Chris Pappas: Apartheid is not coming back [VIDEO]

uMngeni mayor Chris Pappas says South Africa must move beyond racial fears in politics.

Pappas is seeking re-election after the DA took control of the KwaZulu-Natal municipality in 2021.

Speaking to The Citizen, Pappas reflected on his time leading uMngeni, outlining how his administration prioritised financial stability, maintenance, and economic growth.

‘Apartheid is not coming back’

Acknowledging South Africa’s painful history of racial inequality and political division, Pappas stressed that those wounds cannot simply be ignored by political leaders

“We live in South Africa, so we can’t be naive to the fact that racial politics has been part of our history.

“We have to find ways to work through those wounds… Part of what I have to do is to build that trust, to show that the new South Africa, the future of South Africa, is not necessarily about colour, but it’s about competency.”

Pappas acknowledged that some communities initially feared a white leader could represent a return to apartheid – fears, he says, opposition parties actively exploited during the 2021 campaign.

“That is the ANC’s go-to place,” Pappas stated. “They would say, ‘Oh no, don’t vote for the DA because they’ll take us back to apartheid. They’ll take away your grant. They will take away your RDP house.’ And when people fear, then they won’t vote for you.

However, Pappas said the municipality’s track record over the last five years has disproved those claims, giving voters a real record to judge.

“We can go back to people now and say, ‘Well, actually, the ANC lied to you. Do you remember when they said apartheid would come back? Has anything changed?'”

Focusing on service delivery

When taking office in 2021, Pappas’ administration inherited severe financial and operational breakdowns. The municipality had just two working brush cutters, one operational tractor for more than 15 sports fields, and a handful of refuse trucks serving a vast geographic area.

“We found departments that were unable to deliver services,” Pappas recalled.

Instead of chasing flashy new projects, his administration prioritised fixing and maintaining existing infrastructure while balancing the books.

“It’s great to be able to cut a ribbon on a new project, but if the city is falling apart or the towns are falling apart because maintenance is not a priority, you start to see that,” Pappas explained. “We’ve prioritised general maintenance and operations.”

Recognising that government cannot solve every problem alone, uMngeni has actively built partnerships with local businesses and community groups.

“Local government is not an expert at everything. Where we are not good at things, we need to find partners in the social services space, in the tourism space, in the investment space.”

Building trust across communities

A key element of Pappas’ leadership has been communicating directly with residents in isiZulu without using translators. He noted that understanding the language also means understanding the culture behind it.

“Language is more than just the words,” Pappas explained. “There are parts of the culture that are embedded in the language that I understand. The word hlonipha, as an example, is translated as respect, but when you use the word in Zulu, it has a deeper meaning than just the English translation.”

This cultural understanding has helped him build strong relationships across predominantly black communities, proving that governance should be about performance rather than race.

Pappas believes politicians must be honest with voters about what government can and cannot do.

“You have to be an honest leader.

“It’s very easy to promise everyone everything… It’s more difficult to be able to go to communities and have conversations to say, ‘We can’t do this right now, and this is why. This is how we can do it, and this is how we can partner to be able to do it better.'”