Grandi Theunissen throws Willie Spies under the bus

Grandi Theunissen, former Freedom Front Plus Caucus Leader in the City of Tshwane, and former Regional Chairperson for Tshwane, has thrown Willie Spies under the bus.

According to Theunissen, Spies, the Freedom Front Plus mayoral candidate for the Tshwane Metro, has no real interest in serving the City of Tshwane.

This, according to Theunissen, is because Spies has aspirations to serve as a member of the National Parliament.

He made this allegation during an interview with ‘In Gesprek met Lourensa Eckard’ on Kyknet, following his resignation from the Freedom Front Plus (VF Plus).

To understand the debacle, one has to turn back the clock to 14 February 2026, when the VF Plus announced that Spies was their mayoral candidate for the Tshwane Metro.

Theunissen admitted that this did not sit well with him, as he was the party’s leader in the city and the obvious candidate. He viewed it as a slap in the face by his party.

Spies said that Theunissen isolated him in the city, which made it difficult for him to run an effective mayoral campaign.

The issue came to a head after the VF Plus caucus, under the leadership of Theunissen, sided with the ANC and EFF on a controversial development in the Tshwane Metro.

What was bizarre was that the VF Plus supported the Groenkloof Residents’ Association in opposing this development.

Spies developed a document with charges against Theunissen, and the party’s leadership launched an investigation into the matter.

The result was that Theunissen was removed as the Freedom Front Plus Caucus Leader in the City of Tshwane.

Shortly afterwards, he resigned from the party and joined the Democratic Alliance, which Cilliers Brink announced in August 2026.

According to Brink, the former FF+ leader is not joining the party as a disgruntled individual, but rather as a credible community leader.

“He was highly electable on the FF+ lists, and is a credible community leader, with the requisite skills and experience to add value in the municipality,” he said.

Grandi Theunissen throws Willie Spies under the bus

In an interview with Lourensa Eckard on Kyknet, Theunissen admitted that he was not happy with Spies’ nomination as the VF Plus’ mayoral candidate for the Tshwane Metro.

“It was a slap in my face. I was the Freedom Front Plus’ regional chairperson and caucus leader in Tshwane, and I put my heart and soul into the party,” he said.

“To, all of a sudden, be informed that I was not the mayoral candidate for the Tshwane Metro was a shock.”

However, Theunissen said that, despite his unhappiness regarding the decision, he accepted it and supported Spies in his campaign.

This, he said, was because he decided not to engage in a battle with Spies over the mayoral candidacy, as it would hurt the party.

Theunissen added that Spies used the Groenkloof debacle as an excuse to get rid of him as the caucus leader.

“Spies handed a 13-page document with 15 charges against me to the party leadership, including that I was a dictator who does not tolerate dissent,” he said.

“He did not have any experience in the caucus, as he was not part of it. His accusations were all false.”

However, Theunissen was found guilty and was subsequently removed as caucus leader, leading to his move to the DA.

When he was asked whether Cilliers Brink would make a better mayor for Tshwane than Willie Spies, his answer focused on the candidates’ dedication towards the city.

“Cilliers Brink resigned from his Parliament seat to become Tshwane mayor. When he was booted out, he remained a councillor and stayed in the city,” he said.

“Brink said that he wants to complete the work which the DA started in 2021. He is willing to make sacrifices for this.”

“In contrast, Spies told me in a personal discussion that he does not truly have an interest in being a Tshwane councillor. His ambition is to return to Parliament.”

“He told me that he will attend a council meeting once a month, spend the rest of the time on his legal firm, and then make myself available as MP in 2029.”

This, Theunissen said, showed that Spies saw his mayoral candidacy as a way to return to politics and to the National Parliament.