Mbalula vs DA: War of words over local manifesto
DA Federal Council Chairperson Ashor Sarupen says voters care less about ideological labels and more about functioning municipalities, as the party defends private-sector involvement in delivering basic services.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) has responded to ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula's critique of the party's newly unveiled local government manifesto. Mbalula accused the DA of pursuing a "Thatcherite manifesto on privatization of the state" following the manifesto's launch, arguing the DA joined the Government of National Unity (GNU) due to the "collapse of ANC majority".
In contrast, DA Federal Council Chairperson Ashor Sarupen dismissed Mbalula's criticism as a weak attack, pointing out the ANC's lack of substantive response to the DA's proposals. Sarupen emphasized that the DA's focus was on fixing dysfunctional municipalities, whereas Mbalula resorted to ideological references from 1980s Britain.
Sarupen argued that voters were more concerned about the delivery of municipal services rather than ideological debates over who provided those services. He also pointed out that the ANC had been allowing private businesses to participate in municipalities it governed, citing Mafube and KwaDukuza as examples where such interventions had prevented complete service breakdowns.
Sarupen further rejected the characterization of the DA's approach as Thatcherism, asserting that it was simply about effective governance. He also noted that the ANC's loss of its national majority was a reflection of voter frustration with the party's performance. Sarupen accused the ANC of confusing state ownership with state capacity, arguing that the DA was focused on improving municipal service delivery rather than engaging in economic ideology debates.
Written by urgent.news from IOL's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
