 public relations and ward councillor, was onTuesday announced as the party’s mayoral candidate for the Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality in the Free State.){kind=link}
By Lebone Rodah Mosima
Werner Pretorius, a former Democratic Alliance (DA) public relations and ward councillor, was onTuesday announced as the party’s mayoral candidate for the Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality in the Free State.
Pretorius said the municipality was suffering from severe mismanagement, with millions of rands unlawfully spent while residents faced persistent service delivery backlogs.
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The party described Pretorius as a “proud, on-the-ground activist for the residents of Mangaung.”
He holds two degrees from the University of the Free State and previously served in the DA Student Organisation, including as Student Representative Council treasurer.
Pretorius earlier told media that Mangaung was the worst-run metropolitan municipality in the country.
“It is a textbook case of a failed metro. If anyone wants to write a thesis on municipal failure, Mangaung would be the prime example,” he said.
He cited the latest Auditor-General (AG) report, tabled in January 2026, which showed that Mangaung achieved only 50% of its service delivery targets.
The report recorded R324 million in irregular expenditure, R67 million in fruitless and wasteful expenditure, and R1.3 billion in unauthorised spending in the previous financial year.
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According to Pretorius, just 2% of the capital budget was allocated to critical maintenance.
Water losses stood at 48%, resulting in nearly R500 million in lost revenue, while electricity losses reported by Centlec amounted to R274 million.
He said 46% of the 2027 budget would be required to cover prior-year expenditure.
“Only 41% of indigent households are registered. Conditional grants have also been underspent — R192 million in 2025 — while R140 million was withheld by National Treasury due to slow spending. These funds were meant to improve the lives of the poorest residents,” Pretorius said.
He said a DA-led administration would implement sound financial management, enforce zero tolerance for corruption, ensure accountability, and make fit-for-purpose appointments as part of a turnaround strategy.
Pretorius pointed to DA-run municipalities as examples of effective governance, citing 14 years of clean audits in the West Coast Municipality, 12 in Overstrand, and 11 in Midvaal.
He said a DA-run Mangaung would prioritise planning, budgeting and execution to restore clean water, reliable electricity, upgraded bulk infrastructure, and well-maintained roads.
“A functional Mangaung will attract investment, stimulate industrial growth and create jobs,” he said, adding that reliable basic services were essential for economic development and hosting major sporting, arts and cultural events.
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Pretorius said the DA also aimed to implement a pro-poor budget, expand the indigent register in line with National Treasury data, assist the homeless, strengthen law enforcement to protect critical infrastructure, and ensure a safe and clean environment for residents.
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