As South Africa prepares for the November Local Government Elections, Polity is engaging with political parties contesting the elections in a series of interviews to examine their manifestos, policy priorities and plans for local government.

The DA is feeling positive ahead of the November local government election, with national spokesperson Jan de Villiers urging voters to judge the party on its current achievements in the Western Cape and in State departments under the Government of National Unity.

Speaking with Polity about the policies outlined in the party’s manifesto before South Africans head to the polls, De Villiers stressed the party slogan “Working for All”.

“We are the only party that has shown that where we have governed, we get clean audits, where we govern, there are taps with water, electricity is working, we fix potholes, we put professionals into administration, and we get your towns and your cities working. We are the only party that has this track record and that has this depth of experience. So our manifesto is really all about that,” he said.

“Our promises are based on evidence. Other parties tell you to give them a chance. We say, judge us according to what we have done and what we want to do in your town.”

When asked how the party plans to deal with the complex issues facing municipalities in Gauteng and in eThekwini in KwaZulu-Natal, De Villiers laid blame for decaying infrastructure on the ANC government.

He further pointed to the DA’s governance in Cape Town, saying it would serve as a blueprint for the rest of the country.

“We know what the blueprint is. We have the skills and the depth to do it. The proportion of the budget in Cape Town is bigger than the entire capital budget of Johannesburg, which is a clear indication of how we view what local government is about. [It is] about getting services to people, which you cannot do without restoring the infrastructure and creating those basic services,” he said.

Avoiding day zero during the 2016/2017 drought in the Western Cape forms part of the DA’s track record, De Villiers said.

He noted that water lost to leaking water pipes is one of the more significant challenges in the broader water issue.

Additionally, lack of investment in major water infrastructure adds to the challenges facing Gauteng metros, he noted.

“A recipe for success which we've developed in the DA, which we are promising voters if they give us the opportunity to govern in their towns, is that we will ring-fence water income for water infrastructure,” De Villiers said.

He argued that money collected for water and electricity is not being used for those respective infrastructures, exacerbating the challenges facing many municipalities in Gauteng.

A DA government also plans to include “sensible” private expertise in its plan to improve service delivery.

COALITIONS

While the DA is seeking over 50% in the local election and beyond, it acknowledges the reality where that might not be possible.

While the DA won't negotiate coalitions before an election, De Villiers said it will choose coalition partners based on stability and value alignment.

“And we will have to have serious trust in our partners that if we take in a partner to go into a coalition, that they will not try and hold us hostage, that they will not try and be the tail that wags the dog and try to negotiate us off against any other party.

“Those are the factors we need to consider because the reality is, we've talked about water infrastructure and electricity infrastructure. If you take control of a municipality that has not been governed correctly, you have to sink a lot of money and time and expertise into fixing that municipality,” he said.

However, De Villiers noted the party’s positivity going into the election.

“I mean, they say the trend is your friend, and we are trending up, steady growth. Not a lot of parties can say that. Most parties are in a state of decline, especially the ANC,” he stated.

He believes DA leader Geordin Hill-Lewis’s goal of the DA becoming the biggest party in South Africa by 2029 is realistic, adding that the local government election is critical for the party to achieve that.

“…because we have to show voters that when you vote for the DA, it is not about ideology. It is not about race. It is not about religion. It is about service delivery. As a party, we pride ourselves on being a party that delivers services that work for all. And that is our promise, and that is what we are building our brand on,” De Villiers said.

ACCOUNTABILITY

When asked how voters should hold the DA accountable to the promises made in its manifesto, he said voters can choose whether to keep or fire the DA in five years, at the polls.

Additionally, De Villiers encouraged residents to interact with their DA ward councillors.

“But we also, wherever we govern, we put in electronic systems where you get a reference if you log in a problem, you get access to records and references which show you how long something takes to be fixed,” he noted.  

Read the DA's manifesto here.