DA Manifesto Promises Private Sector Role in Fixing Municipal Services Across SA

• The Democratic Alliance launched its local government election manifesto in Newtown, Johannesburg, with party leader Geordin Hill-Lewis at the helm
• The DA's plan centres on ring-fencing utility revenues and bringing in private firms to repair water and electricity infrastructure
• The manifesto also targets cadre deployment, billing errors, law enforcement gaps, and red tape facing small business owners

SOUTH AFRICA — The Democratic Alliance launched its local government election manifesto in Newtown, Johannesburg, outlining an ambitious plan to overhaul struggling municipal services through private sector involvement and a series of administrative reforms.

Party leader Geordin Hill-Lewis presented the platform, with a strong focus on restoring reliable water and electricity supply to communities across the country.

DA Plans to ring-fence utility revenues

A central pillar of the manifesto is the legal protection of funds collected for water and electricity services. Under the proposed framework, these revenues would be quarantined and reinvested directly into local infrastructure — covering the replacement of faulty cables, repair of burst water pipes, and upkeep of electrical substations. The policy is designed to prevent such funds from being redirected towards political projects, inflated executive salaries, or corrupt procurement.

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The manifesto further proposes giving municipalities the authority to buy and sell power independently, while bringing in private companies to take over water infrastructure repairs in cases where local entities lack the technical capacity to manage the work.

Cadre deployment and corruption

Hill-Lewis pledged to end cadre deployment in all municipalities governed by the DA, committing to place qualified engineers and vetted professionals in administrative and infrastructure roles rather than politically connected appointees.

The party also aims to clean up opaque procurement processes, fix persistent billing errors that have plagued ratepayers, and revive public amenities such as clinics, libraries, swimming pools, sports facilities, and parks through formal partnerships with private enterprises and local businesses.

Safety and small business reform

On public safety, the manifesto calls for expanded powers for capable municipal police departments, including stronger investigative authority to ensure that arrests result in successful prosecutions.

For small business owners, the DA promises to reduce bureaucratic red tape, simplify permitting for informal traders, and develop designated trading zones that are clean, fully serviced, and safe for vendors to operate in.

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The manifesto positions the party as a reform-driven alternative ahead of the upcoming local government elections, with service delivery at the core of its pitch to voters.

More on SA local government elections

• Briefly News recently reported on the DA criticising the SAPS Amendment Bill for failing to expand powers for municipal police departments.
• Sizwe Dhlomo dropped a surprising hint about who he plans to vote for as Johannesburg mayor.
• Meanwhile, Sizwe Dhlomo weighed in on a new poll predicting the ANC's performance in Johannesburg, sparking mixed reactions from South Africans online.

Source: Briefly News