The following speech was delivered by DA uMngeni Mayoral Candidate, Chris Pappas at the launch of the DA uMngeni 2026 Manifesto. Please find attached manifesto and photo here.
Sanibonani, good morning.
Today is about the future.
But before we speak about where we are going, we must remember where we came from.
Five years ago, we stood before the people of uMngeni and asked you to take a chance on us.
We asked you to believe that change was possible.
We asked you to believe that a municipality that was struggling could be fixed.
We asked you to believe that your rates and taxes could be treated with respect.
That roads could be repaired.
That streetlights could work.
That public spaces could be cared for.
That corruption and waste did not have to be accepted as normal.
And, most importantly, we asked you to trust us.
In 2021, we had promises.
In 2026, we have a record.
And that is why today we launch our manifesto for THE NEXT CHAPTER of uMngeni.
When we took office in 2021, we inherited a municipality that was in serious trouble.
The finances were under pressure. Infrastructure had been neglected. Confidence in the municipality was low.
There were people who told us that local government simply couldn’t be fixed.
There were people who said that the problems were too big.
There were people who expected us to fail.
They told you that apartheid will come back, grants would be ended and RDP houses would be repossessed.
We were determined to prove them wrong.
Not with speeches.
Not with slogans.
But with delivery.
And five years later, uMngeni is a very different municipality.
We have paid off our debts.
We have achieved consecutive unqualified audits.
We have invested hundreds of millions of rands into infrastructure.
Our roads budget has grown from R11 million to R42 million.
More than 3,000 LED streetlights have been installed.
We have invested in new vehicles and equipment so that our staff can actually do their jobs.
We have rebuilt our Parks Department.
We have expanded recycling centres.
We have strengthened traffic enforcement.
We have invested in our towns, villages and rural communities.
But perhaps what makes me most proud is that our progress is not only measured in municipal reports.
It is being reflected in our community.
More than 2,200 net permanent jobs have been created.
Youth unemployment has declined.
Average earnings have increased.
The number of businesses operating in uMngeni has grown.
And inequality has declined.
Right here in Lidgetton, we have renovated the community hall, installed new street lights, turned gravel roads into black top roads including Burnswick, and Russel and we are busy with Alex Mntambo, Jakalas, and Mkhulisi roads. We repaired the long outstanding problem of Market Rd, we assisted local NPOs like Sizakancane senior citizens club, built a cattle handling facility, and ensured that the maidens from this area can participate in the Reed Dance.
That is what progress looks like.
It is not perfect.
There is still too much unemployment.
There are still too many potholes.
There are still communities waiting for better services.
There are still streetlights that take too long to repair.
There are still parts of our municipality that need more investment.
And we know that.
We don’t stand before you today pretending that everything is fixed.
We stand before you saying something much more important:
The foundation has been rebuilt.
And now we can build on it.
Our first five years were about stabilising, repairing and rebuilding.
The next five years must be about accelerating.
About taking the progress we have made and making sure that every community feels it.
From Hilton to Mpophomeni.
From Howick to Merrivale.
From Lidgetton to Nottingham Road.
Karkloof, Dargle and Emashingeni.
From our suburbs to our townships, our farms and our villages.
Our manifesto is built around six priorities.
- A cleaner municipality that protects our environment.
- A growing economy that creates jobs.
- Infrastructure that is maintained and expanded.
- A government that is transparent and responsive.
- Safer communities.
- And a municipality that remains financially sustainable.
These are not abstract ideas.
They come with measurable commitments.
Because we believe you should be able to hold us accountable.
So today, we make 10 promises to the people of uMngeni.
- We will eradicate 95% of potholes on municipal roads.
- We will achieve an average 72-hour turnaround time for streetlight repairs.
- We will provide accredited NQF-level training to at least 1,000 people, because government must help people access opportunity, not make them permanently dependent on government.
- We will expand refuse collection to reach at least 85% of uMngeni households.
- We will triple support for sport, arts and culture programmes.
- We will establish a stand-alone Municipal Planning Tribunal to make development more efficient and unlock investment.
- We will maintain the most comprehensive basket of support for poor and vulnerable households in KwaZulu-Natal.
- We will double our support for non-profit organisations doing extraordinary work in our communities.
- We will establish a dedicated unit to deal with problem properties and alien invasive species.
And where other spheres of government fail our residents, we will not simply shrug our shoulders and say, “That is not our responsibility.”
We will fight for you.
Where necessary, we will use strategic litigation against Eskom, Transnet, the uMgungundlovu District Municipality and the Department of Transport to force them to deliver the services our residents deserve.
Leadership means taking responsibility for your own work.
But it also means standing up for your community when others refuse to do theirs.
This manifesto is not only about improving what we already do.
It is about changing what is possible.
That is why The Next Chapter contains five game changers.
- We want to achieve 60% Wi-Fi coverage in farming villages, opening access to education, information and economic opportunity.
- We will see through our fight over Hilton’s electricity supply.
- We will establish a fully-fledged Municipal Law Enforcement Department to help build safer communities.
- We will work with the private sector to create at least 2,000 net new jobs over the next term.
- And we will launch a Day Mothers Programme, supporting registered early childhood development providers and the women who provide essential care and education to our children.
These are big ambitions. But five years ago, people told us that what we have already achieved was impossible.
So we have learned not to be intimidated by big ambitions.
Our manifesto also contains commitments that touch the everyday lives of our residents.
- We will continue working to eradicate mud houses.
- We will expand mast lighting and rural lighting.
- We will invest in safer streets and pedestrian infrastructure.
- We will build more bus shelters and ranking facilities.
- We will provide more solar packs to rural communities and informal settlements.
- We will expand our support for the elderly by increasing the pensioners rebate threshold
- We will continue reducing the amount of waste going to landfill through recycling.
- We will complete the establishment of the uMngeni Fire Department.
- We will support South African-owned spaza shops with at least R1 million funding for SMMEs a year.
- We will continue supporting the events that put uMngeni on the map and bring money into our local economy. Supporting tourism and hospitality sector.
- And we will continue protecting property values while working to keep rates amongst the lowest of KwaZulu-Natal’s major towns.
- Most importantly, we will maintain zero tolerance for corruption.
Right here in Lidgetton we commit ourselves to improving sporting infrastructure, expanding the public transport facilities, installing free public wifi, and providing this village with more access to employment and social opportunities.
Friends, there is something else that makes this manifesto different.
We understand that government cannot build a successful community by itself.
uMngeni works because its people work.
Our farmers.
Our businesses.
Our NGOs and NPOs.
Our ratepayer associations.
Our conservancies.
Our traditional leaders.
Our churches and faith communities.
Our sports clubs.
Our schools.
Our volunteers.
The thousands of ordinary residents who give their time, money and energy to make this place better.
Government’s job is not to control that energy.
Our job is to enable it.
To create an environment where people can build businesses, create jobs, raise families, invest in their communities and dream bigger.
That is the uMngeni we are building.
And that is why we are committing to double the funding and support for NPOs in uMngeni.
But none of this progress is guaranteed. Elections have consequences.
We know just how close 2021 was.
We won uMngeni by only 42 votes.
Forty-two votes changed the direction of an entire municipality.
Forty-two votes helped change what people across South Africa believed was possible in local government.
And that should remind every single person here today: Your vote matters.
This election is not simply about choosing between political parties.
It is a choice about the direction of uMngeni.
Do we protect the gains we have made and keep moving forward?
Or do we risk going backwards?
We are not asking you to believe that we are perfect. We are asking you to look at the evidence. Look at where we started. Look at where we are today.
And then look at where we can go next.
In 2021, we asked you to trust our promises.
In 2026, we ask you to trust our record of delivery.
We have shown that change is possible. We have shown that local government can work.
We have shown that public money can be managed responsibly.
We have shown that progress can happen.
And we have shown that when good people come together around a common purpose, a municipality can be turned around.
But our work is not finished. Far from it.
We have laid the foundation. Now we must build.
We have turned the corner. Now we must accelerate.
We have written the first chapter. And now it is time to write THE NEXT CHAPTER.
A chapter of more jobs.
Better roads.
Cleaner communities.
Safer streets.
Better services.
More opportunity.
And a government that works every single day to earn the trust that the people of uMngeni have placed in us.
So today, I ask the people of uMngeni:
Protect our gains.
Keep making progress.
And on the 4th of November, Vote DA on all three ballots.
Together, let us write THE NEXT CHAPTER of uMngeni.
Ngiyabonga.
Thank you.