Our 10 Principles

We are South Africans who want to live in a country that works.

We believe that politics is too important to be left to politicians.

We believe that the best way to grow our country is by ensuring every citizen has freedom to build new wealth.

We have practical ways to fix what’s broken.

We are committed to ten core principles needed to bring this vision to life

Liberty is the primary political value of our country
We all have lots of different values, we care about our family, our religious institutions such as our churches, temples, mosques, synagogues, but when it comes to what to do politically – what should the government do – we should ask one question: does this increase or does it reduce the freedom of the individual?
Government should only act to prevent harm to others.

The individual is more important than the collective.
We must not sacrifice the interest of individuals for the 'common good.' Every individual matters, every individual is worthy of respect, every individual is equal before the law.
Affirmative action undermines meritocracy. Historic discrimination against certain groups does not justify present discrimination against other groups.

Tolerance means one should not interfere with things of which one disapproves.
Tolerance begins with freedom of expression which means freedom of thought, speech, religion, and media
A society cannot develop unless every citizen has the right to express any opinion even if other citizens find such views to be offensive.
Hate speech laws are used by governments to censor discussion.
Words can never be equated with physical violence

The difference between prosperity and poverty is property.
Nations prosper when private property rights are well defined and enforced. (This is why the people of South Korea are almost 17 times wealthier than the people of North Korea and are on average 15 cm taller because of better nutrition.)
The State has the right to expropriate property in the public interest, for example to build dams or freeways or railways, but such expropriation should be based on fair market value decided by the courts.
“Expropriation Without Compensation” is legalized theft by the State

The State cannot do whatever it wants to do when it wants to
Rule of law requires the State to exercise power in accordance with well-established and clearly written rules, regulations, and legal principles
Before the State may impose civil or criminal liability, laws must be written with enough precision and clarity that an ordinary person will know that certain conduct is forbidden
All people are equal before the law

Any person has the right to work for another person on terms which they both agree to and the State should not be able to impose minimum wage requirements
If a school-leaver or graduate wishes to work for no pay in order to gain experience, it is their right to do so
No person should be forced to join a union or forced to pay contributions to a union

The old saying, "A man's home is his castle" (and that means women too) comes from the Castle Doctrine which says that if an intruder enters your property without permission, you are entitled to use force to protect yourself and your family.

Economic exchange is voluntary activity between individuals. The State should not tell people where to work, how to save, what to build, what to produce.
Leaving things to free market, rather than government planning or organization, increases prosperity, reduces poverty, increases jobs, provides goods that people want to buy
Our country’s economic interests should not be compromised because of the State’s political prejudices. If the best source for oil is Iran or the best source for technology is Israel, such trade should be given preference.

Every citizen who is properly trained in the safe use of firearms has the right to acquire guns for self-defence, unless criminally convicted or mentally unstable.
Safe use of firearms should be taught to high school learners

People through voluntary interaction create the rules by which people can live by. People do not need a State to do this and the State should only play a role to resolve conflicts
Nobody invented our 11 official languages; they arose because of people communicating with each other, and yet certain rules developed through that process.
We believe that most social problems can be more effectively dealt with through such voluntary organizations, like the family, like religious institutions, like cultural organizations, like NGOs, because they have knowledge about the individuals they are dealing with.
Government bureaucracies and inflexible rules can't change depending on people's individual circumstances. Civil society is much more effective and can do many things better than a welfare state can.