Better Choices. Working Municipalities. A Future That Works for All.

The following speech was delivered by the Leader of the Democratic Alliance, John Steenhuisen, at the party’s provincial congress in Bloemfontein:

Fellow Democrats

It is a privilege to be with you today in the Free State, a province defined by its agricultural strength, its resilient communities, and its enormous, often unrealised potential.

The history of the Free State is enmeshed with the liberation of South Africa. It is a painful history, but also one that reminds us of sacrifice, of courage and determination, and importantly, of the need to respect each other and to embrace our diversity.

As we approach the 36th anniversary of FW de Klerk’s famous speech in parliament on 2 February 1990 which brought about the much-needed reforms to end apartheid, we should pause to remember the costs of sacrifice which lie behind this painful history and the prospects of change and improvement which these sacrifices promised.
But, we need not only to keep the flame of hope for change alive, but to demonstrate that a better future is possible.

The promise of a better South Africa built on better choices is within our grasp here, and across South Africa. We have shown it where we already govern.

The Free State is a province of enormous potential. But realising that potential requires getting the province’s municipalities working. And that rests on political competition and a viable alternative.

I want to thank two leaders who have given extraordinary service to the Democratic Alliance in this province in this regard.

Firstly, I would like to thank Werner Horn, our outgoing Provincial Chair. Werner has dedicated more than two decades of his life to public service and the party, and for over five years he has served as Provincial Chair of the DA in the Free State. He continues to play a pivotal role in the Government of National Unity, serving as House Chair in the National Assembly. At the same time, Werner, in his role as Deputy Campaign Manager, assists Ashor Sarupen for the upcoming local government elections. That is a remarkable contribution. His organisational leadership, discipline, and astute political thinking, have helped build the party and continue to help prepare the DA for the battles that lie ahead.

I also would like to thank our Provincial Leader, Dr Roy Jankielsohn for his continued leadership. Roy’s wealth and depth of experience, his sharp intellect, and his abiding commitment to the DA have been (and continue to be) one of the greatest leadership assets our party possesses. His absolute dedication to principle has strengthened the DA in the Free State at every level.

Delegates, as you deliberate and elect your leadership today, I wish you every success. These choices matter because strong, credible leadership at local level is the foundation of a DA that can govern, deliver, and win.

Democrats, I want to talk briefly about a major challenge facing farmers in the Free State, and many other Provinces in South Africa. Foot and Mouth Disease is spreading across the Country and is a huge risk to agriculture, jobs and to the economy. I want to make it clear here, as I have previously, that I am committed to resolving the spread of the virus. We have a credible, scientifically backed plan. This plan was formulated by the Ministerial Task Team made up of private and public sector scientists, veterinarians and academics. The rollout of this plan, along with clear immediate, medium- and long-term timeframes marks the first time in 30 years that the State has a clear roadmap to defeat FMD. There are those who seek to undermine this plan through the spread of misinformation, however, we will not be distracted by their efforts.

When I travel across the Free State, I hear many of the same concerns again and again.

People want water in their taps.
They want roads that don’t destroy their vehicles.
They want clinics and libraries that are open, staffed, and functional.
And they want municipalities that work.

From Monyakeng to Winburg, communities are deeply worried about scarce water resources, about sanitation, about infrastructure failing, and about the complete absence of long-term water planning.

In Brandfort, residents are still asking a basic, heartbreaking question: when will we have safe drinking water again? No family should have to worry about whether they will have water in their taps.

In Bothaville, farmers, businesses, and residents know that roads are the backbone of the local economy. When roads collapse, jobs disappear with them.

In Phumelela, administrative paralysis has become a daily reality: invoices are unpaid, services are stalled, decisions avoided, which leaves communities stuck.

And in Maluti-A-Phofung, public libraries and clinics (that should be centres of learning and care) stand broken and neglected, symbols of a municipality that has stopped serving its people.

A working municipality is not a luxury.
It is a basic expectation.

And let me reassure you today: the DA hears this. We understand it. And we take it seriously.

Because Democrats, there is an alternative.

Where the DA governs, we work for all.
We deliver water that flows, sanitation that works, roads that hold, clinics that function, and administrations that are professional and accountable.

In Midvaal, clean audits and competent management have translated into stable services and economic growth.
In uMngeni, DA leadership has restored trust, attracted investment, and improved service delivery.
In Kouga, communities chose change, and today they are seeing the results.

These successes are the outcome of a different way of governing: merit over cadre deployment, transparency over corruption, and planning over chaos.

And that is the alternative we must offer voters here in the Free State.

So, let us be honest about why so many Free State municipalities are failing.

It is because of a political system that has prioritised loyalty over competence, patronage over performance, and survival over service.

The result is what we see today:
Water infrastructure neglected until it collapses.
Roads ignored until they are beyond repair.
Clinics and libraries treated as afterthoughts.
And municipalities paralysed by infighting, mismanagement, and fear of accountability.

These failures are man-made.
And because they are man-made, they can be fixed.

Democrats, I know this is not an easy fight.

You are organising, campaigning, and building support in a province where the ANC has led for decades. In this province, progress has often been slow, and victories hard-won.

However, the Free State has produced leaders who understood what it means to persist when the odds are stacked against you.

Ellen Kuzwayo, who was born in Thaba Nchu, reminded us that “the struggle is not just against injustice, but against despair.” And that speaks directly to what so many communities in this province are feeling today.

But she also taught us something else. She said: “I learned that change comes not from waiting, but from standing up and doing the work, day after day.”

That is exactly the work you are doing.

That spirit lives in this room.
It lives in activists who keep knocking on doors.
In councillors who stand their ground.
In volunteers who believe that the Free State deserves better, even when the odds seem stacked against them.

And let me say this clearly: you are not alone.

As part of national government, the DA is now in a stronger position to demand accountability, to push for professionalisation, and to support municipalities that want to work.

But real change begins here, with you.

So, Democrats, let us be clear about our mission.

In the Free State, our goal is to reduce the ANC’s governing majority to below 50% in every municipality and to become the largest party in as many municipalities as possible.

We must also not be distracted by small parties that seek to divide the electorate. These parties can easily be manipulated by larger parties in coalitions that do not have the voters’ best interests at heart.

That is not the DA.

We govern from the belief that people deserve water, safety, dignity, and opportunity.

This year’s local government election will be won by trust and care.

It will be won because of every conversation you have, every branch you organise, and every voter you persuade and by doing your job to the very best of your ability.

You are building something bigger than an election result. You are building the foundations of South Africa’s future:
from Trompsburg to Zastron in Xhariep,
from Welkom to Bothaville in Lejweleputswa,
from Kroonstad to Parys in Fezile Dabi,
from Bethlehem to Phuthaditjhaba in Thabo Mofutsanyana,
and from Bloemfontein to Botshabelo and Thaba Nchu in Mangaung.
In every district, in every municipality, people are asking for the same thing: a local government that works.

Democrats, the Free State can be fixed.
Its municipalities can work again.
And its people can thrive.

And the Democratic Alliance is the party to make it happen.

The painful history of Brandfort reminds of the cost of division and failure. A better future depends on better choices which put people and not power at the centre of our politics.

Let us leave this Congress united, focused, and determined, ready to show (once again) that only the DA delivers.

Thank you.