TAKING POWER
BACK TO THE
PEOPLE.
Not promises. A social pact with the people of Ekurhuleni.
Your vote is your power. Your community is your responsibility. Your future is in your hands.
IT IS TIME TO
TAKE POWER
BACK.
Fellow residents of Ekurhuleni,
We have been patient long enough. Election after election, communities have voted, trusted promises and too often been forgotten after the votes were counted.
The manifesto describes Ekurhuleni as a city of enormous economic potential, yet one in which unemployment, poverty, inequality, service failures and revenue losses continue to affect residents.
ICM presents a social pact instead of another set of election promises: a public agreement between residents and the people elected to serve them.
“On 4 November, your vote is your power. Use it.”
A SOCIAL PACT.
NOT PROMISES.
Power belongs to the people, and ICM says communities should play a direct role in shaping local government.
- Communities first, every time
- Integrity and honesty
- Transparency: open books, open doors
- Accountability: regular report-backs
- Courage to stand up to wrongdoing
- Vote, and bring a neighbour
- Take part in ward forums and committees
- Hold your councillor to account
- Report problems and demand results
- Lead change in your own street
COMMUNITIES BEFORE
POLITICAL PARTIES.
PARTY-LINE POLITICS
Councillors answer to party bosses
Promises at election time, silence afterwards
Cadre deployment, patronage and political loyalty
Vote with the party, right or wrong
Candidates chosen by party structures
Decisions made in distant boardrooms
Politics first, service delivery second
PEOPLE-LINE POLITICS
Councillors answer to residents
A signed social pact and regular report-backs
Skills, merit, competence and integrity
Vote for what is right for the ward and community
Communities know and choose their representatives
Decisions made with the community
Service delivery is the mandate
CHANGE WHO GOVERNMENT ANSWERS TO.
THE FACTS
BEHIND THE PACT.
The manifesto says more than four million people call Ekurhuleni home, while unemployment, poverty and inequality remain major challenges.
BROKEN SYSTEMS.
REAL LIVES.
A CITY LOSING ITS MONEY
- Audit regressed from unqualified to qualified
- R1.55 billion in electricity losses in one year
- About R2 billion in electricity revenue under-collected
- About 60% of valid invoices paid within 30 days
- Persistent liquidity and revenue collection pressures
A COMMUNITY LIVING IN FEAR
The manifesto highlights gender-based violence and femicide as an urgent concern, including killings of women reported across Ekurhuleni communities during 2026.
It calls for prevention, safer public spaces, stronger policing and community action.
AS ICM,
WE UNDERTAKE TO:
Give power back to the people
Decisions made with you, not for you.
Provide ethical leadership
Leaders who serve, not leaders who take.
Fight for justice, fairness and equality
For every resident, in every ward.
Tackle poverty, unemployment and inequality
The triple challenge comes first.
Tell the truth
Honesty and integrity, even when it is hard.
Provide good governance
Clean audits, clean systems, clean hands.
Be accountable
Report back to you, and answer for results.
Deliver world-class services
Measured against a public Services Charter.
Be innovative and creative
New thinking for old problems.
Work with diligence and excellence
Every day, in every office.
POWER BACK
TO THE PEOPLE.
The manifesto says the plan rests on capable and ethical leadership, fixing municipal failure, rebuilding the local economy and returning decision-making power to communities.
WIN THE WARDS
Put honest leaders in Council.
SKILLS BEFORE SLOGANS
Professionalise Council.
PEOPLE BEFORE PARTY POLITICS
End party-line politics.
REAL OVERSIGHT
Accountability without Fear or Favour.
CLEAN UP THE CITY
Zero tolerance to fraud and corruption.
STRONG WARDS
Empowered Communities.
SERVICE DELIVERY THAT WORKS
Get the basics right.
GROW THE ECONOMY
Create Jobs.
POWER BACK TO THE PEOPLE
Govern with you, not for you.
PROTECTING
WOMEN AND
CHILDREN.
Treat GBV and femicide as a City-wide emergency, with political leadership, budget and public progress reports.
Repair and install street lights and high-mast lighting in identified hotspots.
Clear overgrown open veld, derelict buildings and illegal dumping sites.
Expand CCTV at transport hubs and identified hotspots.
Strengthen Community Policing Forums and ward safety forums.
Work with SAPS, the NPA, NGOs and faith communities on survivor support.
Sustain programmes engaging men and boys on violence, responsibility, masculinity and respect.
Every woman and child in Ekurhuleni must be able to walk home safely.
OUR FIRST
100 DAYS.
Publish the Services Charter
Set measurable standards and public turnaround times for core municipal services.
Open the integrity window
Begin lifestyle audits and conflict-of-interest reviews in high-risk areas.
Audit the skills & Leadership Capacity
Assess critical leadership, technical and oversight capability.
Launch a safety blitz
Identify priority GBV and crime hotspots and address unsafe environmental conditions.
Stop the revenue leaks
Review billing, electricity and water meters, revenue systems and major leakage points.
Open the books
Publish accessible information on budgets, projects, expenditure and service-delivery performance.
Activate the wards
Convene ward structures and begin Ward Development Plans.
Declare Ekurhuleni Open for business
Establish an Investment Facilitation Desk and identify stalled investments.
Publish the People Scorecard
Commitments measured as Delivered, In Progress or Not Delivered.
FROM MOVEMENT
TO PROVEN
LEADERSHIP.
The Independent Citizens Movement was inspired by Rev SC Mathebula’s book Devoted Citizen and a commitment to Godly values and norms.
The manifesto describes ICM as a movement of people who have chosen to care, to try, to stand and to believe that a prosperous South Africa is possible.
ICM entered the 2021 Local Government Elections with committed citizens and a determination to serve.
IT’S THAT
SIMPLE.
YOUR CANDIDATE
Vote for your ICM-backed ward candidate: a leader from your own community.
ICM
Vote ICM on the proportional representation ballot.
Voting stations open 07:00 to 21:00 · Public holiday
BEFORE YOU GO
- Check your registration: SMS your ID number to 32810, or visit elections.org.za.
- Bring your ID: green barcoded ID book, smart ID card or valid temporary ID certificate.
- Vote at the voting station where you are registered.
CAN’T MAKE IT ON THE DAY?
- Special votes: 2 and 3 November 2026.
- Apply by 12 October 2026 at 17:00 via the channels listed in the manifesto.
THIS IS BIGGER
THAN ICM.
Meet your preferred candidates, engage with them and judge their vision for the communities they seek to serve.
MEET
Your ICM candidate at a community meeting.
VOLUNTEER
Canvass, drive voters or monitor stations.
SHARE
This manifesto with family and friends.
VOTE
On 4 November, and bring a neighbour.
“We can no longer be passengers in a bus driven by a drunk driver, leading us to an inevitable, fatal end. We are here to challenge the status quo.”
DR JOE MOJAPELO · ICM PRESIDENT