Note to Editors: Please find attached English and Afrikaans soundbites by Werner Pretorius MPL.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) will oppose and rigorously interrogate Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality’s proposed 2026/2029 MTREF Budget and tariff increases.
The DA’s assessment of the proposed budget reveals a municipality asking residents to pay more while failing to prove that higher charges will result in better service delivery. Mangaung’s own financial position raises serious concerns about whether the budget is credible, affordable, and genuinely funded.
The ANC cannot explain why residents should trust another budget built on unrealistic assumptions and broken promises. Mangaung collects only around 73% of the revenue it budgets for, yet that budget depends on collection levels far above that to survive. The truth is simple: this municipality is financially unstable because years of ANC corruption, waste, and poor governance have pushed it to the brink.
This is not merely a technical budget concern; it directly affects residents. When revenue projections are unrealistic, when departments overspend, and when service delivery targets are not linked to measurable outputs, communities suffer through water outages, sewer spillages, electricity failures, pothole-ridden roads and sporadic refuse removal.
A budget that looks balanced on paper but is built on unrealistic assumptions becomes another broken promise to residents who already pay for services they do not consistently receive.
For years, the ANC government in Mangaung has wasted money, failed to maintain infrastructure, and allowed corruption and mismanagement to hollow out the municipality. Now the money is running out, and residents are expected to carry the burden through higher tariffs, rising rates, and declining services.
The DA rejects unfair tariff increases that punish struggling households. The proposed increases to water charges and property-related tariffs will hit working families, pensioners, and job seekers the hardest. Businesses are also being burdened with irrational charges that make it harder to invest, grow, and create jobs in Mangaung.
The people of Mangaung deserve a government that spends public money on the people, not on protecting political failures.
Where the DA governs, money is spent on maintaining infrastructure, keeping the lights on, fixing roads, reducing water losses, and delivering reliable services.
DA governments plan properly, budget responsibly, and work to grow local economies so communities can thrive.
Mangaung can work if you vote for the DA.