Songs of praise and worship signalled the start of the African Christian Democratic Party’s (ACPD) manifesto launch in Brentwood Park on August 14.

Dressed in party regalia, members from all nine provinces gathered in song at the Emseni Christian Centre, welcoming party leader Dr Rev Kenneth Meshoe, his wife, Wonkie, as well as the party’s deputy president, Wayne Thring.

Taking to the podium, ACDP Gauteng provincial leader Bishop Dulton Adams said that the day centred around more than just politics but rather the party’s commitment to ensuring clean governance.

“This launch is significant because we will be contesting in every metro across the country,” he announced to jubilant cheers.

“This will be the largest number of candidates we will have contesting at the local level.”

Tambo Makoena, a sitting councillor within the City of Ekurhuleni (CoE), was named the party’s Ekurhuleni mayoral candidate.

Aligning with the party’s core ethos in the promotion of Christian values, Makoena said that first on his agenda is to deal decisively with city officials who have been implicated in corruption and those currently facing criminal charges.

“We can no longer sit idly waiting for lengthy and drawn-out internal and judicial processes to take place, nor can we allow implicated officials to enjoy the benefits of being suspended,” he said.

“Corruption must be dealt with urgently, and harsh sentences must be handed down if we want to curb further ill-discipline. Accountability is key.”

He said that service delivery must be a priority and that it must not hinge on turn-around times.

“If a community is affected by a sewage spill, it must be addressed immediately, not after 48-hours when citizens’ health, dignity as well as the environment has already been compromised,” he said.

“Services must be rendered urgently and not according to guidelines. Routine maintenance and upgrading of infrastructure is non-negotiable.”

The party’s local PR councillor Palesa Yates said irregular and wasteful expenditure audits will strengthen the CoE’s ability to nip corrupt practices in the bud. This will result in its ability to timeously and effectively focus on reliable service delivery.

Yates said that the party cannot comment on the possibility of entering power-sharing talks before the results of the November 4 elections are made public.

“We believe in accountability, transparent governance and the promotion of human dignity through delivering effective and sustainable services.

“Should the need for the establishment of coalition local governments arise, we could consider building partnerships that are aligned with the ACDP values and that are committed to putting the communities we serve first,” she said.

“These elections will set the tone for how the CoE will be run. Now more than ever, it is important for voters to elect leadership that is transparent with the ability to build communities and services that work.”

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