Referendum Party (South Africa)

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Referendum Party
AbbreviationRP
LeaderPhil Craig
Founded9 November 2023;21 months ago (2023-11-09)
Preceded byCape Independence Advocacy Group (CIAG)
Headquarters2nd Floor
The Old Tannery
1 Herman road
Wellington
Western Cape
Ideology Cape independence
Self-determination
Provincial AffiliationCapeXit Election Accord (2024) [1]
ColoursNavy and Gold
   
SloganOur Cape. Our Future. Our Choice!
Website
www.referendumparty.org

The Referendum Party (RP) is a secessionist political party in South Africa established to compete in the 2024 general election. The party was founded by members of the Cape Independence Advocacy Group (CIAG) in November 2023 in response to Western Cape premier Alan Winde refusing to call a referendum on Cape independence in October 2023. [2]

Contents

The Referendum Party does not seek to remove the Democratic Alliance (DA) from the Western Cape government, but to push the DA into adopting more radical policy positions, including calling a referendum on independence and ban the use of racial laws and categories.

The party is led by Phil Craig, who was previously involved in the founding of the Cape Independence Advocacy Group. [3] According to Craig, the Referendum Party is styled after the Brexit Party and Brexit Party members were consulted to help inform the party's policies. [4]

History

Formation

The Referendum Party has its roots in the Cape Independence Advocacy Group (CIAG), a political lobby group set up to lobby the DA-led Western Cape government to hold a referendum on independence. After years of negotiations the CIAG together with other organisations which included the Freedom Front Plus, CapeXit, the Swartland Aksie Groep and others sent an ultimatum to Alan Winde with the backing of 30k signatures. It asked the premier to either call a referendum on independence or ask the president of South Africa to call one. The Premier refused. [5]

As a result, the CIAG launched the Referendum Party, to provide a safe haven for DA voters who also want a referendum on independence. The party was launched as a single issue party solely focused on calling for a referendum on independence. [5] [4]

2024 South African General Election

In 2024, the party attempted to join the DA's Multi-Party Charter (MPC) national alliance, however the party's application was rejected due to the party's singular support for Cape independence. [6] This is despite fellow MPC member the Freedom Front Plus (FF+) also being in favour of Cape independence. [7] The FF+, RP and CapeXit NPO separately signed a joint electoral pact binding the parties to require a referendum on independence as part of any coalition condition in the Western Cape. [8]

The party failed to win any seats in the general election.

Extra parliamentary period (2024-present)

The RP stopped being singular issue after its disappointing electoral results and adopted a more broadly radical political stance in general. [9]

In late 2024, RP launched a non-racialism campaign which was aimed to raise awareness for its extra-parliamentary submitted amendment to the constitution to ban the use of racialised laws, and racial categories in general, in South Africa. [9]

Election results

National Assembly elections

ElectionParty leaderTotal votesShare of voteSeats+/–Government
2024 Phil Craig3,8340.02% [a]
0 / 400
NewExtra-parliamentary
  1. ↑ From 2024, seats in the National Assembly are determined by a combination of the national ballot, and the nine regional ballots. Only the national ballot figures are shown here.

Provincial elections

Election Western Cape
%Seats
2024 0.26%0/42

See also

References

  1. ↑ "The Referendum Party signs CapeXit election accord". Referendum Party (News). Retrieved 20 May 2024.
  2. ↑ Goodall, Keely. "Referendum Party: It's undemocratic to NOT call Cape Independence referendum". Cape Talk. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
  3. ↑ "Phil Craig puts his money where his mouth is". www.capeindependence.org. Retrieved 15 November 2023.
  4. 1 2 "Why we're launching the Referendum Party - OPINION - Politicsweb". www.politicsweb.co.za. Retrieved 15 November 2023.
  5. 1 2 TANDWA, LIZEKA. "Referandum Party for Cape independence to call the DA's bluff". Mail & Guardian. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
  6. ↑ Goba, Thabiso. "Multi-Party Charter snubs Referendum Party as 'devisive'". EWN. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
  7. ↑ "Independence update | VF+ affirms support, IEC troubles for RP and CIP | The Cape Independent". www.capeindependent.com. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
  8. ↑ "The Referendum Party signs CapeXit election accord". Referendum Party (News). Retrieved 20 May 2024.
  9. 1 2 "Referendum Party gears up for 2029 | The Cape Independent". www.capeindependent.com. Archived from the original on 21 April 2025. Retrieved 16 April 2025.


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