The 2021 Local Government Elections will go down in history as the turning point where the DA won its first council in KwaZulu-Natal. We chatted to Chris Pappas who is the newly elected mayor of uMngeni Local Municipality.

ChangeMaker (CM): Chris, a massive congratulations for dislodging the ANC in uMngeni – which includes Howick, Mpophomeni, Nottingham Road and Hilton. Did you grow up in the KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Midlands?

Chris Pappas (CP): Thank you for the congratulations and kind words. Yes, I grew up in the KZN Midlands. I spent much of my childhood between Mooi River and Howick. I also went to high school at Hilton College. I remember spending my teen years working at the local shops for pocket money so that we could buy Tropika and homemade pies at the local corner shop. I am very much a son of the Midlands soil. 

CM: What do you think contributed to the timing of this historic turning point?

CP: There were a number of factors that helped to take us over the line. Our team has a solid foundation that we have been building on. A foundation that was set by Greg Krumbock who was also the 2021 national campaign manager. We ran a long and well-planned campaign. It started back in 2019. We made sure that we ticked all the campaign boxes. From communication, registration and presence to profiling our candidates, fundraising and opposition intelligence. We did it all. Most importantly we stayed true to the election and that was to ensure that we were providing locally solutions to local problems. Of course, there were also a number of external factors such as covid, the riots, rampant corruption and the infighting in the ANC. We were able to take advantage of all of these issues and bring them together in a coherent campaign. 

CM: What are your plans for uMngeni?

CP: From the outset we said we want to get the basics right. We are a small municipality with a relatively small budget and a lot of problems. However, despite our big dreams we realize that we will never be able to fulfil these dreams if we do not firstly bring financial stability and secondly get the foundational basics right. So, we will be putting a lot of effort into roads, stream water, streetlights, refuse removal, water, and electricity. Above all else we want to be transparent and accessible to the people of uMngeni. 

CM: Do you think that DA governments are on the horizon for other parts of KZN too? 

CP: Yes, I do. We have hard working and dedicated public representatives and activists who want the best for their communities. People are hungry for change, and we need to work hard to build trust and show people that the DA does really deliver for all.