Africa-Press – South-Africa. The founder of the Free Market Foundation, Leon Louw, has resigned from the organisation he started 47 years ago, in a highly acrimonious and public split.
In an open farewell letter to the public and the funders of the well-known think tank, Louw lashed out at his “self-selected enemies” at the FMF.
Louw says FMF initiated a disciplinary process against him following accusations of insolence towards the chairperson, Rex van Schalkwyk, and another employee.
Louw claims that the charge of the insolence towards Van Schalkwyk arose from a personal and private letter he wrote to him in July 2021, expressing concerns regarding the direction in which the FMF was moving under his influence.
“The FMF’s commitment to independence and political neutrality has been replaced by personal political agendas. [It] punts a politically partisan line.
“I concluded, after intransigence against many attempts to find solutions, that the real FMF can no longer be salvaged. I am therefore compelled, despite my personal feelings of absolute devastation, to leave it.
“It is gut-wrenching, it is like losing a child. I grieve. It was not easy,” he said.
The 74-year-old Louw says the disciplinary process as the “last straw”.
“My view is that they wanted to humiliate me for purely personal reasons, not least to elevate themselves to the status from which they sought to dislodge me after 50 splendid years.”
He stated that the “friends” of the Free Market Foundation were looking at establishing another organisation which would advance the true values of the organisation.
Several attempts by Fin24 to reach Van Schalkwyk were unsuccessful.
The Free Market Foundation has over the years promoted an agenda of economic liberalisms, taking stands against the minimum wage, plans for National Health Insurance and other government interventions.
Herman Mashaba, president of ActionSA, was a previous chairperson of the think tank.
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