DA to shift from ‘what’ to ‘how’ at local government election manifesto launch
· Citizen
The DA says its manifesto launch for the November local government elections will shift from promising what it will do if it wins to detailing how it will do it.
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The party’s leader, Geordin Hill-Lewis, is expected to reveal the DA’s manifesto for the Novemver 2026 local government elections on Saturday, 8 August.
DA manifesto launch on Saturday
Ahead of the launch, the DA hosted a media briefing at Mary Fitzgerald Square in Newtown, Johannesburg, on what voters and supporters can expect.
DA national campaign manager Ashor Sarupen said the manifesto launch would be in Newtown because the City of Johannesburg is one of the strategic municipalities the DA is aiming to win.
“We are holding this rally in Newtown, Johannesburg, as an unequivocal statement of intent. We are in the heart of Johannesburg because we are targeting this metro and all metros in Gauteng,” he said.
“When the blue machine descends on the Johannesburg city centre, it will be a show of force that shows that we mean business.”
The campaign manager said Saturday would be the DA’s largest city-centre rally to date.
The “Blue Machine” said the event will set out the DA’s offer to South Africans ahead of the November elections.
Based on experience, research and data
“This manifesto launch is about showing what we have done and how we can bring it to your town or metro,” DA national spokesperson Jan de Villiers said.
Sarupen added that the event was not just a launch but a publication of a promise to all South Africans.
“Many political parties make or will make outlandish offers that they cannot deliver on. The DA is making an offer based on our experience in government, based on research and data and based on aspirations for a better future for all South Africans,” he said.
The campaign manager added that the party’s decades of delivery mean every local government election manifesto gets better because of experience.
He said the DA will make its offer based on what is practically possible, financially feasible and what will work to get services working.
“Too many municipalities are in a state of collapse… services are failing, infrastructure is collapsing, and bloated administrations devour resources that should be spent on services,” Sarupen said.
Biggest outdoor stage
“Getting into government there and turning these towns and cities around and getting them working is the mission of the DA.”
He added that the difficult way many South Africans live makes this a very serious moment and a moment of profound priority for the party.
The DA said its manifesto has been finalised and is ready for publication on Saturday. Sarupen added that the document is the result of a long process by a team of experts.
“What we have produced is what we believe is the most compelling and implementable offer in the DA’s history,” he said.
In terms of the event itself, the party said it has created one of the DA’s biggest outdoor stages and will host a lineup of entertainment, including Big Zulu, DJ Lea and a special guest DJ.
The party also urged voters who haven’t registered to do so before the deadline closes on Friday.