IFP puts water, power and roads at the centre of its 2026 local election manifesto

The Inkatha Freedom Party has launched its manifesto for the 2026 local government elections, placing the provision of basic services at the centre of its campaign.

As SABC News reported on 20 September, the party’s national spokesperson, Mkhuleko Hlengwa, presented the manifesto, which calls for priority to be given to water, electricity, refuse collection, durable roads, streetlights and safe environments.

The IFP is seeking to retain a number of municipalities in KwaZulu-Natal, a province the broadcaster describes as one of the most hotly contested areas in the country.

Local government elections decide who sits on the country’s municipal councils and, in most councils, who becomes mayor. Those councils carry the constitutional responsibility for the services named in the manifesto. Water reticulation, electricity distribution, refuse removal and the maintenance of local roads sit with municipalities, not with national government, which is why local election campaigns are so often fought on the condition of a street, a tap or a substation.

For voters in KwaZulu-Natal, the manifesto sets out what the party says it would prioritise if it holds or wins councils. The IFP has governed municipalities in the province across successive terms, and its record in those councils is the practical test against which the promises will be measured. The manifesto as reported does not set out delivery targets, budgets or timeframes.

KwaZulu-Natal has been a competitive battleground in recent local elections, with the IFP, the ANC and other parties trading control of councils and entering coalitions where no party wins an outright majority. Municipal coalitions in the province have at times proved unstable, with changes of mayor and shifts in council leadership between elections.

The party’s emphasis on services is a familiar register in South African local politics. Residents judge councils most directly on whether water runs, whether the lights stay on, whether refuse is collected and whether roads survive the rainy season. Those are also the failures most often raised in protests over municipal performance.

The manifesto launch is one step in a campaign that will run until voting day. The IFP has not, in the material available, named the specific municipalities it is most focused on retaining, beyond the province-wide contest in KwaZulu-Natal.

The Enquirer has reported the manifesto as set out by SABC News. The full document and any further detail on costing, targets and candidate lists are matters the party would need to publish for voters to weigh them in full.