SEKHUKHUNE DISTRICT, LIMPOPO — The US The People (US) party is officially entering the Limpopo municipal elections, targeting four local municipalities within the Sekhukhune District as it ramps up its grassroots campaign ahead of next week’s polls.
The political party has been actively campaigning in areas such as Ga Nkoana village, vying for seats in the Fetakgomo Tubatse Local Municipality, Ephraim Mogale Local Municipality, Makhuduthamaga Local Municipality, and Elias Motsoaledi Local Municipality. While US The People is not a newly formed entity—it was established in 2021 and contested its first municipal elections in the Johannesburg Metro that same year, securing 663 votes—it is now shifting its focus to the rural and semi-rural constituencies of Limpopo.
The party’s platform is heavily centered on addressing youth unemployment and taking a strict stance on illegal immigration.
Ndabezitha Ubongwe, Secretary General of US The People, emphasized the party’s hardline approach to border and employment issues during the campaign trail.
“Illegal immigration is a real problem in our communities,” Ubongwe stated. “Our stand is that they must not be documented. They must be taken back home. The jobs and services the municipality must deliver to the people must go straight to the people. The jobs that they are taking from our local people must be strictly for our people. So we say no to documenting illegal immigrants. They must be deported back home.”
Beyond its immigration stance, the party is pitching a highly decentralized, community-driven political model to voters. Members on the ground believe the party is rapidly gaining momentum by promising direct accountability.
“We don’t have something written or framed that is going to govern the political party. We are going to be governed by the people,” one party member explained to supporters. “The people are going to have a say in this organization. We are going to create more jobs and deliver service delivery to the communities, like water and roads, and create projects for the communities.”
To demonstrate its commitment to service delivery, US The People recently took direct action to address local water shortages by donating a water tank to a community at Hanguana village (also referenced during the campaign visits as India village).
The intervention was immediately felt by the locals. “The party has given me something very important in my life,” said a local resident who benefited from the donation. “I have been suffering with the water, but now because of US The People, I have water.”
As election day approaches, the party hopes that its combination of direct community aid, localized job promises, and strict immigration policies will translate into a stronger electoral showing than their 2021 debut in the Johannesburg Metro.
