The DA on Tuesday welcomed to its ranks former Freedom Front Plus (FF+) Tshwane Caucus Leader Grandi Theunissen, a move that DA Tshwane mayoral candidate Cilliers Brink said bodes well for the blue party.

Theunissen, a former FF+ regional chairperson for Tshwane, said he hopes to make a positive contribution to the DA and to the metro.

“As I said, leaving a party of which I have been a member since 1994 is a difficult decision. As chairperson of the FF+’s largest region, I worked hard to grow the party. I also held a highly winnable position on the Tshwane candidate list. However, between 2023 and 2024, the FF+ voted to topple several DA mayors in the Western Cape. Cilliers Brink and I promised each other that we would not allow this kind of politicking to jeopardise our own coalition here in the Tshwane metro,” he said.

He pointed to shared values and interests between himself and Brink, also noting strong bonds of friendship.

Brink said Theunissen’s move to the DA was significant for Tshwane residents.

“Our opponents in this election are those that break down institutions, deploy cadres, and attack the bedrock of good governance in our City. When we governed together in Tshwane, Grandi served as a Mayoral Committee Member and he proved himself to be entirely aligned, working against forces of corruption and capture,” he stated.

Brink pointed to Theunissen’s experience in the FF+, stressing that he did not leave his former party as a disgruntled member.

Brink noted the upcoming local government election, and expressed readiness for the DA’s ability to govern the metro, again.

“My focus is now on the future. We must stand together to win," Theunissen said.