After years of careful mismanagement and methodically executed corruption, most municipalities have fallen into different levels of dysfunction, including metros where tens of millions of South Africans live. Municipalities directly affect the lives of all South Africans and their collective failure to deliver even basic services now amounts to an assault on the dignity of South Africans.

This crisis is man made, and this election provides an opportunity to put an end to the growing sense of despair experienced by millions of families unable to cushion themselves from municipal failure and a nationally high cost of living. Change will begin by electing the right people to Council.

The high levels of unemployment are significantly driven by municipal level dysfunction which remains an obstacle for small to large businesses that have to use their own resources to subsidise municipal failure. Fixing local government attracts investment, lowers business costs and supports small local enterprises. Although our plan is fundamentally about service delivery, it is consistently high municipal performance that attracts investment that produces sustainable jobs.