This analysis of nine political party manifestos for South Africa’s 2026 local government elections finds a strong alignment between citizen priorities and party commitments, with jobs, water and sanitation, and community safety receiving the greatest attention. Drawing on 670 manifesto commitments and citizen survey data, the report shows that while most promises are specific, feasible, and within municipal mandates, very few are measurable, funded, or time-bound. As a result, only eight commitments across all manifestos met all six criteria, highlighting a significant gap between political promises and credible plans for implementation.

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