SACP manifesto summary

South African Communist Party · 2026 local government elections

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AI-written summary of the party’s own manifesto. Each point links to its page.

SACP summary on every topic

Housing and title deeds

Will fight for an open audit of municipal land for housing and social purposes. p.19
Will promote social and affordable rental housing near work and services, requiring major developments to support spatial integration. p.19
Will support in situ upgrading of housing with essential services and community involvement. p.19
Will ensure housing is built near work and services to reduce travel time and costs for workers. p.20
Will protect against displacement by speculative development and promote well-located housing options. p.19

Water and sanitation

Commit to a ward-by-ward audit of water and sanitation services, with community monitoring of projects and published service backlogs. p.12
Fight for the complete eradication of the bucket system and for decent, permanent sanitation solutions developed with community input. p.19
Support in situ upgrading of water, sanitation, and refuse removal services, ensuring safe access and protection against fire and flooding. p.19
Advocate for municipalities to protect water quality and ensure reliable water and sanitation in clinics and emergency health facilities. p.22
Promote equitable services and maintained water systems for rural communities, ensuring they are not treated as an afterthought. p.29

Electricity and energy

Commit to a ward-by-ward audit of electricity services and a public maintenance plan for prompt repairs and maintenance. p.12
Pledge to fight for fair, transparent, pro-poor tariffs for electricity and accessible support for low-income households. p.13
Ensure no qualifying household is excluded from support due to inaccessible application processes and protect essential lifeline services. p.13
Advocate for electricity pricing that considers household survival and the needs of community enterprises and co-operatives. p.13
Support renewable energy initiatives that reduce costs, create jobs, and expand community ownership, while providing training for workers. p.15

Roads and public transport

Commit to a ward-by-ward audit of roads and public transport, with a public maintenance plan and community monitoring of projects. p.12
Support integrated, affordable, safe, and reliable public transport under public and community control, focusing on workers and the poor. p.20
Municipalities will strengthen their role in planning public transport and support co-operative and worker-controlled transport initiatives. p.20
Plan housing, transport, and services as one system to reduce travel time and costs for workers. p.20

Waste and refuse collection

Commit to safe, reliable refuse collection and community recycling. p.12
Promise a ward-by-ward audit of refuse removal services. p.12
Plan to establish properly staffed and equipped technical units for maintenance. p.12
Include labour-intensive maintenance programmes that create decent work. p.12
Commit to publishing service backlogs and monthly progress reports. p.12

Safety and policing

Commit to democratic community safety forums for women, LGBTQIA+ people, youth, and community organisations. p.21
Implement ward safety audits to identify dangerous areas and improve safety infrastructure. p.21
Ensure visible, accountable, and corruption-free policing with well-resourced stations and community cooperation. p.21
Take decisive action against infrastructure crime and enforce laws against drug dens near schools. p.21
Develop rural safety plans with communities and SAPS Stock Theft Units to combat stock theft. p.21

Jobs and the local economy

Expand public employment linked to community work, fair recruitment, and pathways from temporary to permanent jobs. p.14
Use municipal power to build a people’s economy with public employment, co-operatives, and support for informal workers. p.14
Ensure every major municipal investment creates decent work and strengthens local capacity, with results published before approval. p.17
Establish municipal labour forums for employment rights and collective bargaining, and provide support centres for workers. p.17
Commit to enforceable decent work standards in municipal contracts and take action against labour broking and casualisation. p.17

Rates, tariffs and municipal finance

Will fight for fair, transparent, pro-poor tariffs for water and electricity, accessible support for low-income households, and an end to punitive treatment of poor households. p.13
Will fight for progressive taxes on wealth and high incomes, and redistribution from wealthy areas to support poor municipalities. p.28
Will distinguish poverty-related household debt from other debts and provide relief for poor households while ensuring fair payments from wealthy households and businesses. p.28
Will fight for a developmental, redistributive funding system that addresses historical inequalities and supports municipalities with infrastructure backlogs. p.28
Will protect essential services, stop wasteful expenditure, and improve fair revenue collection while ensuring budgets are made public. p.29

Corruption, governance and accountability

Support municipal workers, service providers, and whistleblowers against corruption, ensuring credible disclosures are investigated promptly and independently. p.24
Insist on maximum transparency for major contracts, including publication of details and community social audits to ensure accountability. p.24
Oppose privatisation and outsourcing of municipal services, prioritising insourcing and lawful action against corruption. p.24
Promote accessible public meetings for budgets and performance reports, and establish community monitoring committees for transparency. p.25
Require councillors to sign a pledge committing to report corruption, disclose interests, and treat public office as service, not enrichment. p.27

Informal settlements and land

Support in situ upgrading of informal settlements, focusing on water, sanitation, electricity, drainage, safe access, refuse removal, and protection against fire and flooding. p.19
Residents must participate in enumeration, planning, monitoring, and allocation of resources in their communities. p.19
Relocation of residents must be a last resort and should not clear poor communities for private development. p.19
Address housing needs of the 'missing middle' who cannot afford formal housing but earn too much for subsidised options. p.19
Land disputes require due process and judicial oversight, alongside public housing and settlement upgrading. p.20

Support for indigent households

Will fight for fair, transparent, pro-poor tariffs for water and electricity, accessible support for low-income households, and maximum sustainable provision of free basic services. p.13
No qualifying household should be excluded due to inaccessible application processes; municipalities must proactively identify eligible households and protect their information. p.13
Will oppose arbitrary disconnections, demand fair notice, and ensure accessible dispute mechanisms to protect essential lifeline services. p.13
Will support in situ upgrading of water, sanitation, electricity, and refuse removal, and fight for the eradication of the bucket system. p.19
Will distinguish poverty-related household debt from other debts and ensure poor households receive relief and lifeline services. p.28

By-law and municipal law enforcement

Strict, fair by-law enforcement against drug dens and illegal outlets near schools, with treatment pathways for people trapped in addiction. p.21
Visible, accountable, corruption-free policing with properly resourced stations and cooperation between SAPS, metro police, and communities. p.21
Decisive action against infrastructure crime, including theft of cables and transformers, through protection of key installations and regulation of scrap-metal dealing. p.21
Ward safety audits to identify dangerous buildings, unlit routes, and crime hotspots, with repaired streetlights and safe routes to schools and clinics. p.21
Democratic community safety forums and street committees linked to lawful, accountable safety work, avoiding vigilantism. p.21

Youth, sport, arts and libraries

Commit to maintained, accessible sports grounds, halls, libraries, and arts centres in townships and villages, treated as essential social infrastructure. p.23
Pledge to open public facilities for youth activities and expand sport and cultural programmes. p.23
Promise to develop libraries as community knowledge and cultural centres with internet and study space. p.23
Support continuous local sport, arts, music, and heritage programmes, including indigenous games. p.23
Ensure fair, prompt payment for cultural workers and artists at municipal events. p.23

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