Free State – As the November 4 polls approach, the Build One South Africa (BOSA) 2026 manifesto has officially been launched, with party leader Dr. Mmusi Maimane outlining a comprehensive strategy to rescue failing municipalities and establish strict ethical red lines for future coalitions.
Speaking at the manifesto launch in the Free State, Maimane detailed how the party intends to translate its national and provincial electoral successes into tangible local government victories. After securing two National Assembly seats and one Gauteng Legislature seat in the 2024 elections, BOSA is now setting its sights on the 2026 Local Government Elections with a highly targeted municipal footprint.
Electoral Footprint and Candidate Selection
The party is contesting 24 municipalities across five provinces, fielding 794 candidates. The candidate list is notably diverse, with 37% under the age of 35 and 45% women. The roster includes engineers, lawyers, teachers, and entrepreneurs who have all signed a binding performance pledge.
According to Maimane, the candidate selection process was driven by a “secret model” that prioritizes community endorsement over top-down imposition. “We never want to impose a candidate on a community,” Maimane explained, noting that resource constraints also required a strategic focus on critical metropolitan areas where economic growth is most suppressed.
BOSA expects its strongest showings in Johannesburg and Tshwane, with significant growth noted in Limpopo and the Western Cape. However, Maimane identified Gauteng as the ultimate battleground, given that the province comprises roughly 50% of the country’s GDP growth.
Core Manifesto Priorities
The Build One South Africa 2026 manifesto is built on five core priorities: fixing basic service delivery and administration, driving local economic growth and job creation, improving transport and mobility, strengthening community safety, and restoring professional, accountable governance.
On service delivery, the party promises reliable access to water, electricity, sanitation, and refuse collection, alongside published turnaround times for pothole and road repairs. To stimulate the local economy, BOSA plans to establish municipal incubation funds for youth and township enterprises, simplify small business licensing, release vacant municipal buildings, and create local job databases.
Fixing Municipalities and the Economy
Addressing the complex failures in municipal service delivery, Maimane argued that the root cause is a lack of professionalization at the political level. He stressed that mayors must possess the ability to read financial audit statements and understand infrastructure spending.
To resolve financial mismanagement, BOSA proposes overhauling the municipal revenue model. This includes paying indigent grants directly to Eskom to increase electricity quotas for citizens, tackling “non-revenue water” losses caused by poor infrastructure, and cutting unfunded mandates and vanity projects. Maimane also highlighted the need to reduce the number of municipal-owned entities in cities like Johannesburg to simplify billing and administration.
For job creation and economic growth, the party proposes leveraging municipal properties by offering them at drastically reduced rates—as low as R100 a month—for startups and small businesses. Maimane also advocated for reviving rail infrastructure to create economic nodes, establishing special economic zones with tax rebates, and amending the Metro Police Act to grant investigatory powers to combat drug trafficking and enforce the rule of law.
Funding Infrastructure and Tender Reform
To address Johannesburg’s estimated R200 billion infrastructure backlog, Maimane proposed a “blended financing” model. This public-private partnership approach would leverage the national government’s R1 trillion medium-term expenditure framework while incentivizing private sector investment in bulk infrastructure.
A major pillar of the party’s anti-corruption strategy is the complete digitization of the tender system. Maimane, describing himself as a “futurist,” proposed using blockchain and Artificial Intelligence to track service delivery, score metrics, and monitor contractor performance in real time. A public portal would allow citizens to view advertised tenders and verify contractor compliance instantly. Furthermore, BOSA intends to halt the outsourcing of basic services, arguing that municipalities incapable of cutting grass or maintaining water infrastructure are failing their core mandates.
Coalition Red Lines and Ethical Leadership
Acknowledging the era of coalition politics, Maimane drew strict red lines for post-election negotiations. BOSA will refuse to partner with corrupt entities or parties that rely on ethnic mobilization and racial division.
“We will not work with corrupt people,” Maimane stated, adding that investigations into municipal maladministration would make state capture “look like a picnic.” He also condemned racist politics, specifically criticizing the dangerous trend of using language tests to prove citizenship, which he noted mirrors the divisive tactics of the past.
Maimane assured voters that any coalition negotiations would be conducted publicly, with a strict focus on policy plans and integrity rather than the mere sharing of political positions. “We will always negotiate publicly; people will always know—no backroom deals,” he emphasized.
Ultimately, Maimane urged voters to support BOSA to build a unified, ethical, and economically functional South Africa. “We are builders,” he concluded. “We will deliver on an economy that works, make sure people are safe, and bring ethical leadership to our communities.”
