Herstigte Nasionale Party
Encyclopedia
The Herstigte Nasionale Party van Suid-Afrika (Reconstituted National Party of South Africa) was formed as a right-wing splinter group of the South African National Party
.
) in protest against the decision by Prime Minister BJ Vorster to authorize the presence of Maori players and spectators during the tour of New Zealand rugby union team in South Africa
in 1970. The name was chosen to reflect the initials of the earlier Herenigde Nasionale Party
(Reunited National Party), the name used by the National Party in the fateful election of 1948. Seeking a return to Calvinism
as the basis of South Africa, the party advocated complete racial segregation
and the adoption of Afrikaans
as the only official language. They contested the general elections of 1970
and 1977
, capturing 3.3% of the vote in the latter election. The party also contested 50 seats in the 1974 election
but failed to make an impact in an election where reformists advanced.
, who replaced the retiring Hertzog in 1977, the party emerged as a notable force amongst white South Africans. In 1979 the evidence of their potential was demonstrated in a series of by-elections when they suddenly began to threaten the position of the ruling party. Despite eventually obtaining a non-negligible amount of support (13.1% in 1981 elections
), the HNP never managed to gain seats in the South African parliament at a general election (although they registered a by-election success at Sasolburg
in 1985), and soon became a voice of external opposition. The HNP effectively became the chief voice of the far right opposition at this time, particularly in 1989 when both the Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging
and the Boerestaat Party
declared their support for Marais. The group's only previous contact with other parties had been in 1985 when they briefly co-operated with the Conservative Party
to oppose the repeal of the Prohibition of Mixed Marriages Act
and the Immorality Amendment Act by P.W. Botha.
and for a time during the 1980s were responsible for funding the United Kingdom
-based League of Saint George
. The HNP was also closely associated with the South African National Front
(SANF), an overseas branch of the British National Front
.
Between 1980 and 1987 the party bankrolled the English-speaking far-right journal South African Patriot, edited by SANF members John Hiddleston and then Alan Harvey.
of General Constand Viljoen
in 1991 although the front collapsed in 1994 when many of the members refused to participate in South Africa
's first multi-racial elections. The HNP drifted away from Viljoen and did not join his Freedom Front. As a result they have become something of a marginal force in contemporary South Africa, arguing for the self determination of the white Afrikaner
s, and a return to Verwoerdian Apartheid. The party motto is "Dié Land is ons Land" (This land is our land).
They re-emerged in 2004 when the party lodged an official complaint against SABC 3
when they broadcast a play entitled 'ID' which satirized the killing of Hendrik Frensch Verwoerd
. Although the HNP argued that it portrayed Verwoerd and his supporters unfairly the complaint was rejected by the Broadcasting Complaints Commission of South Africa
.
Jaap Marais
died in 2000, and was replaced as leader by Willie Marais
. Willie Marais died in December 2007, and was replaced as leader by Japie Theart.. The present leader is Andries Breytenbach.
identity, attacking immigration
and seeking to downgrade the importance of the English language
, as well as endorsing apartheid. The party also launched an attack on the materialism that it felt was taking over South African society and thus sought to present itself as the voice of working class
Afrikaners.
The party reject the concept of a Volkstaat
, claiming all of South Africa for the Afrikaner instead. They believe that the interests of the black population will be sufficiently met in the former homelands
. The HNP have no clear plan as to how the return to Verwoerdian
South Africa could be achieved. The party also emphasises the importance of Calvinism
to the South African identity.
The party does not recognise the new order in South Africa, and as a result, encourage people not to vote as part of their policy of resistance. However, this also makes it impossible to determine the exact support levels the party enjoys.
until 1988, the HNP was active in the country in opposition to independence and black rights. The party contested the first multi-ethnic election in 1978, capturing 1.8% of the vote in what was a landslide win for the Democratic Turnhalle Alliance of Namibia
(albeit with the main black opposition parties, the South West Africa People's Organization and the Namibia National Front
, excluded from the ballot).
National Party (South Africa)
The National Party is a former political party in South Africa. Founded in 1914, it was the governing party of the country from 4 June 1948 until 9 May 1994. Members of the National Party were sometimes known as Nationalists or Nats. Its policies included apartheid, the establishment of a...
.
Formation
The party was formed in 1969 by Albert Hertzog (son of former Prime Minister General JBM HertzogJames Barry Munnik Hertzog
James Barry Munnik Hertzog, better known as J. B. M. Hertzog was a Boer general during the second Anglo-Boer War who later went on to become Prime Minister of the Union of South Africa from 1924 to 1939...
) in protest against the decision by Prime Minister BJ Vorster to authorize the presence of Maori players and spectators during the tour of New Zealand rugby union team in South Africa
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...
in 1970. The name was chosen to reflect the initials of the earlier Herenigde Nasionale Party
Herenigde Nasionale Party
The Herenigde Nasionale Party was a political party in South Africa during the 1940s. It was the product of the reunion of Daniel François Malan's Gesuiwerde Nasionale Party and J.B.M. Hertzog's breakaway Afrikaner nationalist faction of the United Party in 1940.In 1934, J.B.M...
(Reunited National Party), the name used by the National Party in the fateful election of 1948. Seeking a return to Calvinism
Calvinism
Calvinism is a Protestant theological system and an approach to the Christian life...
as the basis of South Africa, the party advocated complete racial segregation
Racial segregation
Racial segregation is the separation of humans into racial groups in daily life. It may apply to activities such as eating in a restaurant, drinking from a water fountain, using a public toilet, attending school, going to the movies, or in the rental or purchase of a home...
and the adoption of Afrikaans
Afrikaans
Afrikaans is a West Germanic language, spoken natively in South Africa and Namibia. It is a daughter language of Dutch, originating in its 17th century dialects, collectively referred to as Cape Dutch .Afrikaans is a daughter language of Dutch; see , , , , , .Afrikaans was historically called Cape...
as the only official language. They contested the general elections of 1970
South African general election, 1970
The 1970 South African general election was held on 22 April for the 166-seat House of Assembly. Parliament was dissolved on 2 March and the deadline for the submission of candidates was 13 March...
and 1977
South African general election, 1977
The 1977 South African general election was held on 30 November 1977. The National Party, led by John Vorster won a landslide victory in the House of Assembly. The newly formed Progressive Federal Party, led by Colin Eglin became the official opposition. The New Republic Party, successor to the...
, capturing 3.3% of the vote in the latter election. The party also contested 50 seats in the 1974 election
South African general election, 1974
The 1974 South African general election, held on 24 April, was called one year earlier than scheduled by Prime Minister John Vorster on 4 February. The House of Assembly was increased from 166 to 171 members. The Progressive Party made a major advance. In addition to Helen Suzman, re-elected for...
but failed to make an impact in an election where reformists advanced.
Emergence in the 1980s
Under the leadership of Jaap MaraisJaap Marais
Jaap Marais was an attorney, an Afrikaner nationalist and the leader of the far-right South African political party, the Herstigte Nasionale Party , from 1977.The HNP was formed in 1969 by Dr...
, who replaced the retiring Hertzog in 1977, the party emerged as a notable force amongst white South Africans. In 1979 the evidence of their potential was demonstrated in a series of by-elections when they suddenly began to threaten the position of the ruling party. Despite eventually obtaining a non-negligible amount of support (13.1% in 1981 elections
South African general election, 1981
During the 1981 South African general election, the National Party achieved another landslide victory, winning 131 of 165 seats in the House of Assembly, which had become the sole legislative chamber following the abolition of the Senate that year...
), the HNP never managed to gain seats in the South African parliament at a general election (although they registered a by-election success at Sasolburg
Sasolburg
Sasolburg is a large industrial town in the far north of the Free State province of South Africa. Sasolburg is further sub-divided into three areas: Sasolburg proper, Vaalpark and Zamdela...
in 1985), and soon became a voice of external opposition. The HNP effectively became the chief voice of the far right opposition at this time, particularly in 1989 when both the Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging
Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging
The Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging is a South African far right separatist political and former paramilitary organization, since its creation dedicated to secessionist Afrikaner nationalism and the creation of an independent Boer-Afrikaner republic or "" in part of South Africa...
and the Boerestaat Party
Boerestaat Party
The Boerstaat Party is a right wing South African political party founded on September 30, 1986 by the late Robert van Tonder. It was never official because the required 500 persons under one roof could not be rallied. It was never represented in the South African Parliament, neither in the...
declared their support for Marais. The group's only previous contact with other parties had been in 1985 when they briefly co-operated with the Conservative Party
Conservative Party (South Africa)
The Conservative Party of South Africa was a conservative party formed in 1982 as a breakaway from the ruling National Party...
to oppose the repeal of the Prohibition of Mixed Marriages Act
Prohibition of Mixed Marriages Act
The Prohibition of Mixed Marriages Act, Act No 55 of 1949, was an apartheid law in South Africa that prohibited marriages between people of different races. It was among the first pieces of apartheid legislation to be passed following the National Party's rise to power in 1948...
and the Immorality Amendment Act by P.W. Botha.
Network with other organisations
On the international stage the HNP built up a number of contacts with far right groups in EuropeEurope
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and for a time during the 1980s were responsible for funding the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
-based League of Saint George
League of Saint George
The League of St. George is a Neo-Nazi organization based in the United Kingdom.-History:The League was formed around 1974 as a political club by Keith Thompson and Mike Griffin as a breakaway from the Action Party, founded by British fascist, Oswald Mosley. The League sought to continue what it...
. The HNP was also closely associated with the South African National Front
South African National Front
The South African National Front, also known as the National Front of South Africa was a neo-fascist organisation in South Africa formed in 1977...
(SANF), an overseas branch of the British National Front
British National Front
The National Front is a far right, white-only political party whose major political activities took place during the 1970s and 1980s. Its popularity peaked in the 1979 general election, when it received 191,719 votes ....
.
Between 1980 and 1987 the party bankrolled the English-speaking far-right journal South African Patriot, edited by SANF members John Hiddleston and then Alan Harvey.
Post-Apartheid
They joined the Afrikaner VolksfrontAfrikanervolksfront
The Afrikaner Volksfront or AVF was a separatist umbrella organization uniting a number of right-wing Afrikaner organizations in South Africa in the early 1990s.- History :...
of General Constand Viljoen
Constand Viljoen
General Constand Viljoen SSA SD SOE SM is a former South African military commander and politician. He is partly credited with preventing the outbreak of armed violence by disaffected Afrikaners prior to the 1994 elections.-Military service:Viljoen received a degree in military science in 1955...
in 1991 although the front collapsed in 1994 when many of the members refused to participate in South Africa
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...
's first multi-racial elections. The HNP drifted away from Viljoen and did not join his Freedom Front. As a result they have become something of a marginal force in contemporary South Africa, arguing for the self determination of the white Afrikaner
Afrikaner
Afrikaners are an ethnic group in Southern Africa descended from almost equal numbers of Dutch, French and German settlers whose native tongue is Afrikaans: a Germanic language which derives primarily from 17th century Dutch, and a variety of other languages.-Related ethno-linguistic groups:The...
s, and a return to Verwoerdian Apartheid. The party motto is "Dié Land is ons Land" (This land is our land).
They re-emerged in 2004 when the party lodged an official complaint against SABC 3
SABC 3
SABC3 is a commercial South African Broadcasting Corporation television channel that carries programming in English and, as of April 2009, Afrikaans....
when they broadcast a play entitled 'ID' which satirized the killing of Hendrik Frensch Verwoerd
Hendrik Frensch Verwoerd
Hendrik Frensch Verwoerd , commonly identified as H.F. Verwoerd, was Prime Minister of South Africa from 1958 until his assassination in 1966...
. Although the HNP argued that it portrayed Verwoerd and his supporters unfairly the complaint was rejected by the Broadcasting Complaints Commission of South Africa
Broadcasting Complaints Commission of South Africa
The Broadcasting Complaints Commission of South Africa receives and considers complaints of offensive broadcasts from member stations programs that appear on television and radio.- References :* at Libération Afrique - External links :...
.
Jaap Marais
Jaap Marais
Jaap Marais was an attorney, an Afrikaner nationalist and the leader of the far-right South African political party, the Herstigte Nasionale Party , from 1977.The HNP was formed in 1969 by Dr...
died in 2000, and was replaced as leader by Willie Marais
Willie Marais
Willie Marais was an Afrikaner nationalist and the leader of the far-right South African political party, the Herstigte Nasionale Party, from 2001 until his death....
. Willie Marais died in December 2007, and was replaced as leader by Japie Theart.. The present leader is Andries Breytenbach.
Ideology
When founded, the HNP emphasised above all its AfrikanerAfrikaner
Afrikaners are an ethnic group in Southern Africa descended from almost equal numbers of Dutch, French and German settlers whose native tongue is Afrikaans: a Germanic language which derives primarily from 17th century Dutch, and a variety of other languages.-Related ethno-linguistic groups:The...
identity, attacking immigration
Immigration
Immigration is the act of foreigners passing or coming into a country for the purpose of permanent residence...
and seeking to downgrade the importance of the English language
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, as well as endorsing apartheid. The party also launched an attack on the materialism that it felt was taking over South African society and thus sought to present itself as the voice of working class
Working class
Working class is a term used in the social sciences and in ordinary conversation to describe those employed in lower tier jobs , often extending to those in unemployment or otherwise possessing below-average incomes...
Afrikaners.
The party reject the concept of a Volkstaat
Volkstaat
Volkstaat is a proposal for the establishment of self determination for the Boer and Afrikaners minority in South Africa according to federal principles, alluding to full independence in the form of a homeland for Boer and Afrikaners....
, claiming all of South Africa for the Afrikaner instead. They believe that the interests of the black population will be sufficiently met in the former homelands
Bantustan
A bantustan was a territory set aside for black inhabitants of South Africa and South West Africa , as part of the policy of apartheid...
. The HNP have no clear plan as to how the return to Verwoerdian
Hendrik Frensch Verwoerd
Hendrik Frensch Verwoerd , commonly identified as H.F. Verwoerd, was Prime Minister of South Africa from 1958 until his assassination in 1966...
South Africa could be achieved. The party also emphasises the importance of Calvinism
Calvinism
Calvinism is a Protestant theological system and an approach to the Christian life...
to the South African identity.
The party does not recognise the new order in South Africa, and as a result, encourage people not to vote as part of their policy of resistance. However, this also makes it impossible to determine the exact support levels the party enjoys.
Namibia
Given that South Africa administered NamibiaNamibia
Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia , is a country in southern Africa whose western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and east. It gained independence from South Africa on 21 March...
until 1988, the HNP was active in the country in opposition to independence and black rights. The party contested the first multi-ethnic election in 1978, capturing 1.8% of the vote in what was a landslide win for the Democratic Turnhalle Alliance of Namibia
Democratic Turnhalle Alliance of Namibia
The Democratic Turnhalle Alliance is an amalgamation of political parties in Namibia, registered as one singular party for representation purposes. In coalition with the United Democratic Front, it formed the official opposition in Parliament until the parliamentary elections in 2009...
(albeit with the main black opposition parties, the South West Africa People's Organization and the Namibia National Front
Namibia National Front
The Namibia National Front was an alliance of moderate parties in Namibia. It was formed in 1977 as a merger of the Namibia National Convention and the Namibia National Council....
, excluded from the ballot).
External links
- Official web site in Afrikaans
- Die Afrikaner website
- http://www.africancrisis.co.za/Article.php?ID=51482&:DocumentaryMotion Picture: Describing the geographical & historical progression of South Africa & its complex social structure. With genuine footage of the various eras, narrated by the respective leaders from Jan Smuts, Dr. Hendrik Verwoerd, P.W. Botha, F. W. De Klerk & Eugene Terre'Blanche. Including an episode explaining the policy of Separate Development designated Apartheid]