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The race towards local government elections has begun and the Democratic Alliance (DA) in the Free State has positioned itself the alternative government that will fix the malfunctioning municipalities in the province and provide services to the people and grow its economy.
The objective and the mandate is clear, reduce the African National Congress (ANC) to below 50% in all municipalities in the province, and become the largest party. These are the words that echoed from the DA Leader John Steenhuisen during the party’s provincial elective congress in Bloemfontein over the weekend.
Steenhuisen said the DA is the party to save the Free State from the ANC that destroyed municipalities and have neglected communities who have been crying for services for years, but those cries fell on death years. He pointed to the failures of the ruling party in the Free State, contrasting them with the DA’s successes where they govern.
“The Free State is a province of enormous potential. But realising that potential requires getting the province’s municipalities working. And that rests on political competition and a viable alternative,” he said.
“So, Democrats, let us be clear about our mission. In the Free State, our goal is to reduce the ANC’s governing majority to below 50% in every municipality and to become the largest party in as many municipalities as possible.
We must also not be distracted by small parties that seek to divide the electorate. These parties can easily be manipulated by larger parties in coalitions that do not have the voters’ best interests at heart,” said John Steenhuisen.
Amplifying the failures of the ANC, Steenhuisen said whenever he traverses the Free State, he is confronted by the same complains from people; he said people want water in their taps. They want roads that don’t destroy their vehicles. They want clinics and libraries that are open, staffed, and functional. And they want municipalities that work.
“A working municipality is not a luxury. It is a basic expectation. And let me reassure you today: the DA hears this. We understand it. And we take it seriously. Because Democrats, there is an alternative.
Where the DA governs, we work for all. We deliver water that flows, sanitation that works, roads that hold, clinics that function, and administrations that are professional and accountable.
In Midvaal, clean audits and competent management have translated into stable services and economic growth. In uMngeni, DA leadership has restored trust, attracted investment, and improved service delivery. In Kouga, communities chose change, and today they are seeing the results.
These successes are the outcome of a different way of governing: merit over cadre deployment, transparency over corruption, and planning over chaos,” said the DA Leader John Steenhuisen.
As the party now gears up for the up-coming local government elections, Steenhuisen acknowledged that it is not going to be a walk in a park. Taking the Free State from the ANC is going to be a daunting task.
“Democrats, I know this is not an easy fight. You are organising, campaigning, and building support in a province where the ANC has led for decades. In this province, progress has often been slow, and victories hard-won.
However, the Free State has produced leaders who understood what it means to persist when the odds are stacked against you,” he encouraged the DA members and leaders.
