The African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP) is a political party in South Africa that is governed by Christian beliefs and principles. The party, which was founded in 1993 and is led by Kenneth Meshoe, aims at making South Africa a strong, healthy, prosperous, and purpose-driven nation. Its original manifesto includes traditional Christian norms, a free market system, and human rights under a federal governmental system.
But despite it outrightly identifying as a Christian party, ACDP gives room for religious freedom. It promises to protect freedom of religion and improve the lives of all South Africans through reliable and trustworthy leaders.
African Christian Democratic Party Policies
The African Christian Democratic Party is made up of mostly conservative Christians with its doctrine concentrating mostly on social issues such as abortion, homosexuality, and pornography. With regard to these specific social issues, the ACDP was the only party to vote against the current version of the South African Constitution. This was largely due to the fact that it accommodated abortion and protected the rights of citizens to practice other sexual orientations.
The party also aims at restoring integrity and investor confidence by eradicating the nation’s inequality, unemployment, poverty, corruption, crime, and violence. It understands that by improving the country’s standard of education and healthcare, some of these policies mentioned above would be made easier to achieve.
ACDP Performance In South African Elections
In 1994, its first participation in an election, the African Christian Democratic Party won two seats in the national government, making it one of the smallest parties in the national government. However, by 1999, they won seven seats and became the sixth largest party in Parliament.
Between 1999 and 2008, ACDP began to grow in strength; recruiting more party members, winning more seats, and becoming more and more influential in the country. Sadly in the 2009 elections, the ACDP lost about half of its supporters and this has since affected the party in subsequent elections.
By 2016, the party again began to gather a little bit of traction by having three members in the South African Parliament, one member in the Western Cape Legislature, and 22 municipal councilors across the country. This was thanks to the coalition it formed with the much larger Democratic Alliance (DA) and several other smaller parties.
African Christian Democratic Party Leaders
1. Dr. Kenneth Meshoe – Party President
Dr. Meshoe is a pastor and political leader who started off as a teacher. He is a Reverend at the Hope Of Glory Tabernacle, a church that is said to have up to four thousand members, which he runs alongside his wife.
Meshoe believes that Christians should be in a position of leadership in order to create the much-needed change the country of South Africa needs. This was what prompted him to establish the African Christian Democratic Party. Thanks to his efforts so far as both a paster and politician, he has been awarded an Honorary Doctorate (Doctor of Humane Letters, abbreviated L.H.D.) by Bethel Christian College of Riverside, California, USA, where he was also appointed to serve as an Associate Member on the Board of Regents of Bethel College.
Contacts: Tel: +27 11 869 3941, Email: [email protected]
2. Wayne M. Thring – ACDP Deputy President
Wayne M. Thring joined the ACDP in 1995 after which he was elected to the position of Deputy Chairman and eventually to the position of Chairman in 1997. He served as Chairman for over ten years before moving on to become the Provincial Leader in KwaZulu-Natal and then later the ACDP Deputy President.
Contacts: Tel: +27 31 464 6704, Email: [email protected]
3. Jo-Ann Downs – National Executive Chairman
Jo-Ann was the former chairperson of the KwaZulu-Natal Public Accounts committee. She is also one of the oldest members of the party who has found herself in various roles within the party hierarchy. Downs was eventually elected to the position of the National Chairman in 2010.
Contacts: Tel: +27 83 254 4167, Email: [email protected]
4. Mokhethi Raymond Thaeli – NEC Secretary-General
Mokhethi Raymond, who is an Educator by profession, holds the following qualifications: JSTC, SED, Diploma in Education Development, Management, Administration and BA in Education & Psychology. He joined the ACDP in 1995 and has since been actively involved with the party.
Contacts: Tel: +27 11 869 3941, Email: [email protected]
Read Also:Â List Of Political Parties For South African Elections (National And Provincial)
List of South African Political Parties
South Africa currently has thirteen political parties. They are:
1. African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP)
2. African Independent Congress (AIC)
3. African National Congress (ANC)
4. African Peoples’ Convention (APC)
5. Agang South Africa (Agang)
6. Congress Of The People (COPE)
7. Democratic Alliance (DA)
8. Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF)
9. Freedom Front Plus (FF+)
10. Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP)
11. National Freedom Party (NFP)
12. Pan Africanist Congress (PAC)
13. United Democratic Movement (UDM)
