Cape Party
Encyclopedia
The Cape Party is a political party in South Africa
which seeks to use all constitutional and legal means to bring about independence for the Western Cape
, Northern Cape
(excluding two districts), six municipalities in the Eastern Cape
, and one municipality in the Free State
. The party grew out of a Facebook
group in 2007, and is led by Jack Miller, who worked as an actor when he first assumed the leadership. In 2009, it had a membership of approximately 1000 people.
It is registered with the Independent Electoral Commission
and was on the provincial ballot of the Western Cape in the South African general elections of 2009
, where it received 2,552 votes, or 0.13% of the vote. It will stand again for the municipal elections of 2011.
under chapter 14, section 235 of the South African Constitution. It alleges that the Republic of South Africa is a colonial
construct, and that the people of the Western Cape are being oppressed by the national government. It claims that the national government and legislative apparatus are racist and totalitarian
, and has referred to President Jacob Zuma
as an illegitimate occupier of the Cape. Black economic empowerment
, affirmative action
and housing allocation policies have been provided as examples of the national government's racist policies.
The party claims that its policies are modeled after the Torch Commando
, who protested against the Apartheid government's removal of suffrage from coloured
voters in the Cape Province
.
The party claims that 75% of the Western Cape's tax revenues are spent outside of the province — a practice it has compared to rape. It has alleged that the province would be more economically successful if these revenues were spent within its borders, making it one of "the top 10 wealthiest countries income per capita [sic] in the world". Miller has further claimed that the proposed Cape Republic would perform better economically than any individual province in South Africa, and, contradicting an earlier claim, that R58 of every R100 of tax revenue contributed by the Western Cape is spent within its borders.
According to spokespeople, the party believes education should be a priority in the Western Cape, and is a solution to many of the province's problems. Representatives have also spoken out against politicisation of the civil service, and cited poorly controlled immigration
as a primary cause of crime
.
The Cape Party has said that it occupies a unique position, as it focuses on local issues, instead of attempting to contest power in national elections, which would legitimise the national political machinery.
The party believes in a system of direct democracy
where the electorate are consulted in referenda
before passing laws. It also supports the ability of individual communities and cultural groups to determine the laws that govern them. It supports free ports
, and has suggested turning its prospective republic into a tax haven
.
The party has stated that it has an internal consensus in support of the death penalty, but would put the issue to a public referendum if elected. Capital punishment is forbidden by the South African constitution.
The constitutional law scholar Pierre de Vos
, however, has said that the Cape Party could not secede without a revolution. As the constitution has created a unitary state
, he has said that threatening the unity of the country would be treason
.
The Cape Party has said that it will seek to build consensus with the dominant political parties in the Western Cape, such as the Democratic Alliance. In response, Democratic Alliance federal executive chairperson James Selfe
said that the Cape Party was "not a party we take seriously".
has compared the Cape Party to the far-right British National Party
. The party has denied accusations of racism. In addition, Justin Sylvester, a political analyst for the Institute for Democracy in South Africa, has compared the proposed Cape Republic to Orania, and described the desire for secession as a marginal view.
in the municipal elections of 2011, and also contest wards of the Cape Winelands, Overberg, Eden and West Coast municipalities. The party launched its manifesto for the election on 15 April 2011. Miller described the election as "an opportunity to take great steps toward our end goal of establishing the Cape Republic".
In addressing the results of the 2009 elections, a party spokesperson described the Cape Party's campaign in those elections as a publicity drive, noting that it didn't expect to win any seats. He said, however, that the party hoped to win a "significant portion" of votes in 2011, adding that the party's support was growing and was strongest in people between the ages of 18 and 35. He acknowledged, however, that this was difficult for the media to believe. The party finally garnered 1,670 votes (0.1% of the Western Cape vote) on the proportional representation
ballot in the 2011 election.
The Cape Party was the first political party to put up election posters in the City of Cape Town. However, the party claims that 2500 of these went missing in three weeks. A party spokesman blamed the Democratic Alliance for the missing posters, calling them "masters of the dark arts", and alleging that the Cape Party posters had been replaced with posters for the DA.
or the Democratic Alliance. The attack was investigated by the IEC, which has come to no conclusions.
clan, whose chief has said that the clan is seeking autonomy for the clan's territory east of the Fish River
.
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
which seeks to use all constitutional and legal means to bring about independence for the Western Cape
Western Cape
The Western Cape is a province in the south west of South Africa. The capital is Cape Town. Prior to 1994, the region that now forms the Western Cape was part of the much larger Cape Province...
, Northern Cape
Northern Cape
The Northern Cape is the largest and most sparsely populated province of South Africa. It was created in 1994 when the Cape Province was split up. Its capital is Kimberley. It includes the Kalahari Gemsbok National Park, part of an international park shared with Botswana...
(excluding two districts), six municipalities in the Eastern Cape
Eastern Cape
The Eastern Cape is a province of South Africa. Its capital is Bhisho, but its two largest cities are Port Elizabeth and East London. It was formed in 1994 out of the "independent" Xhosa homelands of Transkei and Ciskei, together with the eastern portion of the Cape Province...
, and one municipality in the Free State
Free State
The Free State is a province of South Africa. Its capital is Bloemfontein, which is also South Africa's judicial capital. Its historical origins lie in the Orange Free State Boer republic and later Orange Free State Province. The current borders of the province date from 1994 when the Bantustans...
. The party grew out of a Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
group in 2007, and is led by Jack Miller, who worked as an actor when he first assumed the leadership. In 2009, it had a membership of approximately 1000 people.
It is registered with the Independent Electoral Commission
Independent Electoral Commission (South Africa)
The Independent Electoral Commission is South Africa's independent election management body. It manages elections to the National Assembly, the provincial legislatures and the municipal councils....
and was on the provincial ballot of the Western Cape in the South African general elections of 2009
South African general election, 2009
South Africa held national and provincial elections to elect a new National Assembly as well as the provincial legislature in each province on 22 April 2009....
, where it received 2,552 votes, or 0.13% of the vote. It will stand again for the municipal elections of 2011.
Platform
The party believes that the population of the Western Cape and parts of surrounding provinces (which it calls the Cape Nation), is culturally and linguistically distinct from the rest of South Africa, and is therefore entitled to statehoodSovereign state
A sovereign state, or simply, state, is a state with a defined territory on which it exercises internal and external sovereignty, a permanent population, a government, and the capacity to enter into relations with other sovereign states. It is also normally understood to be a state which is neither...
under chapter 14, section 235 of the South African Constitution. It alleges that the Republic of South Africa is a colonial
Colonialism
Colonialism is the establishment, maintenance, acquisition and expansion of colonies in one territory by people from another territory. It is a process whereby the metropole claims sovereignty over the colony and the social structure, government, and economics of the colony are changed by...
construct, and that the people of the Western Cape are being oppressed by the national government. It claims that the national government and legislative apparatus are racist and totalitarian
Totalitarianism
Totalitarianism is a political system where the state recognizes no limits to its authority and strives to regulate every aspect of public and private life wherever feasible...
, and has referred to President Jacob Zuma
Jacob Zuma
Jacob Gedleyihlekisa Zuma is the President of South Africa, elected by parliament following his party's victory in the 2009 general election....
as an illegitimate occupier of the Cape. Black economic empowerment
Black Economic Empowerment
Black Economic Empowerment is a programme launched by the South African government to redress the inequalities of Apartheid by giving previously disadvantaged groups economic opportunities previously not available to them...
, affirmative action
Affirmative action
Affirmative action refers to policies that take factors including "race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation or national origin" into consideration in order to benefit an underrepresented group, usually as a means to counter the effects of a history of discrimination.-Origins:The term...
and housing allocation policies have been provided as examples of the national government's racist policies.
The party claims that its policies are modeled after the Torch Commando
Torch Commando
The Torch Commando was born out of the work of the Springbok Legion, a South African organisation of World War II veterans, founded in 1941 during the second world war by progressive anti-fascist servicemen, and the War Veterans Action Committee established with the involvement of Springbok...
, who protested against the Apartheid government's removal of suffrage from coloured
Coloured
In the South African, Namibian, Zambian, Botswana and Zimbabwean context, the term Coloured refers to an heterogenous ethnic group who possess ancestry from Europe, various Khoisan and Bantu tribes of Southern Africa, West Africa, Indonesia, Madagascar, Malaya, India, Mozambique,...
voters in the Cape Province
Cape Province
The Province of the Cape of Good Hope was a province in the Union of South Africa and subsequently the Republic of South Africa...
.
The party claims that 75% of the Western Cape's tax revenues are spent outside of the province — a practice it has compared to rape. It has alleged that the province would be more economically successful if these revenues were spent within its borders, making it one of "the top 10 wealthiest countries income per capita [sic] in the world". Miller has further claimed that the proposed Cape Republic would perform better economically than any individual province in South Africa, and, contradicting an earlier claim, that R58 of every R100 of tax revenue contributed by the Western Cape is spent within its borders.
According to spokespeople, the party believes education should be a priority in the Western Cape, and is a solution to many of the province's problems. Representatives have also spoken out against politicisation of the civil service, and cited poorly controlled immigration
Immigration to South Africa
South Africa has an uncommon demographic profile, marked by a heterogeneous population base, social issues brought on by the legacy of apartheid, divisions within ethnic groups, HIV/AIDS and emigration...
as a primary cause of crime
Crime in South Africa
Crime is a prominent issue in South Africa. South Africa has a high rate of murders, assaults, rapes, and other crimes compared to most countries. Many emigrants from South Africa state that crime was a big factor in their decision to leave...
.
The Cape Party has said that it occupies a unique position, as it focuses on local issues, instead of attempting to contest power in national elections, which would legitimise the national political machinery.
The party believes in a system of direct democracy
Direct democracy
Direct democracy is a form of government in which people vote on policy initiatives directly, as opposed to a representative democracy in which people vote for representatives who then vote on policy initiatives. Direct democracy is classically termed "pure democracy"...
where the electorate are consulted in referenda
Referendum
A referendum is a direct vote in which an entire electorate is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal. This may result in the adoption of a new constitution, a constitutional amendment, a law, the recall of an elected official or simply a specific government policy. It is a form of...
before passing laws. It also supports the ability of individual communities and cultural groups to determine the laws that govern them. It supports free ports
Free port
A free port or free zone , sometimes also called a bonded area is a port, port area or other area with relaxed jurisdiction with respect to the country of location...
, and has suggested turning its prospective republic into a tax haven
Tax haven
A tax haven is a state or a country or territory where certain taxes are levied at a low rate or not at all while offering due process, good governance and a low corruption rate....
.
The party has stated that it has an internal consensus in support of the death penalty, but would put the issue to a public referendum if elected. Capital punishment is forbidden by the South African constitution.
Proposed state
The proposed Cape Republic would include all the municipalities in the Western Cape, six in the Eastern Cape, one in the Free State and all but two in the Northern Cape. The area includes all municipalities in those provinces with an Afrikaans-speaking majority.Process of secession
The party cites various legal provisions and frameworks to support its position that the "Cape Nation" has a right to self-government. These include:- the South African constitution, which guarantees the right to self-determination of any community sharing a common cultural and language heritage
- the International Covenant on Civil and Political RightsInternational Covenant on Civil and Political RightsThe International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights is a multilateral treaty adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on December 16, 1966, and in force from March 23, 1976...
, which states that all people have the right to self-determination and to pursue economic, social and cultural development, and that they may freely dispose of their natural wealth and resources without prejudice. The covenant also declares that states party to it must promote the realization of those rights. - article 1 of the United Nations CharterUnited Nations CharterThe Charter of the United Nations is the foundational treaty of the international organization called the United Nations. It was signed at the San Francisco War Memorial and Performing Arts Center in San Francisco, United States, on 26 June 1945, by 50 of the 51 original member countries...
- various UN General Assembly resolutions dealing with self-determination, sovereignty and independence
- chapter 1, article 20 of the Organization of African Unity's African Charter on Human and Peoples' RightsAfrican Charter on Human and Peoples' RightsThe African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights is an international human rights instrument that is intended to promote and protect human rights and basic freedoms in the African continent....
, which states that all people have an inalienable right to self-determination, and declares that oppressed people have the right to free themselves from domination by any means recognized by the international community. (The Cape Party refers to this document as "African Union: Human and Peoples' Rights".)
The constitutional law scholar Pierre de Vos
Pierre De Vos
Pierre de Vos is a South African constitutional law scholar.- Background and career :Born in Messina, Transvaal , he was educated at the University of Stellenbosch, Columbia University and the University of Western Cape...
, however, has said that the Cape Party could not secede without a revolution. As the constitution has created a unitary state
Unitary state
A unitary state is a state governed as one single unit in which the central government is supreme and any administrative divisions exercise only powers that their central government chooses to delegate...
, he has said that threatening the unity of the country would be treason
Treason
In law, treason is the crime that covers some of the more extreme acts against one's sovereign or nation. Historically, treason also covered the murder of specific social superiors, such as the murder of a husband by his wife. Treason against the king was known as high treason and treason against a...
.
The Cape Party has said that it will seek to build consensus with the dominant political parties in the Western Cape, such as the Democratic Alliance. In response, Democratic Alliance federal executive chairperson James Selfe
James Selfe
James Selfe is a South African politician, currently a Member of Parliament for the opposition Democratic Alliance, and the party's Federal Executive Chairperson...
said that the Cape Party was "not a party we take seriously".
Criticism
The Cape Party has been criticised in the press as a narrow, single-issue party without substantive policy. Commentators have alleged that its platform is racist, and particularly vilifies migrant workers from elsewhere in South Africa, who work in the Western Cape. Because of these policies, political activist Zackie AchmatZackie Achmat
Zackie Achmat is a South African activist, most widely known as founder and chairman of the Treatment Action Campaign and for his work on the behalf of people living with HIV and AIDS in South Africa.-Early life:...
has compared the Cape Party to the far-right British National Party
British National Party
The British National Party is a British far-right political party formed as a splinter group from the National Front by John Tyndall in 1982...
. The party has denied accusations of racism. In addition, Justin Sylvester, a political analyst for the Institute for Democracy in South Africa, has compared the proposed Cape Republic to Orania, and described the desire for secession as a marginal view.
2011 Municipal Elections
The party will field candidates in all wards of the City of Cape TownCity of Cape Town
The City of Cape Town is the metropolitan municipality which governs the city of Cape Town, South Africa and its suburbs and exurbs. As of 2007, it had a population of 3,497,097....
in the municipal elections of 2011, and also contest wards of the Cape Winelands, Overberg, Eden and West Coast municipalities. The party launched its manifesto for the election on 15 April 2011. Miller described the election as "an opportunity to take great steps toward our end goal of establishing the Cape Republic".
In addressing the results of the 2009 elections, a party spokesperson described the Cape Party's campaign in those elections as a publicity drive, noting that it didn't expect to win any seats. He said, however, that the party hoped to win a "significant portion" of votes in 2011, adding that the party's support was growing and was strongest in people between the ages of 18 and 35. He acknowledged, however, that this was difficult for the media to believe. The party finally garnered 1,670 votes (0.1% of the Western Cape vote) on the proportional representation
Proportional representation
Proportional representation is a concept in voting systems used to elect an assembly or council. PR means that the number of seats won by a party or group of candidates is proportionate to the number of votes received. For example, under a PR voting system if 30% of voters support a particular...
ballot in the 2011 election.
The Cape Party was the first political party to put up election posters in the City of Cape Town. However, the party claims that 2500 of these went missing in three weeks. A party spokesman blamed the Democratic Alliance for the missing posters, calling them "masters of the dark arts", and alleging that the Cape Party posters had been replaced with posters for the DA.
IEC name controversy
In 2009, the Cape Party petitioned the Independent Electoral Commission to reject the registration of another political party, the recently formed Congress of the People, on the grounds that the abbreviation of their name (Cope) could cause confusion between the two parties amongst voters, which is against the IEC's regulations. The IEC rejected the objection.Website defaced
On 17 March 2009, the party's website was defaced by vandals. The website was replaced with an image of a "black devil" and the words "fuck off". Jack Miller, the party leader, alleged that the attack would have required a great deal of funding and equipment, and claimed that it had been perpetrated by one of South Africa's two largest political parties, the African National CongressAfrican National Congress
The African National Congress is South Africa's governing Africanist political party, supported by its tripartite alliance with the Congress of South African Trade Unions and the South African Communist Party , since the establishment of non-racial democracy in April 1994. It defines itself as a...
or the Democratic Alliance. The attack was investigated by the IEC, which has come to no conclusions.
Support for Thembu independence
In 2010, the Cape Party announced its support for the ThembuThembu
The Thimbu are one of the handful of nations and population groups which speak Xhosa in South Africa. In Xhosa the name is abaThembu, aba- being a common prefix for peoples....
clan, whose chief has said that the clan is seeking autonomy for the clan's territory east of the Fish River
Great Fish River
The Great Fish River is a river running through the South African province of the Eastern Cape, it originates east of Graaff-Reinet and runs through Cradock, just south of this the Tarka River joins it...
.