The Democratic Alliance (DA) and the African National Congress (ANC) have entered a sharpening public dispute after the DA launched a local government manifesto that endorses private-sector participation in municipal service delivery.
Policy clash framed as practical choice over services
DA Federal Council Chairperson Ashor Sarupen dismissed ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula’s characterisation of the manifesto as an ideological attack, saying the party was focused on fixing failing municipalities rather than on labels.
“Confronted with a DA manifesto focused on getting broken municipalities working again, Mbalula reached for ideological labels from 1980s Britain because he cannot defend the ANC’s own record of government,” Sarupen said, according to the reporting.
“Fikile Mbalula’s tantrum about our election Manifesto, shows that there is nothing substantive for the ANC to oppose in the DA’s governance plan.”
Mbalula had taken to the social platform X to describe the manifesto as a “Thatcherite manifesto on privatization of the state” and to connect the DA’s rise to its participation in the Government of National Unity (GNU), saying the party was in the GNU because of the “collapse of ANC majority”, according to the account of the exchange.
Who benefits, who pays?
Sarupen argued South African voters prioritise whether services arrive over ideological ownership of service providers. He said voters “do not care whether the ANC can attach an ideological label to a refuse truck. They care whether the refuse truck arrives.” The DA’s position is therefore framed as a pragmatic solution to restore basic services in municipalities that are failing.
The DA pointed to existing instances where private business had been allowed to assist in municipalities governed by the ANC, citing Mafube and KwaDukuza as examples where such interventions prevented a total collapse of water and electricity supply.
- DA claim: Practical measures, including private participation, can stabilise service delivery in dysfunctional municipalities.
- ANC critique: The manifesto represents an ideological turn towards privatisation and echoes 1980s British policies.
- Voter focus: Both parties contend the electorate cares most about reliable services rather than ideological debates.
The exchange underscores two intertwined debates that will shape local election campaigning: whether municipal failure is best remedied by opening greater space for the private sector, and how such moves are presented politically. The DA frames private-sector involvement as a tool to restore functioning infrastructure; the ANC casts it as a retreat from public responsibility.
Context and consequences for local government
South Africa’s municipalities have for years been at the centre of contestation over service delivery, finance and governance. When national parties set local election agendas they signal not only how they would manage councils, but also how they intend to allocate risk and responsibility between government and private contractors.
If the DA’s proposals gain traction in coalition negotiations after the vote, municipalities that accept private participation may see quicker restoration of some services — at the cost of increased private sector influence and potential long-term contractual obligations. Conversely, the ANC’s attack aims to position it as the defender of publicly-provided services, arguing that privatisation risks undermining accountability.
Neither side in the exchange provided new data on costs, contract safeguards or oversight mechanisms in the reporting, leaving key questions about implementation unanswered: who will fund transitional arrangements, how contracts will be monitored, and what safeguards will protect vulnerable communities if services are outsourced.
The public dispute also reveals political positioning ahead of the local polls: the DA seeks to frame itself as the practical manager of municipal services, while the ANC is attempting to mobilise voters around concerns about privatisation and the legacy of neoliberal policies.
How voters respond will depend on whether they prioritise immediate improvements to water, electricity and waste removal, or worry about the longer-term implications of handing service functions to the private sector. For now, the debate is set to be a central plank of campaigning in municipalities where service failure is most acute.
