Boerestaat Party
Encyclopedia
The Boerstaat Party is a right wing South Africa
n political party
founded on September 30, 1986 by the late Robert van Tonder. It was never official because the required 500 persons under one roof could not be rallied. It was never represented in the South African Parliament, neither in the apartheid era nor after the democratization. In 1989, it joined the Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging
in declaring support for Jaap Marais, the leader of the Herstigte Nasionale Party
and has worked with the HNP on occasion since. The party was a charter member of the Afrikaner Volksfront coalition group. It has also operated with the paramilitary group, the Boere Weerstandsbeweging (Boer Resistance Movement) led by Andrew Ford.
The BSP were the third group in South Africa to openly advocate the restoration of the South African Republic
and the Orange Free State
and call for the secession of these territories from the Union of South Africa. Other groups advocated this notion in the past with the Martiz Rebellion of 1914 and the Ossewa Brandwag of the 1940s being the most notable prior. This policy was later taken on board by the AWB
and other rightist movements. The BSP further argued that the Boer
citizens of these nineteenth century republics should be considered as a distinct nation from the Afrikaners, known as a Boerestaat..
The BSP has been noted for adopting controversial views on AIDS
and came out in support of the views on the subject expressed by Thabo Mbeki
. The party has also taken an active role in ensuring that the Voortrekker Monument
is cared for, with current leader Coen Vermaak a leading advocate in this campaign .
Coen Vermaak has become noted for his controversial statements, arguing that it is official policy to drive white people
to extinction
through the widespread availability of contraceptives whilst he has further argued that 'I am convinced the abortion law is aimed at getting rid of white babies'. Vermaak has also claimed that AIDS
was a hoax designed to promote the use of condoms among whites claiming that 'no Boer [Afrikaner] ever had Aids. It doesn't exist. It's the biggest scam that can take place'.
Whilst the party does not actively call for voting rights to be restricted to whites only, it firmly rejects the post-apartheid doctrine of universal suffrage
. For Vermaak, it is ridiculous that a doctor and a vagrant should have an equal say in how the country is governed. He has argued that 'any logical person should understand [that] some people's votes should count more than others' .
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
n political party
Political party
A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...
founded on September 30, 1986 by the late Robert van Tonder. It was never official because the required 500 persons under one roof could not be rallied. It was never represented in the South African Parliament, neither in the apartheid era nor after the democratization. In 1989, it joined the Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging
Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging
The Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging is a South African far right separatist political and former paramilitary organization, since its creation dedicated to secessionist Afrikaner nationalism and the creation of an independent Boer-Afrikaner republic or "" in part of South Africa...
in declaring support for Jaap Marais, the leader of the Herstigte Nasionale Party
Herstigte Nasionale Party
The Herstigte Nasionale Party van Suid-Afrika was formed as a right-wing splinter group of the South African National Party.-Formation:...
and has worked with the HNP on occasion since. The party was a charter member of the Afrikaner Volksfront coalition group. It has also operated with the paramilitary group, the Boere Weerstandsbeweging (Boer Resistance Movement) led by Andrew Ford.
The BSP were the third group in South Africa to openly advocate the restoration of the South African Republic
South African Republic
The South African Republic , often informally known as the Transvaal Republic, was an independent Boer-ruled country in Southern Africa during the second half of the 19th century. Not to be confused with the present-day Republic of South Africa, it occupied the area later known as the South African...
and the Orange Free State
Orange Free State
The Orange Free State was an independent Boer republic in southern Africa during the second half of the 19th century, and later a British colony and a province of the Union of South Africa. It is the historical precursor to the present-day Free State province...
and call for the secession of these territories from the Union of South Africa. Other groups advocated this notion in the past with the Martiz Rebellion of 1914 and the Ossewa Brandwag of the 1940s being the most notable prior. This policy was later taken on board by the AWB
Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging
The Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging is a South African far right separatist political and former paramilitary organization, since its creation dedicated to secessionist Afrikaner nationalism and the creation of an independent Boer-Afrikaner republic or "" in part of South Africa...
and other rightist movements. The BSP further argued that the Boer
Boer
Boer is the Dutch and Afrikaans word for farmer, which came to denote the descendants of the Dutch-speaking settlers of the eastern Cape frontier in Southern Africa during the 18th century, as well as those who left the Cape Colony during the 19th century to settle in the Orange Free State,...
citizens of these nineteenth century republics should be considered as a distinct nation from the Afrikaners, known as a Boerestaat..
The BSP has been noted for adopting controversial views on AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
and came out in support of the views on the subject expressed by Thabo Mbeki
Thabo Mbeki
Thabo Mvuyelwa Mbeki is a South African politician who served two terms as the second post-apartheid President of South Africa from 14 June 1999 to 24 September 2008. He is also the brother of Moeletsi Mbeki...
. The party has also taken an active role in ensuring that the Voortrekker Monument
Voortrekker Monument
The Voortrekker Monument is a monument in the city of Pretoria, South Africa. The massive granite structure, built to honour the Voortrekkers who left the Cape Colony between 1835 and 1854, was designed by the architect Gerard Moerdijk who had the idea to design a "monument that would stand a...
is cared for, with current leader Coen Vermaak a leading advocate in this campaign .
Coen Vermaak has become noted for his controversial statements, arguing that it is official policy to drive white people
White people
White people is a term which usually refers to human beings characterized, at least in part, by the light pigmentation of their skin...
to extinction
Extinction
In biology and ecology, extinction is the end of an organism or of a group of organisms , normally a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and recover may have been lost before this point...
through the widespread availability of contraceptives whilst he has further argued that 'I am convinced the abortion law is aimed at getting rid of white babies'. Vermaak has also claimed that AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
was a hoax designed to promote the use of condoms among whites claiming that 'no Boer [Afrikaner] ever had Aids. It doesn't exist. It's the biggest scam that can take place'.
Whilst the party does not actively call for voting rights to be restricted to whites only, it firmly rejects the post-apartheid doctrine of universal suffrage
Universal suffrage
Universal suffrage consists of the extension of the right to vote to adult citizens as a whole, though it may also mean extending said right to minors and non-citizens...
. For Vermaak, it is ridiculous that a doctor and a vagrant should have an equal say in how the country is governed. He has argued that 'any logical person should understand [that] some people's votes should count more than others' .