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South Africans do not need an economist to tell us the cost of living is rising. South Africans experience how well the economy is doing at the supermarket till, at the petrol pump and when we buy electricity. For too many South Africans, there is increasingly more month left at the end of the money.

In November, every South African has a chance to decide what kind of local government they want. If you believe your money should buy working services, lower costs and accountable government, make your voice heard. Speak to your family, your friends and your neighbours. Make sure they vote.

The Minister of Energy confirmed last week that the price of electricity has risen by 907% over the last decade and a half, while inflation has been roughly 150% over that time. Petrol remains substantially more expensive than it was a year ago. For families already stretching their incomes as far as they can, these increases matter immensely.

This is why I believe we need to talk much more about the cost of bad government. How bad government does not just steal public money, but when government doesn’t work, you pay for it.

You pay your electricity bill, and then you pay again for an inverter because the electricity system is unreliable.

You pay for water, and then you install a tank because the taps cannot be trusted.

You pay taxes, and then pay privately for security, education, transport or other services that government should be providing properly.

You damage a tyre in a pothole. You lose working hours sitting in unnecessary traffic. A wrong municipal bill takes days of your time to resolve.

These are all costs.

Those who can afford it often end up paying twice for government failure. Those who cannot afford private alternatives simply have to live with the consequences. That is not fair.

That is why the DA’s manifesto is not merely a plan for better municipalities. It is a plan to make everyday life more affordable.

Our approach is simple: stop wasting your money, stop making you pay twice, and make basic services work.

On electricity, we want more competition and more choice. The more we can reduce our reliance on expensive Eskom power and buy cheaper power from independent producers, the more we can return to more reasonable and affordable electricity costs. DA governments will buy power from independent producers, enable households and businesses to sell excess electricity back to the grid, and make sure the money you pay for electricity is actually spent on the energy grid.

On water, we will fix leaks before they become your bill. We will protect water revenue for water infrastructure, improve billing and use smarter technology so that residents pay for what they actually use — not for municipal waste and incompetence.

We will also make sure poorer households receive the free basic services they are entitled to. Support means very little if a dysfunctional municipality never gets it to the people who need it.

Getting to work should not consume an unreasonable share of your salary or your day. Better roads, functioning traffic systems and reliable, integrated public transport mean less money spent getting around and less time wasted doing it.

And then there is the cost of corruption and bureaucracy.

Every rand wasted is eventually paid for by someone. Every inflated tender means less money for services. Every unnecessary permit, fee and delay makes it more expensive to run a business and those costs eventually reach your pocket too.

That is why the DA will cut red tape, fix billing, appoint people who can do the job, protect infrastructure spending and hold those who waste or steal public money accountable.

I want South Africa to be a country where earning a decent income means you can actually build a decent life with it. Where families have something left to save at the end of the month. Where a municipal account buys reliable services. Where people do not have to purchase private substitutes simply to live normally.

That is what good government should do.

It should respect your money because it understands how hard you worked to earn it.

And it should never ask you to pay for its failure.

Bad government is costly. Good government is cheaper. It is as simple as that.
 

Issued by DA Leader Geordin Hill-Lewis