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2026 LOCAL GOVERNMENT ELECTIONMANIFESTO 2026

RE A HLASELA

FIX THE MUNICIPALITY. RESTORE THE COMMUNITY. RECLAIM OUR FUTURE.

A people-centred manifesto for local government, stronger communities and a transformed South Africa.

OUR MESSAGE TO SOUTH AFRICAThe time to rebuild is now.

South Africans are living with the consequences of failed local government. Water that does not flow. Lights that stay off. Roads that destroy cars. Refuse that piles up. Crime that owns the day and night. Tenders that enrich the connected. Jobs that never arrive. Officials who cannot — or will not — do their jobs.

This is not inevitable. It is the result of choices: cadre deployment over competence, patronage over delivery, silence over accountability.

The African Congress for Transformation (ACT) will reverse those choices. Local government is not a place for political careers; it is the frontline of dignity. When a municipality fails, people lose clean water, safety, opportunity, and hope. When it works, communities rise.

In 2026, we offer a clear alternative: honest leadership, professional administration, and a relentless focus on the basics that make life liveable. We will not manage decline. We will rebuild.

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PEOPLE BEFORE POLITICS.

OUR VALUES

ETHICAL LEADERSHIP
ACCOUNTABILITY
SOCIAL JUSTICE
EQUALITY
SOLIDARITY
ECONOMIC TRANSFORMATION
DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION

THE 10 CORE PRIORITIESWorking municipalities for stronger communities.

The 2026 Local Government Election Manifesto sets out ten core priorities that guide ACT’s approach to local government.

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01

Improve Community Safety

Expand police and community-led patrols, and drive aggressive anti-gang and anti-drug programmes to ensure every neighbourhood is safe day and night.

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02

Protect the Vulnerable

Scale up Gender-Based Violence (GBV) support, enhance child protection services, and expand food-relief programmes and accessible community facilities.

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03

Fix Essential Services & Revenue Protection

Restore reliable water, sanitation, electricity, waste collection, and roads with real-time performance tracking. Implement interventions to reduce non-revenue water and electricity losses, overhaul dysfunctional billing systems, and ring-fence conditional grants.

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04

End Corruption — Starting at the Top

Eliminate corrupt procurement, publish municipal spending openly, enforce official lifestyle audits, protect whistleblowers, permanently blacklist fraudulent suppliers, and institute automated suspension for officials implicated in financial irregularities.

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05

Drive Job Creation

Prioritise local and township businesses in municipal procurement, expand public works programmes, and provide robust support for youth-owned enterprises.

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06

Prioritise Youth & Skills Integration

Launch youth employment schemes, digital hubs, and preferential business access, directly linking youth apprenticeships and artisan training to municipal infrastructure rollout and essential service maintenance.

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07

Dignified Housing

Upgrade informal settlements, accelerate housing delivery, and root out corruption and patronage in housing allocations.

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08

Professionalise Administration & Financial Discipline

Professionalise the public service, implement strict financial discipline, enforce rigorous performance accountability, and establish transparent consequence management across all municipal departments.

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09

Return Power to Communities

Revitalise ward committees, institute participatory budgeting, and hold regular public accountability meetings.

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10

Build Sustainable Communities

Enforce recycling initiatives, protect critical water resources, build green public spaces, and launch sustainable clean-energy programmes.

THE FULL VISIONRead the 2026 Local Government Election Manifesto.

Explore the complete manifesto, including the detailed priorities and commitments for local government.

RE A HLASELA

FIX THE MUNICIPALITY. RESTORE THE COMMUNITY. RECLAIM OUR FUTURE.

DIGNITY. EQUALITY. SOLIDARITY. TRANSFORMATION.