List of political parties in South Africa
Encyclopedia
This article lists political parties
in South Africa
. South Africa is a democratic but one party dominant state with the African National Congress
in power. Opposition parties are allowed, and for the first time since 1994 there is widely held opinion that the support base of the ruling African National Congress
is slowly starting to erode in favor of the main opposition.
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...
in South Africa
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...
. South Africa is a democratic but one party dominant state with the African National Congress
African National Congress
The African National Congress is South Africa's governing Africanist political party, supported by its tripartite alliance with the Congress of South African Trade Unions and the South African Communist Party , since the establishment of non-racial democracy in April 1994. It defines itself as a...
in power. Opposition parties are allowed, and for the first time since 1994 there is widely held opinion that the support base of the ruling African National Congress
African National Congress
The African National Congress is South Africa's governing Africanist political party, supported by its tripartite alliance with the Congress of South African Trade Unions and the South African Communist Party , since the establishment of non-racial democracy in April 1994. It defines itself as a...
is slowly starting to erode in favor of the main opposition.
Parties represented in Parliament
- African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP)
- African Peoples' Convention (APC)
- Azanian People's Organisation (AZAPO)
- Congress of the People (COPE)
- Democratic Alliance (DA)
- Freedom Front + (Vryheidsfront+, FF+)
- Minority Front (MF)
- Independent Democrats (ID)
- Inkatha Freedom PartyInkatha Freedom PartyThe Inkatha Freedom Party is a political party in South Africa. Since its founding, it has been led by Mangosuthu Buthelezi. It is currently the fourth largest party in the National Assembly of South Africa.-History:...
(IFP) - Pan Africanist Congress (PAC)
- South African Communist PartySouth African Communist PartySouth African Communist Party is a political party in South Africa. It was founded in 1921 as the Communist Party of South Africa by the joining together of the International Socialist League and others under the leadership of Willam H...
(SACP) - United Christian Democratic Party (UCDP)
- United Democratic Movement (UDM)
Parties unrepresented in Parliament
- Abolition of Income Tax and Usury Party
- Africa Muslim PartyAfrica Muslim PartyThe Africa Muslim Party is a South African Muslim political party. It was founded in 1994, with Gulam Sabdia as Chairman and Imtiaz Suleman as national leader, and competed in the 1994 elections with few votes to account for...
- African Christian Alliance
- African Independent CongressAfrican Independent CongressThe African Independent Congress is a minor political party in South Africa.It was founded on 12 December 2005 in the Matatiele locality in protest against the inclusion of the area in the Eastern Cape by the ANC government, rather than KwaZulu-Natal....
- Afrikaner Volksparty
- Afrikaner WeerstandsbewegingAfrikaner WeerstandsbewegingThe 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...
- Alliance for Democracy and Prosperity
- Alliance for Community Transfomation
- Alliance of Free Democrats
- Al Jama-ahAl Jama-ahAl Jama-ah is a South African political party. It was formed in 2007, and contested the national election, as well the Western Cape and KwaZulu Natal provincial elections in the 2009 general elections....
- A-Party
- Boer SeparatistsBoere SeparatisteThe Boere Separatiste is a Boer separatist movement, not a political party, advocating the reinstatement of the republics of the Boer nations as an independent and sovereign state for the Boers based on the old Transvaal and Orange Free State Republics, which lost their independence to the British...
- Boerestaat PartyBoerestaat PartyThe Boerstaat Party is a right wing South African 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...
- Boere-VryheidsbewegingBoere-VryheidsbewegingBoere-Vryheidsbeweging is a Boer Liberation Political Movement, advocating an independent homeland for Boer/Afrikaners based on the old Transvaal and Orange Free State Republics, which lost their independence to British colonialism after the Boer War....
- Black Consciousness Party
- Black People's Convention
- Cape PartyCape PartyThe Cape Party is a political party in South Africa which seeks to use all constitutional and legal means to bring about independence for the Western Cape, Northern Cape , six municipalities in the Eastern Cape, and one municipality in the Free State...
- Cape People's Congress
- Christian Democratic Alliance
- Christian Democratic PartyChristian Democratic Party (South Africa)The Christian Democratic Party is a Christian social conservative party in South Africa. The party was registered on 9 September 1999 and was formally launched a year later...
- Christian FrontChristian FrontThe Christian Front is a Conservative Christian political party in South Africa. It is a breakaway from the Christian Democratic Party, and has a seat in the Johannesburg Meropolitan Council, and in the Tshwane Meropolitan Council....
- Christen Party/Christian PartyChristen Party/Christian PartyThe Christen Party/Christian Party is a Protestant Christian Democratic Party, in South Africa,formed in October 2005.The party membership is open to everyone who accepts Jesus Christ as Saviour and the Bible as the inerrant word of God....
- Communist Party of South Africa (Marxist-Leninist)
- Democratic Socialist Movement (CWI)
- Dikwankwetla Party
- Economic Freedom Movement
- Employment Movement of South Africa
- ECOPEACE Party
- Federation of DemocratsFederation of Democrats (South Africa)The Federation of Democrats is a South African political party formed by Louis Green, after he crossed the floor from the African Christian Democratic Party, in September 2005....
- God's People's Party
- Great Kongress of South Africa
- Green Party of South AfricaGreen Party of South AfricaThe Green Party of South Africa is a small political party in the Western Cape province. It has similar policies to Green parties around the world, and is a member of the Federation of Green Parties of Africa....
(GPSA) - Herstigte Nasionale PartyHerstigte Nasionale PartyThe Herstigte Nasionale Party van Suid-Afrika was formed as a right-wing splinter group of the South African National Party.-Formation:...
- Hizb ut-TahrirHizb ut-TahrirHizb ut-Tahrir is an international Sunni. pan-Islamic political organisation but keeps it open for all including shias,some of its beliefs are against sunni school of thought, whose goal is for all Muslim countries to unify as an Islamic state or caliphate ruled by Islamic law and with a caliph...
- Independent African Movement
- Izwi Lethu Party
- Keep It Straight And Simple PartyKeep It Straight and Simple PartyKeep It Straight and Simple Party, known as "KISS" is a minor political party in South Africa based out of Heidelberg, Gauteng.-Party history:...
- Moderate Independent Party
- Movement Democratic Party
- Nasionale Aksie
- National AllianceNational Alliance (South Africa)The National Alliance is a South African political party, on the ballot of the Western Cape province for the South African 2009 provincial election....
- National Democratic ConventionNational Democratic Convention (South Africa)The National Democratic Convention is a South African political party formed in August 2005 via floor crossing legislation by Ziba Jiyane, the former Inkatha Freedom Party chairperson....
(NADECO) - National Party South Africa (NP)
- National People's Party (NPP)
- New Labour PartyNew Labour Party (South Africa)The New Labour Party was a minor South African political party founded by Peter Marais via floor crossing legislation after he left the New National Party in some disrepute. The name was chosen to evoke the former Labour Party led by the late Reverend Allan Hendrickse as an anti-apartheid Coloured...
(NLP) - New Vision Party
- Orde BoerevolkOrde BoerevolkThe Orde Boerevolk is a Boer Liberation Political Movement, founded on 10 October 1989, advocating an independent homeland for Boers based on the old Transvaal and Orange Free State Republics, which lost their independence to British colonialism after the Boer War.-External links:...
- The Organisation Party
- Pan Africanist Movement
- Peace and Justice CongressPeace and Justice CongressThe Peace and Justice Congress is a South African political party, on the ballots of the Free State and Western Cape provinces for the South African 2009 provincial elections.Rashad Khan, a human-rights lawyer is a leader of the party....
- Pro-death Penalty Party
- Royal Loyal Progress
- Sindawonye Progressive Party
- Socialist Party of AzaniaSocialist Party of AzaniaThe Socialist Party of Azania is a Scientific Socialist, Black Consciousness political party in South Africa. In the 2004 general elections, it received only 0.1% of the vote and no legislatorial seats at either the national and provincial levels....
- Socialist Green Coalition
- South African Business PartySouth African Business PartyThe South African Business Party assists people to plan their business, advises and guides business in regard to exporting, tax reduction, job creation and the like....
- South African Democratic CongressSouth African Democratic CongressThe South African Democratic Convention was formed in 2008 by Ziba Jiyane, the founder of the National Democratic Convention , after he left in a dispute over leadership. Jiyane was previously the Secretary-General of the Inkatha Freedom Party....
(Sadeco) - South African Political Party
- United Independent FrontUnited Independent FrontThe United Independent Front is a political party in South Africa. It is a break-away party of the United Democratic Movement . As of 2006, it is led by Malizole Diko. He and Nomakhaya Mdaka are the sole members of parliament and left the UDM on 15 September 2005 during the floor crossing period....
- United Party of South Africa
- United Front
- Universal PartyUniversal Party (South Africa)The Universal Party is a minor political party in South Africa. In the election of 22 April 2009 it appeared only on the Western Cape provincial ballot, and received 599 votes ....
- Women Forward
- Workers International Vanguard LeagueWorkers International Vanguard LeagueThe Workers International Vanguard League is a Trotskyist organisation in South Africa. It publishes Workers International News.The group's lie in the underground Trotskyist Revolutionaries group, founded in 1985...
- Workers Organization for Socialist Action
- Ximoko Party
Defunct parties
- Afrikaner Eenheids Beweging (AEB)
- Afrikaner PartyAfrikaner PartyThe Afrikaner Party was a South African political party from 1941 to 1951.-Origins:The roots of the party can be traced back September 1939, when South Africa declared war on Germany at the start of World War II. General J.B.M...
(AP) - African Political Organisation (APO)
- Conservative PartyConservative Party (South Africa)The Conservative Party of South Africa was a conservative party formed in 1982 as a breakaway from the ruling National Party...
(CP) - Democratic PartyDemocratic Party (South Africa)The Democratic Party was the name of the South African political party now called the Democratic Alliance . Although the Democratic Party name dates from 1989, the party existed under other labels throughout the Apartheid years, when it was the Parliamentary opposition to the ruling National...
(DP) - Dominion Party
- Federal AllianceFederal Alliance (South Africa)The Federal Alliance was a small South African political party that contested the South African general election in 1999. The party was led by business magnate Louis Luyt, and founded in 1998....
- Federal Party (FP)
- Freedom Front (FF)
- Labour PartyLabour Party (South Africa)The South African Labour Party, formed in March 1910 following discussions between trade unions and the Independent Labour Party of Transvaal, was a professedly democratic socialist party representing the interests of the white working class.-History:...
- Labour Party (Coloured)
- Liberal Party of South Africa
- National PartyNational Party (South Africa)The National Party is a former political party in South Africa. Founded in 1914, it was the governing party of the country from 4 June 1948 until 9 May 1994. Members of the National Party were sometimes known as Nationalists or Nats. Its policies included apartheid, the establishment of a...
(NP) - New National Party (NNP)
- New Republic Party
- Progressive Federal Party (PFP)
- Progressive PartyProgressive Party (South Africa)The Progressive Party was a liberal party in South Africa that opposed the ruling National Party's policies of apartheid, and championed the Rule of Law. For years its only member of parliament was Helen Suzman...
- Progressive Reform PartyProgressive Reform PartyThe Progressive Reform Party was a South African party that was formed on 26 July 1975 by the fusion of the Reform Party led by Harry Schwarz and Progressive Party led by Colin Eglin...
- Reform PartyReform Party (South Africa)The Reform Party was an anti-apartheid political party that existed for just five months in 1975 and is one of the predecessor parties to the Democratic Alliance...
- South African PartySouth African PartyThe South African Party was a political party that existed in the Union of South Africa from 1911 to 1934.-History:The outline and foundation for the party was realized after the election of a 'South African party' in the 1910 South African general election under the leadership of Louis Botha...
(SAP) - Sports Organization for Collective Contributions and Equal Rights (aka the SOCCER Party)
- United South African Party (aka the "Unionist Party")
- United PartyUnited Party (South Africa)The United Party was South Africa's ruling political party between 1934 and 1948. It was formed by a merger of most of Prime Minister Barry Hertzog's National Party with the rival South African Party of Jan Smuts, plus the remnants of the Unionist Party...
(UP) - Kroonstad and Kokstad Official Youth Front (KAKOYF)
See also
- Politics of South AfricaPolitics of South AfricaThe Republic of South Africa is a unitary, parliamentary republic. The President of South Africa is both head of state and head of government; in the same manner as the prime minister of other nations, the President is elected by the National Assembly and must enjoy the confidence of the Assembly...
- List of political parties by country
- Liberalism in South AfricaLiberalism in South AfricaThis article gives an overview of liberal parties in South Africa. It is limited to liberal parties with substantial support, mainly proved by having had a representation in parliament.-Introduction:...