Lennit Max cries racism as he resigns from Freedom Front Plus

Former Western Cape police commissioner Lennit Max has resigned from the Freedom Front Plus (FF+), crying racism.

Max joined the party in August 2021 ahead of that year’s local government elections and became its mayoral candidate for Cape Town.

He is a former member of the DA and the erstwhile Independent Democrats who has also had a brief stint as an adviser to police minister Bheki Cele.

In a resignation letter seen by TIMESLIVE, Max accuses his latest political home of prioritising the interests of Afrikaners to the exclusion of other race groups.

At issue is a mission statement in the FF+ constitution which reads: “The Freedom Front Plus is irrevocably committed to the realisation of communities’, in particular the Afrikaners’, internationally recognised right to self-determination, territorial or otherwise; the maintenance, protection and promotion of their rights and interests, as well as the promotion of the right of self-determination of any other community, bound by a common language and cultural heritage in South Africa.”

Max said, “It is evident from section 3 that the words ‘in particular the Afrikaners’ right to self-determination’ enjoy priority and supersede that of any other community.”

FF+ Western Cape leader Corné Mulder hit back, dismissing Max’s characterisation of the party as an apartheid party as “absolute nonsense”.

He said the party had members and representatives from all communities and this was evident at its manifesto launch.he confirmed having a discussion with Max when the latter joined the party three years ago about section 3 of the party’s constitution.

Mulder said the section was drafted in March 1994 when the party was formed and the wording was agreed to at that stage with regards to its mission and founding statement.

“About seven or eight years ago, it rewrote the mission statement to reposition the party and to make it inclusive to all minority groups and to reach out to everybody.”