The Freedom Front Plus is punching below its weight

The Freedom Front Plus’ (VF Plus) message appeals to many conservative South Africans, but the party is not getting the votes which align with those views.

This, the party said, will change as it is confident of gaining significant support in the upcoming Local Government Elections.

The Freedom Front was founded on 1 March 1994 by members of the Afrikaner community under the leadership of Constand Viljoen.

In the 1994 general election, under the leadership of Viljoen, the Freedom Front received 424,555 votes cast, earning nine seats in the National Assembly.

To put this performance into perspective, it was the fourth largest party in South Africa and outperformed the Democratic Alliance.

In 1994, only the African National Congress (ANC), the National Party (NP), and the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) were larger.

Since then, the party has moved backwards. In the 2024 general elections, the party received only 218,850 votes, earning it four seats in the National Assembly.

It raises the question of what the Freedom Front Plus did wrong to lose so much support, given that its conservative Christian values are widely supported.

Organisations like Solidarity and AfriForum, which share similar values, are popular and growing within the conservative Afrikaner community.

However, at election time, most conservative Afrikaners vote for the traditional liberal and English DA rather than the pro-Afrikaner VF Plus.

There are many reasons for this. One is that conservative Afrikaners viewed the VF Plus as a marginal single-issue party whose core Volkstaat issue was unattainable.

Voting DA, in comparison, was seen as the only realistic way to consolidate opposition power against the ANC.

In the 2024 election, conservative voters rallied behind the largest opposition party, the DA, to prevent an ANC-EFF coalition and maximise opposition leverage.

The DA’s opposition to race-based policies like BEE and Expropriation Without Compensation further increased its appeal among conservative Afrikaners.

Many voters feel that although their values align more with VF Plus, the Democratic Alliance is close enough and has the power to take on the ANC.

Freedom Front Plus fight back

On Saturday, 12 September 2026, Freedom Front Plus leader Corné Mulder launched the party’s Manifesto at the Silver Lakes Farm Hotel in Pretoria East.

The Freedom Front Plus’s theme represents “our” supporters, who include everyone who is not prepared to accept municipal decline and poor service delivery.

“They are ordinary, law-abiding citizens who want to live in peace, who want value for money, and who want a better future for themselves and their children,” Mulder said.

“Local government in South Africa has been plunged into total chaos. Service delivery is failing. Most municipalities are unsustainable and on the verge of bankruptcy.”

He said there are water shortages, polluted water, potholed roads, out-of-order streetlights, malfunctioning traffic lights, and sewage spilling into the streets.

The Freedom Front Plus’s 2026 Manifesto provides a recovery plan to halt the decline of municipalities.

This plan is based on five principles: communities first, merit and expertise, financial accountability, the freedom to build and grow, and stable coalitions.

It includes the devolution of power, effective tax expenditure, fair and accurate rates and taxes, and infrastructure maintenance.

It also proposes holding officials financially accountable, providing a healthy and safe environment, promoting economic growth, and creating jobs.

The party further supports merit-based appointments, Christian values and equality, and stable coalitions.

“This plan will bring about prosperity for everyone who considers themselves ‘our’ supporters,” Mulder said.

“This includes Afrikaners and other minority communities who want to protect our language, culture, heritage and identity.”

He said the VF Plus’ supports are God-fearing and law-abiding citizens who believe in strong family ties, community values and mutual respect.

“It is who we are. It is you. It is me. And it is our time,” Mulder said.

Whether this message will be enough to convince conservative Afrikaans voters to move from the DA to the VF Plus will only be known after the elections on 4 November 2026.