Straight from the party
We only summarise what parties publish themselves: their manifesto or their own website. Never news reports, so no outlet's angle colours what you read.
Plain English. Party sources. No spin.
Same template for everyone
Every party is summarised against the same topics, in the same order, with similar numbers of bullets.
Report, don't judge
We say what a party promises, never whether we think it's realistic or a good idea.
Every bullet has a page
Each point shows the page it comes from in the party's own document, so you can check it yourself.
Silence is shown
If a manifesto says nothing on a topic, we say “Not addressed in their manifesto” rather than leaving a gap.
Old documents are labelled
Where a party hasn't published a 2026 local manifesto, we use its latest document and say so clearly on every page.
Which parties are included
The parties with the most seats in the National Assembly after the 2024 election, in seat order. This is a historical reference, not a measure of current support.
Our sources
Parties are listed by seats won in the National Assembly in 2024, with national ballot votes deciding equal seat totals (FF Plus and ActionSA both won 6). Results from the Electoral Commission's 2024 figures.
| Party | 2024 seats | Document | Election |
|---|---|---|---|
| African National Congress | 159 | A Better Life for All | 2026 Local Government Elections |
| Democratic Alliance | 87 | Getting South Africa Working for All | 2026 Local Government Elections |
| uMkhonto weSizwe Party | 58 | The People's Mandate: Reclaiming Our Birth Right | 2024 National Electionsolder document |
| Economic Freedom Fighters | 39 | Victory or Death! | 2026 Local Government Elections |
| Inkatha Freedom Party | 17 | We Work For You | 2026 Local Government Elections |
| Patriotic Alliance | 9 | 2024 Turnaround Strategy | 2024 National Electionsolder document |
| Freedom Front Plus | 6 | It is our time | 2026 Local Government Elections |
| ActionSA | 6 | Let's Fix South Africa | 2026 Local Government Elections |
Who runs this
Manifesto SA is an Open Context SA project: an independent, non-partisan effort to make South African civic information easier to understand. It is not funded by or linked to any political party.
Party symbols
Party names, symbols and colours belong to their parties. We show official emblems only where a party has given permission. Otherwise we use the party's initials and colours.