The Democratic Alliance (DA) says it is ready for its local government election manifesto launch on Saturday but has declined to disclose how much it is spending on what it describes as its largest city-centre rally ever.
Speaking during a media briefing in Johannesburg on Thursday, the party’s national campaign manager, Ashor Sarupen, said preparations for the launch at Mary Fitzgerald Square had been finalised, with thousands of supporters expected to attend.
However, when asked about the cost of staging the event, Sarupen declined to provide details, saying only that the party had not yet finalised the budget.
“We won’t get into the specifics,” he said.
Sarupen also declined to disclose the expected attendance, saying operational matters were being handled by the party’s event planners.
“We’re expecting several thousand people to descend and yes, we are fully compliant. We will have crowd control in place, we will have a joint operation centre as is required, and we have full planning permission with the City of Johannesburg.”
The DA will officially unveil its local government election manifesto on Saturday, outlining the party’s commitments ahead of the November municipal elections.
Sarupen described the manifesto as a “contract” with South Africans rather than a collection of election promises.
“We all know other parties break their promises. But the DA keeps ours, so this event is more than a launch; it’s the publication of a promise to the people.”
He said the party’s election commitments were informed by its experience in government and focused on policies that were practical, affordable and capable of being implemented.
“The DA makes offers based on decades of experience in government, based on research and data, and based on aspiration for a better future for our fellow South Africans.”
Sarupen argued that deteriorating local government services across much of the country made this year’s municipal elections particularly significant.
“The state of too many local governments is dire. Services are failing and infrastructure is collapsing.”
He said the DA’s objective was to take control of struggling municipalities and restore basic service delivery.
“Getting into government there, turning those towns and cities around, getting them working – this is the mission of the DA.”
Sarupen said the party’s manifesto had been approved and was ready for publication after what he described as an extensive drafting process led by the party’s policy and campaign teams.
He also highlighted the scale of Saturday’s event, describing it as the DA’s largest city-centre rally to date.
According to the party, the stage spans approximately 50 metres in width and 15 metres in height and will host political leaders alongside musical performances.
The programme will include addresses by DA federal chairperson Helen Zille, the party’s Johannesburg mayoral candidate, as well as Tshwane mayoral candidate Cilliers Brink and Ekurhuleni mayoral candidate Khathu Rasilingwane.
Sarupen said the party expected supporters from across Gauteng and the rest of the country to attend, representing a broad cross-section of communities.
He said choosing Johannesburg’s inner city as the venue was intended to demonstrate the party’s commitment to contesting Gauteng’s metropolitan municipalities.
“We are in the heart of Johannesburg, targeting the metro and all metros in Gauteng, as well as metros around South Africa.”
Sarupen also appealed to eligible voters to ensure they were correctly registered before the voters’ roll closed.
He warned that those who failed to register or update their details before the deadline would not be able to vote in the November local government elections.
“I will repeat: register correctly by tomorrow, or lose your vote in November.”
From Saturday, he said, the DA would begin taking its manifesto to communities across the country as it intensifies its election campaign ahead of polling day.