The man with a plan to fix South Africa’s capital

Willie Spies, the Freedom Front Plus’s (FF+’s) mayoral candidate for the Tshwane Metro, has a plan to fix South Africa’s capital.

On 14 February 2026, the Freedom Front Plus announced that Spies was their mayoral candidate for the Tshwane Metro in the 2026 local government elections.

This took many people by surprise, as Spies had been out of politics and the Freedom Front Plus for 15 years.

He was a rising star in the party and served as one of the party’s four representatives in the National Assembly from 2004 to 2009.

Spies became a prominent figure in South African politics and was the party’s spokesperson on labour.

However, in 2009, Spies announced that he would resign from legislative politics to return to full-time legal practice at his firm, Hurter Spies.

In the same year, AfriForum announced that it had appointed him as its full-time legal counsel. Hurter Spies handled all of the group’s civil rights litigation.

In early March 2010, the FF+ said that Spies had resigned from the party to focus on his legal work for AfriForum.

Outside his legal work, Spies was a prominent figure at his alma mater, the University of Pretoria, where he served as chairperson of the Tuks Alumni Board.

He also served as the executive chairperson of Pretoria FM for fifteen years, where he steered the radio station through many challenges.

As he was not politically active, many people did not expect Spies to emerge as the FF+’s mayoral candidate for the Tshwane Metro.

However, due to the respect which many people in the metro have for Spies, the announcement was widely welcomed.

He described his return to politics after 16 years as both emotional and exciting, adding that he is up for the challenge.

Why Willie Spies entered politics again after 16 years as a lawyer

In a recent discussion on ‘In Gesprek met Lourensa Eckard’, Spies said the political landscape has changed significantly over the last 16 years.

He said that when he left parliament in 2009, Freedom Front Plus had only 4 seats out of 400. “It was 4 against 400,” he said.

He joked that it was easier to be a lawyer, as he only had to convince a judge to win a legal battle. “It was better odds at one to one,” he said.

Over the last seventeen years, things have changed. The ANC is no longer dominant, and coalition politics have become the name of the game.

There was also a shift in Afrikaner identity, marked by the growth of organisations such as Solidarity and Afriforum.

However, Spies said that, although many people view it that way, the Freedom Front Plus is no longer an Afrikaner party.

He said that people from across the racial and ethnic spectrum are increasingly supporting the party and its candidates.

His campaigning for the November local government election includes the Indian township Laudium, the black township Mamelodi, and rural areas.

Spies said that many voters are moving past race politics and are interested in the character and principles of the candidates.

“People are tired of corruption and mismanagement. Many view an Oom Pieter who works hard and does his best as a breath of fresh air,” he said.

Spies said that he is excited to be part of this changing political landscape and once again engage with people in the Tshwane Metro as a politician.

Willie Spies has a plan for the Tshwane Metro

Spies said that collaboration between politicians, the business sector, civil organisations and the public can resurrect the Metro from the ashes.

The city faces numerous problems, including maladministration, corruption and incompetence at all levels.

These managerial issues lead to power outages, water crises, crumbling infrastructure, and collapsing service delivery.

On 28 May 2026, Spies announced a comprehensive turnaround strategy for the Tshwane Metro and Pretoria as the capital city.

He said that the strategy will be shared weekly through media statements, social media posts, and short informational videos.

The first phase, which is underway, is to invite Tshwane and Pretoria residents to share their frustrations and solutions with the party.

“The recovery strategy for the Tshwane Metro and the capital can be based on their input,” Spies said.

“We do not want a strategy imposed from above, but wish to build it from the ground up in collaboration with the community.”