Staff Reporter
uMngeni Mayor Chris Pappas on Saturday warned that thousands of jobs and future investment could be at risk if the Democratic Alliance lost control of the KwaZulu-Natal municipality as he accepted the party’s nomination to seek another term.
Pappas, who has led uMngeni since the DA took control of the municipality in 2021, urged voters to protect the progress made under his administration and give the party another five years in office in the 4 November local government elections.
“The truth is that if the DA does not win this election, thousands of jobs are on the line. Investors will run away, development will slow, corruption will set in again, and things will start to fall apart,” Pappas said in his acceptance speech.
“This is not something I say to scare you. It is the reality of where we come from and the reality of other municipalities in KZN.”
Pappas said the DA’s victory five years ago had been decided by just 42 votes and had changed the direction of the municipality.
“You chose hope over decline. You chose action over excuses. You chose good governance over corruption,” he said.
“And because of that decision, our municipality has become known across South Africa as a beacon of hope. A municipality that works. A municipality that delivers. A municipality that people once again believe in.”
Pappas said his administration had governed according to five priorities: transparent and responsive government, employment and economic growth, waste management and environmental protection, safer communities, and infrastructure maintenance and investment.
Among the achievements listed in his speech were the repayment of an R11 million loan, the completion of R6 million in projects inherited from the previous administration, and an increase in the roads maintenance budget from R11 million to R42 million.
He said youth unemployment had fallen by seven percent, the redevelopment of the Ithala Centre had created more than 140 jobs and more than 3,000 streetlights had been installed.
The municipal traffic department had grown from 14 to 30 officers and its vehicle fleet had increased from two to eight, while refuse collection had been extended to rural and farming communities that previously did not receive the service, Pappas said.
“Today, I can proudly say that against every one of those promises, we have delivered visible and tangible change,” he said.
Pappas said the municipality’s Gini coefficient, a measure of income inequality, had declined by more than 10% during the DA’s term.
“It means ours has become a more equal municipality. It means more people have opportunities. More people are finding work. More families have hope,” he said.
Pappas acknowledged that the administration had not resolved all the municipality’s problems, saying decades of neglect could not be reversed in a single term.
“There are still potholes to patch. Streetlights to replace. Trees to trim. There is still much more work ahead,” he said.
“But today the foundation is strong. And because the foundation is strong we can keep building.”
Pappas also said that the DA would seek to expand its representation in areas traditionally held by the ANC, specifically targeting wards 1, 4, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 and 13.
“Just as the people removed the ANC from governing this municipality five years ago… Now let us remove the ANC from our wards,” he said.
Pappas said the DA had grown from a relatively small party in Mpophomeni and several rural communities to become the biggest political party in uMngeni.
He warned supporters against misinformation spread through social media during the election campaign and urged residents to assess the DA according to their experience of the municipality.
“Judge us by your own experience. Judge us by your own community. Judge us by whether your municipality works better today than it did five years ago,” Pappas said.
“That is the only test that matters.”
He said the DA would return to communities across uMngeni to review its previous commitments, acknowledge areas in which it could have performed better and hear what residents wanted from the municipality over the next five years.
“Five years ago we asked you for a chance. Together, we proved what is possible,” Pappas said.
“Now I ask you for something more. Protect the progress we have made. Protect the municipality we have rebuilt. Protect the strong foundation we have laid.”
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