Blue flags filled Mary Fitzgerald Square in the heart of Johannesburg on Saturday as DA supporters gathered under the winter sun, singing, dancing and waving party banners ahead of the launch of the party’s manifesto for the November local government elections. Party supporters streamed into the square as speakers took turns making the case for a DA-led government with the party placing service delivery, jobs, clean governance and functioning municipalities at the centre of its campaign. DA leader Geordin Hill-Lewis told the crowd South Africans had heard enough political promises and were looking for a government that delivers. “You know that politics is full of grand promises. In this election, so many other parties will make lots of empty promises. We’ve heard all those empty promises before. South Africans have heard enough empty promises. What they need now is a government that works,” said Hill-Lewis. He said the DA’s pledge was to be present and accountable to residents. “Our pledge to every South African is that we will show up every morning and fix what has been broken. We pledge towns and cities that work for everyone,” he said. Hill-Lewis said residents should not have to organise their lives around municipal failures. “A working government should be ordinary. Your municipality should be the least dramatic part of your day. You should not have to plan your family’s life around another water tanker. You should not have to check your neighbourhood WhatsApp group before switching on your stove. You shouldn’t have to dodge potholes, broken traffic lights and dangerous streets,” he said. He said the manifesto was aimed at addressing the everyday frustrations faced by residents, from unreliable water and electricity to unsafe streets and difficulties accessing jobs. DA federal chairperson and Gauteng provincial leader Solly Msimanga used the launch to position the party as a political force ready to move beyond opposition. “There was a time when the DA was small and everybody was laughing when we said we will be the biggest party in South Africa. We are here to say: we are no longer a party of opposition — we are a party in government,” he said. Msimanga said the DA wanted to expand its footprint across municipalities and eventually nationally, arguing that voters should focus on jobs, service delivery and corruption rather than divisive political issues. “The issue that we need to be dealing with is how do our young people get into job spaces,” he said. The party’s mayoral candidates also used the launch to outline their priorities for their respective cities. DA Ekurhuleni mayoral candidate Khathutshelo Rasilingwane put public safety and corruption at the centre of her pitch, saying the metro had become a “crime scene” because of failures in governance. “When government stops working, criminals move in,” said Rasilingwane. She said a DA administration would restore professionalism to the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department and focus on fixing basic services. “We’ll fix the basics because a city that works is a city that is safer,” she said. The time has come for the South African people to take back their capital city— Cilliers Brink, DA mayoral candidate for TshwaneThe DA’s mayoral candidate for Tshwane, Cilliers Brink, said residents needed to take back their capital city after years of coalition instability and poor governance. “The time has come for the South African people to take back their capital city,” he said. Brink pledged to remove corrupt officials and replace them with professionals saying the party would use municipal finances to restore services and infrastructure. “Our number one pledge is to fire corrupt officials and tenderpreneurs and replace them with honest, hardworking professionals,” he said. Former DA federal council chair Helen Zille turned her attention specifically to Johannesburg where she is the party’s mayoral candidate, saying the city could still be rescued despite years of poor governance. DA Joburg Mayoral candidate Helen Zille is seen adressing the supporters and party members during a manifesto laucch of the DA at Mary fitzgerald square newtown, Johannesburg. Picture: (Thapelo Morebudi) “Over the past year, I have been to every corner of this great city. We have highlighted the devastation caused by years of ANC misrule at its chaotic, corrupt coalitions, but what everyone wants to know now is, can Joburg still be fixed? And the answer is, yes it can,” said Zille. She said a DA government would prioritise competent appointments, financial discipline, infrastructure maintenance, technology and law enforcement. “We will take the fight to the criminal syndicates who are stealing cables and destroying your infrastructure. We will take the fight to corrupt officials and contractors who treat public money as if it is their own private piggy bank,” she said. For some supporters, the manifesto launch represented an opportunity to consider alternatives ahead of their first local government elections. Freedom Makhanda, who will be voting for the first time, said he was considering giving the DA his vote. “I might give y’all a try. ANC have been doing too much corruption lately,” he said. Dhaya Naidoo said voters would ultimately judge the manifesto by whether it translated into improvements in their communities. “Let’s hope this manifesto gives South Africans a clear and realistic vision for rebuilding our towns and cities and making the Rainbow Nation shine again,” said Naidoo. Naidoo highlighted the need for properly maintained sporting facilities including the Penguin Sports Complex, saying these could provide young people with safe spaces to participate in sport. “We don’t only need promises during election time. Citizens need delivery, accountability and action,” he said. Hill-Lewis ended the launch by promising that the DA would give its all to improving municipal government. “We pledge to give everything that we have, all that we can. While others are only taking, the DA will give. We pledge to serve with love and dedication to all the people of South Africa,” he said. TimesLIVE