FF Plus aiming to expand footprint in townships
The scramble for votes in townships has seen the Freedom Front Plus (FF Plus) expanding its footprint in areas traditionally regarded as African National Congress (ANC) strongholds.
Former ANC branch chairperson in Mabopane branch outside Pretoria, Siphiwe Mhlongo, and long serving party member Daniel Makgobola in Soweto, will be contesting the November elections under the FF Plus banner in their respective townships.
They say despite being a party associated with Afrikaner self-determination and against policeis like Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) and Affirmative Action (AA), the FF Plus is necessary to rescue a country badly governed over decades.
Mlhongo says: “Not because it is popular and not because it is fashionable but because it is necessary. We want to create jobs, our townships to develop, our townships to be safer and our township to have its own economy without relying on the government subsidy. My community is happy with the decision, and they are supportive; and we are going to surprise everybody with the FF Plus and we are going to take this ward.”
Meanwhile, Mhlongo says he is not deterred by the party’s stance on BEE and AA.
He says the FF Plus is needed to rescue South Africa from some of its challenges such as food security and issues of safety.
Mhlongo says they want they want to build a country of all races.
“South Africa belongs to all who lives in it, so if we respect the constitution and we love the reconciliation project, I am challenging everybody to say we are going to build the economy that has white people in it; not the economy that isolates them because there is a bitter history between us in economic history. Yes, we want to address those things, but we cannot address while the other part is being isolated. We want to bring into the table and say to them we know your experience in farming; you have experience in industrialisation – we need those experiences. Now is time to change to interact meaningfully and economically.”
