As part of an outreach campaign to civil society groups, the Democratic Alliance has announced that it will work with AfriForum in the Lesedi municipality.
In a statement, DA leader John Steenhuisen linked this to the party’s proposed Moonshot Pact, saying that politicians alone cannot address South Africa’s problems. There is a particular problem at municipal level where corruption and the denuding of capacity have damaged the ability of the administrations to provide for their communities.
Said Steenhuisen: ‘That is why we are building an ecosystem of change to partner with civil society to rebuild our country after next year’s election. If we are to arrest the collapse of the South African state, we will need to start by correcting the severe maladministration of local government in provinces across the country. For local municipalities to be fixed, the services that underpin local economies and that ensure the sustained collection of rates and municipal revenue, will often fall to civil society.’
Lesedi would be the first leg of a campaign to engage with communities and community bodies across the country.