Manifesto SA

Democratic Alliance

“Getting South Africa Working for All” · 2026 Local Government Elections
Checked against the manifesto on 22 October 2026

Read the original manifesto ↗

Top promises

  • End cadre deployment and appoint municipal staff on merit p. 10
  • Money paid for water and electricity is spent only on those networks p. 12
  • Let municipalities buy and sell their own electricity p. 22
  • Push for more policing powers and funding for capable municipalities p. 28
  • Publish every contract price, including any amount paid above the cheapest qualifying bid p. 11

Unemployment & Jobs Compare all parties

  • Review and cut red tape, fees and approval delays p. 45
  • Automatic approval of permits if the council misses its deadline ("silence is consent") p. 45
  • Simple online trading permits and more trading spaces for informal traders p. 45
  • Replace race-based BEE with empowerment based on poverty (a national DA proposal) p. 45

Water & Services Compare all parties

  • Spend water payments only on water and sanitation infrastructure p. 16
  • Bring in utilities, neighbouring councils or private operators where a council cannot deliver p. 13
  • Smart water meters and public reports on where leaks are and how fast they are fixed p. 17
  • Spend at least 8% of the value of municipal assets on maintenance p. 12

Crime & Safety Compare all parties

  • Push for municipal police to get investigative powers and work directly with prosecutors p. 28
  • Municipal police services in all major and secondary towns the DA governs p. 30
  • CCTV, gunfire detection and public crime dashboards p. 28
  • Training, grants and equipment for neighbourhood watches p. 30

Corruption Compare all parties

  • End cadre deployment and appoint municipal staff on merit p. 10
  • Municipal accounting officers personally repay losses they cause p. 11
  • Publish every contract price, including any amount paid above the cheapest qualifying bid p. 11
  • Award infrastructure work only to pre-vetted panels of qualified contractors p. 12

Cost of Living Compare all parties

  • Find and register every household that qualifies for free basic services p. 12
  • Set aside part of national funding only for free basic services p. 12
  • Cut off services for people who refuse to pay or connect illegally p. 11

Electricity Compare all parties

  • Spend electricity payments only on the electricity network p. 22
  • Let municipalities buy power directly from private producers p. 22
  • Pay households a fair rate for solar power they feed back into the grid p. 22
  • Prosecute illegal connections and cable theft p. 23

Housing & Land

  • Speed up title deeds for state-subsidised homes p. 47
  • Release unused state land for affordable housing p. 47
  • A fair, public housing allocation system with independent audits p. 47
  • Municipal police to respond quickly to illegal land grabs p. 48

Education

  • Internships, graduate recruitment and apprenticeships in municipalities p. 12
  • A safe routes to school plan with paving, lighting and learner transport p. 30
  • After-school sport, arts and culture programmes p. 30

Health

  • Make sure municipal clinics have the medicine, equipment and staff they need p. 36
  • Shut down illegal liquor outlets p. 37

Immigration

Not addressed in their manifesto.

Sources

← All parties