A war of words has erupted between the DA and the VF Plus over the issue of a referendum for Western Cape independence. This follows after Dr. Corné Mulder, VF Plus leader in the province, said Western Cape voters seeking a referendum on secession should know that the DA is not even willing to offer them the opportunity.

Mulder said yesterday that the VF Plus is in favor of holding a referendum in the Western Cape. He also confirmed that the VF Plus had exploratory talks last month with the Capexit movement and the Referendum Party (RP) to put pressure on the Western Cape government for such a referendum.

Dr. Ivan Meyer, DA chairperson, accused the VF Plus in turn of "dishonesty" and attempts to mislead voters with empty promises about a referendum.

However, a recent attempt by the Kaapse Forum to take the state to court over the 1982 Referendum Act proved the contrary - they attempted to have the bill declared unconstitutional, because it did not reflect the Constitution's provisions for Premiers to call referenda. The Constitutional Court dismissed the case on the basis that it was already obvious the Constitution provided such powers.

According to Meyer, the DA is not in favor of secession and also does not believe it is in the best interest of the people of the Western Cape. Mulder claims that the majority of DA voters have indicated in opinion polls that they support Capexit. "It is also true that about 72% of Capexit's members have in the past voted for the DA by default. Where will they vote in 2024?" asks Mulder.

The VF Plus collaborated with the Capexit movement in the municipal elections of 2021 and even unveiled a combined election poster. In that election, the VF Plus was able to garner about 3% of the Western Cape's support. According to Meyer, however, the VF Plus creates false expectations among voters about holding referendums.

The Constitutional Court rejected an application from the Cape Forum to empower premiers to hold provincial referendums last month. The court stated in its ruling that it is not in the interest of justice to hear the application at this time because a DA amendment bill on this issue is already before parliament. According to Meyer, this amendment bill simply empowers premiers to proclaim referendums to fill a gap in the Constitution.

According to Meyer, these legislative amendments must first be processed in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution. "The VF Plus creates false expectations that there will be a referendum and you cannot run your politics based on false expectations."

According to him, Western Cape voters have rejected the idea of secession in previous elections when looking at the support of parties that support independence. "When certain parties launch their election campaigns, they do so on the basis of referendums and Capexit, but every year at the ballot box they lose."

Meyer also confirmed the DA's principle of federalism and referred to the bill on the devolution of powers before the legislature.

Meyer also argued that it was best to let the national government to have power over all dissenting regions, comparing the secession movement to Brexit:

"Whatever the VF Plus tells you, the geopolitical landscape of Europe is not good and Brexit was a big mistake. We are not going to make the same mistake in the Western Cape," says Meyer.

‍