FAQ

A referendum is a direct public vote, where voters are asked to have their say on one single issue. This is different to electing representatives, where people vote for political parties over a wide range of issues.

A referendum on Cape Independence would ask provincial voters whether they wanted the Western Cape to become an independent country or not.

Both Section 127 of the South African Constitution and Section 37(f) of the Western Cape Constitution, allow for the Western Cape Premier to call provincial referendums.

There is some dispute about the process through which he would do this since the Referendum Act, which is the legislation governing referendums, is outdated and does not mention the premier specifically.

This does not stop the Premier calling a referendum as his right can be 'read into' the legislation (a legal process which renders legislation constitutional which would otherwise be unconstitutional).

Any voter who is registered to vote in the Western Cape, will be able to participate in a Cape Independence referendum.

You can register to vote online at: https://registertovote.elections.org.za/

The legal implications of this question have been considered at length. The Supreme Courts of Canada and the United Kingdom have both found that in a democracy, the government cannot simply ignore the outcome of a democratic referendum.

A vote for the Referendum Party will not allow the ANC back into power. The ANC obtained 20.5% of the vote in 2021 and even when other potential coalition partners are factored in, they struggle to secure more than a third of the vote.

As part of the Referendum Party election manifesto, we irrevocably promise to vote with the DA to allow them to form a Western Cape government in 2024. A vote for the Referendum Party is a vote for a DA government, it is just a vote that will make that DA government listen to Western Cape voters on Cape Independence.

In 2024, outside of the Western Cape, voters are four times more likely to vote ANC or EFF than DA. As a result of this, it is a virtual mathematical certainty that the Multi-Party Charter will fall far short of securing a national majority, with the most likely outcome being an ANC/EFF coalition government.

However, in order that voters are 100% certain that a vote for the Referendum Party will not undermine the Multi-Party Charter, the Referendum Party will join the Charter and play our part even if we believe it is a lost cause. When it fails, it will not be because of us.