By Johnathan Paoli
Democratic Alliance (DA) uMngeni mayoral candidate Chris Pappas has unveiled his party’s manifesto for the November local government elections, promising to build on what he described as five years of municipal turnaround by targeting potholes, job creation, rural connectivity and improved service delivery.
Launching the DA’s 2026 manifesto over the weekend in Lidgetton under the theme, “The Next Chapter”, Pappas said the party was no longer asking voters to trust promises but to judge it on its record since taking control of the municipality in 2021.
“We asked you to believe that your rates and taxes could be treated with respect. That roads could be repaired. That street lights 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,” Pappas said.
He said the DA had inherited a municipality in serious financial and infrastructural difficulty, with neglected infrastructure and low public confidence in local government.
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“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,” Pappas said.
He claimed that over the past five years, the municipality had paid off its debts, achieved consecutive unqualified audits and significantly increased investment in infrastructure.
According to Pappas, the municipality’s roads budget had grown from R11 million to R42 million, while more than 3,000 LED street lights had been installed.
He said the municipality had also invested in vehicles and equipment, rebuilt its Parks Department, expanded recycling centres and strengthened traffic enforcement.
Pappas further pointed to what he described as broader economic improvements, saying more than 2,200 net permanent jobs had been created, youth unemployment had declined, average earnings had increased and inequality had fallen.
Focusing on Lidgetton, Pappas said the municipality had renovated the community hall, installed street lights and upgraded several gravel roads to tar.
“We repaired the long outstanding problem of Market Road, 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,” he said.
However, Pappas conceded that major challenges remained, including unemployment, potholes, slow street light repairs, and communities still waiting for improved services.
“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,” he said.
The next five years, he said, would focus on accelerating progress across the municipality, from Hilton and Mpophomeni to Howick, Merrivale, Lidgetton, Nottingham Road and rural communities.
Pappas said the municipality would also take a more aggressive approach when other government institutions failed residents.
“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,” he said.
Pappas said the municipality would continue efforts to eradicate mud houses, expand rural lighting, improve pedestrian infrastructure, provide solar packs and establish the uMngeni Fire Department.
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He also committed R1 million annually to support South African-owned spaza shops and small businesses.
With the DA having won uMngeni by just 42 votes in 2021, Pappas warned supporters that the municipality’s political future could again be decided by a narrow margin.
“Forty-two votes changed the direction of an entire municipality. We have laid the foundation. Now we must build. We have turned the corner. Now we must accelerate,” he said.
Pappas urged residents to protect what he described as the gains of the past five years and vote for the DA on all three ballots on 4 November.
