By Gontse Sekhantso
Al Jama-ah has pledged to turn temporary public works jobs into permanent municipal positions and train 100,000 community caregivers under its manifesto for the 4 November local government elections.
The party, led by Ganief Hendricks, launched its 12-point manifesto at Orlando Communal Hall in Soweto on Saturday. ,
It said that it wanted to absorb Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) employees into permanent municipal maintenance, waste management and security teams.
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The party also wants to provide 100,000 community caregivers with training towards National Qualifications Framework (NQF) Level 4 qualifications, linking community-based care services to municipal healthcare systems.
Youth employment forms another part of the party’s proposals, with plans to train electricians, plumbers, water technicians, solar installers and digital network technicians.
Al Jama-ah also wants to establish a paid Youth Service Corps to provide services ranging from environmental rehabilitation and library support to assistance for elderly residents, with opportunities for participants to move into permanent employment or further education.
The party proposes allocating 30% of procurement opportunities to women, young people and persons with disabilities.
It also wants municipalities to divide larger tenders into smaller contracts to enable township contractors, cooperatives and youth-owned businesses to compete for work.
The manifesto proposes reviewing restrictive municipal bylaws affecting township traders and informal businesses under the principle of “Keep, simplify, digitise or remove”.
It promises to overhaul bulk sewer networks, clear blocked pipeline servitudes and introduce five-year preventative maintenance schedules to reduce recurring sewer overflows.
It also proposes deploying ward-based rapid repair teams to address water leaks, installing smart meters to reduce water losses and repairing neglected township and suburban roads.
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The party wants to improve water and sanitation access in informal settlements and introduce an integrated municipal energy plan incorporating solar generation, independent power producers and waste-to-energy projects.
At the manifesto launch, Hendricks criticised the continuing lack of basic services in communities.
“Like I said earlier on at the Hector Peterson Museum, our mothers must still take the buckets to the river and fetch the water. Our sisters must go to the forest and fetch the wood for the fire. Our learners in school must still use the bucket system, and sometimes they fall down the pit latrine and they die. So, we haven’t achieved the dignity that the 1976 uprising wanted to achieve,” he said.
To improve municipal accountability, Al Jama-ah proposes publishing ward councillor performance scorecards, livestreaming council and bid adjudication meetings and making municipal contracts accessible through public dashboards.
It also wants a 30-day referral rule for irregular expenditure, although the manifesto does not specify which authorities would receive such referrals or how the rule would be enforced.
The party’s digital governance proposals include a “One Resident, One Profile” system through which residents could report utility faults, monitor repairs and apply for indigent support.
The system would also use infrastructure maintenance data to identify potential water pipe bursts and electricity network failures before they occur.
Hendricks said at the launch that the party had identified an approach to granting land tenure rights to people living in informal settlements.
Al Jama-ah increased its representation in the National Assembly from one seat in 2019 to two in the 2024 general election. It also secured one seat in the Western Cape Provincial Parliament and holds three seats in the City of Cape Town council.
It is already part of Johannesburg’s governing coalition, alongside the ANC, EFF and several smaller parties.
Its Johannesburg mayoral candidate, Ashley Mama, said at Saturday’s launch that Al Jama-ah would consider coalition negotiations with other parties after the elections but would not enter an agreement with the Democratic Alliance because of its position on Israel and Palestine.
