Marred in the electoral radar: National Freedom Party, political avarice and the pitfalls of a patron-based party
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Date
2016
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
South African Association of Public Administration and Management (SAAPAM)
Abstract
As a norm, the formation of political parties
constitutes one of the many segments in
the consolidation of democracy in modern
politics. Invariably, there are different typologies
of political parties. The choice
of each type is informed by a confluence
of factors. Each of these types of political
parties has its own characteristic features.
Within this context, this paper, focuses on
one of the new political parties in South
Africa, the National Freedom Party (NFP).
The main purpose of this article is to discuss
the tenets, as well as the pros and cons of
patron-based political parties using the
NFP, as an example. The article looks at
how the party was established, how it has
performed in different elections, the intraparty
challenges it has wrestled with and
how it resolved them. Using a qualitative
approach, the article takes a closer look at
the developments that took place in the NFP
before the 2016 Local Government Election
(LGE). Based on the enumerated chain of
events, it assesses the party's prospects for
recovery. Lastly, the article avers that the
NFP's demise or resurrection will depend
on how it cleanses itself, following internal
squabbles, after the incapacitation of its
leader.
Description
Keywords
Formation of political parties, NFP, National Freedom Party, Challenges, Local government elections
Citation
Mngomezulu, B.R. (2016). Marred in the electoral radar: National Freedom Party, political avarice and the pitfalls of a patron-based party. Journal of Public Administration, 51(3.1): 632 – 647.