is no other way than to approach racism, inequality and poverty head-on.
Xego said the EFF has candidates standing for election in 406 wards across the province and managed to beat the IEC deadline to have them all registered.
Reviewing the last five years during which the EFF had councillors on municipal councils for the first time, Xego said the EFF’s councillors have proved their mettle and have shaken the establishment, forcing politicians and municipal officials alike to watch their step.