LOCAL ELECTIONS 2026: Manifesto test: SACP’s power to the people and a working class embraced

The South African Congress of the People (SACP) has released its 2026 local election manifesto, emphasizing its commitment to empowering local communities. The party's focus on the people and working class is evident in several key areas of its platform.

One of the SACP's strongest manifesto sections is its promise to improve water and sanitation services. It pledges ward-by-ward audits of water and sanitation systems, public maintenance plans, rapid-response teams for leaks and sewer spills, and properly staffed municipal technical units. The party emphasizes shifting the focus from emergency response to preventative maintenance, aiming to eliminate dry taps and reliance on water tankers.

However, the manifesto lacks details on the capital investment required for repairing aging infrastructure and how municipalities would acquire the necessary technical skills to implement these changes.

Another critical aspect of the SACP's plan is affordable electricity for working-class communities. The manifesto pledges "fair, pro-poor tariffs" and an end to punitive disconnections of the poor. It highlights the significant rise in electricity prices since 2007 and calls for measures to address this issue. The manifesto notes cable theft as an attack on working-class communities and infrastructure but does not provide substantial municipal energy plans, such as alternative generation, grid investment, load reduction, or electricity losses.

The SACP also proposes significant improvements in municipal roads, emphasizing that these should be treated as essential public infrastructure. It promises the maintenance and repair of township and village roads, particularly addressing potholes, washed-away access roads, and neglected streets. The party advocates for integrated, affordable, safe, and reliable public transport under public and community control, including cooperative transport initiatives.

While the manifesto lacks measurable targets for road repairs and fixes, it sets a strong ideological tone.

Sanitation is woven into the water program, with ward-by-ward audits, maintenance plans, and rapid-response teams for sewer spills. The SACP explicitly opposes the bucket system, emphasizing that it is a humiliation that must be eradicated. Informal settlements would be upgraded with the involvement of the people, not against them.

The SACP's approach to public safety is community-based, focusing on street and section committees, community safety forums, and survivor-centered gender-based violence services. The manifesto targets stock theft, cable theft, and extortion networks, positioning them as attacks on working-class livelihoods and infrastructure. This approach is less conventional than a traditional police model and emphasizes community organizing.

The manifesto's focus on municipal decent work plans is comprehensive but lacks specificity. It covers infrastructure maintenance, food production, recycling, care work, community safety, and local production. The party backs worker and consumer cooperatives, village agricultural cooperatives, and community-owned stores. However, the manifesto does not provide detailed information on funding these initiatives or how they will be prioritized.

Finally, the SACP addresses the issue of illegal dumping and cleaner public spaces as part of its broader plan for municipal land use. While the manifesto emphasizes auditing and protecting municipal land for housing, food production, cooperatives, and community facilities, it does not provide specific targets or timelines for waste collection or illegal dumping.

Overall, the SACP's manifesto presents a strong commitment to empowering local communities, with several innovative ideas and a focus on community ownership and control.