POLITICS

Jaco Mulder retires from active politics - FF Plus

Anton Alberts to take up position of MP, Phillip van Staden to represent party in Gauteng legislature

Retirement from active politics

I have for some time been considering retiring from politics in the transition period of a new term following the election of 2014.

After many discussions with my family friends and role-players over a period of time I have come to the conclusion that the most appropriate time would be now, following the elections and before the new term takes effect.

I have for the past 20 years vigorously served the party and the cause for which the FF Plus has stood, since February 2003 as leader of the party in Gauteng and later as a member of the Gauteng Legislature.

It is time that I continue with the expansion of my business interests. I have therefore decided to retire from active politics.

I will therefore not be taking up the parliamentary seat from Gauteng.

I remain a proud member of the FF Plus and will keep on striving for the rights of our people and will in particular be focusing on the attainment of autonomy in the Northwest Cape.

I thank everybody with whom I could work with in the past 20 years. I pray for strength, wisdom and grace for the leadership and everybody in the FF Plus for the task that lies ahead.

Dr. Pieter Mulder, FF Plus leader, expressed his gratitude and appreciation for Mr. Mulder in his reaction to the retirement. "Jaco Mulder had from the time he became the leader, very successfully grown the party in Gauteng to become the fourth largest party in Gauteng above that of the ACDP, IFP and various other parties. As chairperson of the FF Plus' strategy committee he played a very large role in the re-launching of the party before the 2014 election. We owe him our gratitude for this," according to Dr. Mulder

Statement issued by Mr. Jaco Mulder, FF Plus provincial leader: Gauteng, May 19 2014

FF Plus parliamentary team

The Freedom Front Plus will have an experienced team in Parliament. It is Dr. Pieter Mulder, FF Plus leader; Dr. Pieter Groenewald, chairperson of the party; Dr. Corné Mulder, chief whip of the party and Adv. Anton Alberts.

Three-quarters of the members have each more than twenty years of parliamentary experience and it will be the second term of Adv. Anton Alberts' term in parliament. Where the ANC has the majority in Parliament and will have members in every committee, experience on the side of the opposition is often worth more than opposition numbers which is outvoted in any case by the ANC.

In the Gauteng Legislature, Mr. Phillip van Staden, the current caucus leader of the FF Plus in Pretoria and the Tshwane City Council, will be representing the party, Mr. Hannes Schutte, a businessman and engineer in Mahikeng will be representing the party in the Northwest Legislature and Mr. Wouter Wessels, the FF Plus Youth Leader will represent the party in the Free State Legislature.

Statement issued by Dr. Pieter Mulder, FF Plus leader, May 19 2014

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