Note to Editors: Please find attached English and Afrikaans soundbites by Werner Pretorius MPL and Sesotho soundbite by Cllr Kabelo Moreeng. See attached pictures here, here, here, here, and here.
The need for a local government that creates an enabling environment for jobs in Mangaung is urgent and unquestionable. The current ANC Mayor and ANC-run council are failing to create an enabling environment for jobs and for economic growth.
The DA’s manifesto is a promise to do what we have done in other Metros, in Mangaung too, to grow the economy and create an enabling environment for jobs. We will create jobs and grow local economies by cutting red tape, enabling informal traders to operate legally, and connecting residents to jobs through reliable infrastructure and public transport.
The latest Statistics South Africa Quarterly Labour Force Survey shows that only 39.8% of Mangaung’s working-age population was employed in Q2 2026. The number of employed people fell from approximately 252,000 in Q2 2025 to 223,000 in Q2 2026, a decline of about 29,000 employed people, or 11.6%.
Where the DA governs a Metro outright, like in the City of Cape Town, employment grew by 3.2% during the same period. That shows the DA difference.
This is not only an economic problem. It is a municipal performance problem. Parliament’s Standing Committee on Public Accounts (SCOPA) reported that Mangaung spent 113% of its budget while achieving only 50% of its service-delivery targets. Parliament further reported that only 58% of the Financial Recovery Plan’s activities had been implemented, with Mangaung still stuck in the “rescue phase” after 22 months.
These failures have real economic consequences. Parliament reported that National Treasury withheld R140.98 million because of slow project implementation. It also reported that a water project worth more than R106 million was only 26% complete, while Mangaung owed R642.05 million for bulk water.
The sustainable route to jobs is to make Mangaung a place where businesses can start, invest, expand and employ.
The DA’s approach is simple:
- Fix Mangaung’s finances and pay for the services residents and businesses depend on.
- Restore reliable water, electricity, roads, waste services and municipal infrastructure.
- Speed up planning and development approvals so investment is not held back by unnecessary red tape.
- Make municipal procurement transparent and predictable.
- Unlock municipal land and infrastructure for productive economic development.
- Support small and township businesses and measure economic development by investment, businesses and employment, not announcements.
Mangaung does not need another failed 5-year cycle of ANC decline. It needs a strong DA government that can set priorities, manage money, deliver basic services and create the conditions for the economy to grow.
The facts are clear: as of Q2 of 2026, 223,000 people are employed in Mangaung, down 11.6% in a year. Only 39.8% of the working-age population is employed.
Mangaung can work. But local government has to start working first. Vote DA on 4 November to Get Mangaung Working For All.