Solidarity Movement gives conditional support to a multi-party government

6 June 2024

The Solidarity Movement, consisting of among others, AfriForum and Solidarity, today gave its conditional support to a type of multi-party government of national unity, because the ANC cannot be trusted to govern alone. The Movement also said it would participate in a national dialogue to put South Africa on a new path where everyone can enjoy equal treatment, without racial laws. 

However, the Movement said its conditions for support include political space for cultural self-realisations, the scrapping of the Bela Bill and the NHI Act and market-friendly economic policies that will promote growth, job security and job creation. The ANC has introduced a total of 116 racial laws since 1994, which makes a mockery of constitutional claims to non-racialism. It is not compatible with a constitutional democracy, a growing economy and a working state. The outcomes of the ANC’s transformation policy show that this central state ideology does not work and that it will have to be replaced with a more practical restoration policy to get the country away from the abyss.

The Solidarity Movement also undertakes to become involved on a large scale in the provision of skills, infrastructure projects such as water and sanitation, as well as community security and agricultural projects in rural areas if satisfactory agreements are reached. 

Furthermore, the Movement has confirmed that it is already in informal discussions with most parties that are currently involved in coalition talks. His conditions have already been passed on. 

The Solidarity Movement is the largest Afrikaner organisation with more than 600 000 families as members and representing about 1,8 million Afrikaners. 

According to Flip Buys, chairperson of the Solidarity Movement, people in South Africa are yearning for a country that works. The Solidarity Movement will gladly step in and do its part to help, but then we must be granted the cultural freedom to be able to live as a community. South Africa needs a reset of racial relations, and a national policy of restoration instead of transformation.  

AfriForum already has agreements with numerous local authorities regarding service delivery and has the ability, knowledge and models to help with service delivery. Solidarity also has a complete database of skills that enables them to help. 

According to Buys, they are not planning to “get into bed” with the ANC or any other party, but rather to get into the “boxing ring”. In the boxing ring there are rules of the game, but there are still going to be robust differences.

“The strategic goal is therefore not any superficial good relations or temporary and artificial nation-building but practical outcomes that lead to lasting good relations and greater national unity in diversity.

“Our approach is one of cooperation and not co-optation. Therefore, our goal is not to try and “save” the country through a new sort of guardianship for which we also do not have the resources, but rather to negotiate the necessary political space to carry out the projects we do ourselves while helping all our fellow citizens where we can and where they want,” said Buys.

Issued by Werner Human, Head of Operations: Solidarity Movement Trust, 6 June 2024