Cape Independence Movement Responds to Cyril Ramaphosa Rejecting Referendum

• The Cape Independence Advocacy Group responded to President Cyril Ramaphosa's dismissal of the referendum on the Western Cape
• Ramaphosa said that the proposal to separate the Western Cape from the rest of the country is not supported by the Constitution of the land
• South Africans debated with the group as it blamed the African National Congress for not promoting unity in the country

Tebogo Mokwena, affiliated with Briefly News, covered local and international politics, political analysis, and interviews in South Africa for Daily Sun and Vutivi Business News during his 10 years of experience.

WESTERN CAPE — South Africans debated the Cape Independence Advocacy Group's response to President Cyril Ramaphosa's rejection of the Western Cape secession referendum.

Cape Independence responded on 31 December 2025, days after Ramaphosa dismissed the group's secession referendum in Parliament. Ramaphosa, who praised South Africans' resilience on 31 December 2025, said he has no intention of considering a secession proposal. He also pointed out that the country's Constitution states that South Africa is one, sovereign, and a democratic state.

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Cape Independence group rejects Ramaphosa's dismissal

In a statement shared on its @LetsFreeTheCape X account, the group stated that Ramaphosa did not have the power to call a referendum. The group stated that the Premier of a province may call an official referendum. However, Western Cape Premier Alan Winde refused to call the referendum.

The group also said that the country is bound by international law with no opt-out clause.

"The right to self-determination, alongside others including the prohibition of genocide and the prohibition of racial discrimination and apartheid, is a peremptory norm of international law which South Africa is obliged to uphold," Cape Independence said.

The group also said that there would not be a Cape Independence movement if Ramaphosa and the African National Congress promoted national unity. The group accused Ramaposha of denying the Western Cape resident devolved powers. They also accused Ramaphosa of marginalising Afrikaans through the Basic Education Laws Amendment (BELA) Act, which he signed into law on 20 December 2024.

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Read the full statement on X here:

South Africans blast Cape Independence

Netizens commenting on X strongly debated Cape Independence with counterarguments opposing Cape Independence.

Kabza said:

"(1) International law on secession requires: consent of the parent state (see Quebec, Scotland, Catalonia referendums). Unilateral secession is exceptional. (2)The Constitution is the supreme law. No provision allows provincial secession. Cape Independence is apartheid nostalgia rebranded."

Manikivana said:

"At least you have correctly abandoned your previous reliance on s127 after being corrected, but now you're making another mistake that international law is supreme over the SA Constitution, whereas it is not."

Samzen said:

"The president's consent may not be required for a provincial referendum, but Parliament's consent is required to amend the Constitution (supreme law of the Republic) to allow for secession, which it currently doesn't permit. Good luck getting that 2/3 majority in Parliament."

The Matriarch said:

"Only the President may call a binding referendum. Section 84(2)(g) of the Constitution is explicit. A province has no constitutional authority to hold a binding referendum on secession. Independence is not a provincial competence."

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Zandi Thabethe said:

"I suppose y'all just ignore that it is determined by national legislation as per the Constitution."

Parliamentarians call for Cape Independence advocate to be deported

In a related article, Briefly News reported that Members of Parliament called for the Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber to deport Phil Craig, the spokesperson and co-founder of the Cape Independence Advocacy Group. MPs argued on 20 May 2025 that Craig should be declared undesirable.

Schreiber responded and said that immigration laws could not be used to settle political matters. He also said that since Craig did not apply for citizenship, Home Affairs cannot deny him citizenship.

Source: Briefly News