RC 260923Power FMColleen Makhubele
Wednesday, 23 September 2026
A Mpumalanga local-election debate focused on collapsing municipal finances, infrastructure backlogs, service delivery, crime and whether parties had credible, costed plans.
- 23:47
Analysts said candidates failed to explain where funding would come from, despite Mpumalanga municipalities facing R8.44 billion in cumulative irregular expenditure and R1.2 billion in interest charges.
- 22:10
The debate highlighted Bombela’s R38 billion road-infrastructure backlog, threatening agricultural logistics, tourism and scholar transport across the municipality.
- 21:46
Parties offered competing fixes: the DA proposed shifting more of Bombela’s roughly R5 billion budget towards capital spending, while the EFF promised insourcing and cutting outsourced contracts.
- 23:35
Only the EFF presented a named Bombela mayoral candidate; the DA, ACDP and ATM said their mayoral choices had not yet been announced.
- 23:57
Analysts urged voters to test every manifesto against a specific diagnosis, a funded implementation plan, local-government responsibilities and clear accountability for results.