dr wynand boshoff freedom front plus grandson of hendrik verwoerd

Dr Wynand Boshoff tipped to make Parliamentary debut / (Photo: Twitter / @willempet)

Hendrik Verwoerd grandson tipped to get a seat in Parliament

The grandson of Hendrik Verwoerd

dr wynand boshoff freedom front plus grandson of hendrik verwoerd

Dr Wynand Boshoff tipped to make Parliamentary debut / (Photo: Twitter / @willempet)

Dr Wynand Verwoerd, the grandson of Hendrik Verwoerd, will likely make his debut in Parliament as a representative of the Freedom Front Plus (VF Plus).

VF Plus makes strides in SA Elections 2019

The political party was a dark horse coming into the race at the polls. In the 2014 general elections, the party had only managed to scrape up 0.9% of the national vote, generating a meagre four seats in the National Assembly.

Observers and analysts were left surprised by the strides the party had made in a space of five years, with its national vote growing to a total of 2.38% of the total vote.

Related: Freedom Front Plus: Policies, history and forecast votes for the 2019 Elections

The conservative right politics of the party have always failed to pick up support since it was founded in 1994.

Its founder, Constand Viljoen, sought the support of the Afrikaner community after he parted ways with the Afrikaner Volksfront (AVF).

This was the last time the VF Plus received anything close to 10 seats in Parliament.

The breakaway from AVF allowed his party to garner 2.2% of the national votes (nine seats), a clear indication of his popularity within minority groups.

The party would maintain the ideals of Afrikaner independence and conservative economics, and as the political environment moved towards inclusivity, its support based waned at the emergence of the Democratic Alliance (DA).

However, in a strange turn of events, the DA’s losses were VF Plus’ gains in the 2019 elections.

Minority group detractors, who no longer subscribed to the uncertain policies of the DA, transferred their vote to the VF Plus.

With six additional seats (from 2014’s total of four) in the National Assembly, it has been allowed more room to bring in more of its key political representatives to Parliament — one of them being Boshoff.

Who is Dr Wynand Boshoff?

Boshoff currently serves the VF Plus as a councillor and the provincial leader of the Northern Cape. He is tipped to have played a key role in establishing growth in voter support in the region, as well as in Gauteng and the Free State.

Related: EFF MP vows to move landless people to Orania and Eureka after elections

He also heads up the party’s research committee and is listed as a member of their federal executive.

Boshoff is the son of Carel Boshoff, the founder of Orania, and Anna Verwoerd — Hendrik’s daughter.

Verwoerd, the former Prime Minister of South Africa and renowned architect of Apartheid, was assassinated in 1966.

His brazen application of laws that made life incredibly difficult for people of colour is still felt today.

Dr Wynand Boshoff grew up in the town that prides itself as the host to Verwoerd’s collections. It remains to be seen if he will borrow from his grandfather’s radical ideals on the preservation of the Afrikaner culture and the prioritisation of minority groups.

It remains to be seen if he will borrow from his grandfather’s radical ideals on the preservation of the Afrikaner culture and the prioritisation of minority groups.

His political career may not be as extensive as his grandfather’s, but his growth within the party is an indication of how much his efforts are appreciated by his leadership.

Read: 2019 Elections: EFF secure 3.73% of the vote in Orania

He has never shied from the fact that, before anything, he serves the interests of minority groups, including the mixed-race population of South Africa.

When is the first National Assembly sitting?

According to Parliament, both Houses have to be established within 14 days of the declaration of the election results.

Read: If you enjoyed SONA this year, you’re in luck: We’ve got another one next month

Therefore, Boshoff and other newly-appointed Members of Parliament will gather for the first National Assembly sitting on Wednesday, 22 May.