By Thebe Mabanga
With a little over a month to go before the Local Government elections on November 4, five political parties made their pitch to voters through either manifesto launches or mayoral candidate announcements over the weekend.
Among the promises made to voters is clean governance, including corruption-busting, but also abolishing the tender system, write off municipal debt, being given a three-month reprieve on rates, as well as fighting for more money for the local government sphere.
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On Sunday, the African Transformation Movement (ATM) unveiled 37 candidates for Eastern Cape municipalities as well as 57 candidates for KwaZulu-Natal municipalities. For the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality, the party nominated Sipho Sethu Mtekwane, while for Buffalo City, the party nominated Mandisa Mashiya. In eThekwini Metro, in KwaZulu-Natal, the party shortlisted four cand ch rally where Founder and President Floyd Shivambu promised voters that his party will abolish the tender system, make land available for religious groups and scrap Expanded Public Works Programme jobs, which Shivambu described as “slave jobs,” and replace them with better-paying jobs with benefits
All candidates received their “marching orders” from the party’s leadership, including parliamentary leader Vuyo Zungula, who urged parties to promote clean governance.
On Saturday, Action SA, the Patriotic Alliance (PA) and Azanian People’s Organisation (AZAPO) launched manifestos to call voters to action.
At the Johannesburg City Hall, Action SA founder and party leader Hebusinesseshaba noted that the party will emphasise financial discipline and crack down on tender irregularity and corruption. Mashaba also promised to promote safety through the deployment of additional security personnel.
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Mashaba also pledged to partner with business to help create jobs in the City of Johannesburg.
At the Dr Petrus Molemela Stadium in Bloemfontein in the Free State, PA Leader and the Arts, Sports and Culture Minister Gayton Mckenzie promised voters that he will write off municipal debt and give residence a three-month reprieve from rate payments. He did not say how much this will cost or how it will be funded.
The launch took place in the vicinity of McKenzie’s hometown of Botshabelo, where he was raised by his grandmother, and he promised to fund localised community watch groups from municipal resources, as these prove to respond faster than police.
AZAPO launched its manifesto in Ekurhuleni, and its President Nelvis Qekema called municipalities “agents of change” for governing South Africa’s residents. Qekema said AZAPO would encourage residents to be “their own liberators” by holding municipalities to account for their service delivery. Qekema encouraged voters to demand better-quality in-service delivery.
