SOWETO, GAUTENG — The Pan Africanist Congress (PAC) has officially launched its Local Government Election Manifesto in Soweto, strategically returning to the historic township where the party was founded 67 years ago. Ahead of the November 4 municipal polls, PAC Leader and Minister of Land Reform and Rural Development Mzwanele Nyhontso positioned land redistribution, local economic revitalization, and stringent municipal accountability as the core pillars of the party’s campaign.
During the launch, Mzwanele Nyhontso addressed pressing social challenges, placing the land question at the center of the PAC’s political program. He emphasized that municipalities must make land available to build dignified housing, eliminate decades-long housing waiting lists, and provide security of tenure to prevent evictions. By anchoring job creation and rural development at the local level, the party aims to reduce the economic migration of citizens to major metropolitan cities.
Defending the government’s delivery record, Nyhontso highlighted recent milestones in land reform. He noted that the department has redistributed more than 250,000 hectares of land in the previous financial year alone, surpassing a target of 35,000 agricultural land allocations. Moving beyond mere title deed transfers, the minister stressed the importance of post-settlement support. He cited a Northwest province farm producing blueberries and strawberries as a model, where the government facilitated a joint venture with previous owners, provided funding, and committed to capacitating the beneficiaries’ children through university-level education over a 5- to 10-year period to ensure long-term agricultural productivity.
On the contentious issue of land acquisition, Nyhontso defended the newly signed Expropriation Act as a necessary and less brutal replacement for the 1975 legislation. He clarified that the party’s focus on repossessing illegally or unused land is constitutionally sound and targeted at absentee foreign landowners—such as those in Germany or the United States—who leave well-located South African properties vacant. These parcels, he argued, are prime candidates for expropriation to serve the public good, such as building clinics and schools.
The manifesto launch also addressed the PAC’s electoral strategy following the 2024 general elections, where the party secured 0.23% of the national vote and one seat in the National Assembly. Nyhontso framed those results as a launching pad for rebuilding the party’s support base with sights set on the 2029 polls and the immediate November 4 local elections. Demonstrating this renewed ambition, the PAC has registered a record-breaking number of candidates, fielding no fewer than 2,500 ward councilor candidates—totaling over 5,000 candidates across the ballot. This marks a significant expansion for the party, which has historically contested no more than 20 municipalities and never previously contested in all metros or across all nine provinces.
Addressing the current political climate, Nyhontso acknowledged the reality of the Government of National Unity (GNU) and the modern era of coalitions. He asserted that while the PAC is actively contesting for power and votes against rivals like the ANC and the DA, the party remains committed to mature, post-election collaboration. “We are contesting power,” Nyhontso stated, emphasizing that campaigning vigorously does not preclude working together constructively for the sake of the electorate once the votes are counted.
Ultimately, the PAC’s vision for the first 100 days of local governance hinges on accountability. Nyhontso promised that elected PAC councilors will be competent, deeply engaged with community plight, and required to reside in the same areas they serve, putting an end to the trend of representatives relocating to urban centers immediately after being elected. With the November 4 polls approaching, the PAC is betting that this comprehensive, ground-level approach to land and service delivery will resonate strongly with South African voters.
