ACDP vows zero tolerance for corruption, merit-based municipal jobs – SABC News – Breaking news, special reports, world, business, sport coverage of all South African current events. Africa’s news leader.
The African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP) says it’s ready to take a firm stand, pledging zero tolerance for corruption and a merit-based approach to municipal appointments.
Speaking at the launch of the party’s local government election manifesto in Johannesburg, ACDP Deputy President Wayne Thring has highlighted billions of rands in irregular expenditure, including an estimated R4.6bn in eThekwini Municipality.
“I think that one of the challenges that South Africa has been facing is the challenge of corruption. The challenge of corruption is huge, and the Auditor-General has picked up on that in the sense that irregular expenditure, you see irregular expenditure, vast volumes. EThekwini, as an example, has had irregular expenditure of some R4.6bn, some 57% of the total municipalities in KwaZulu-Natal, some 10% of the total irregular expenditure that is within the country,” says ACDP Deputy President, Wayne Thring.
The party is also using the event to unveil its mayoral candidates ahead of the municipal polls.
LGE 2026 | The ACDP is launching its local government election manifesto and unveiling its mayoral candidates in Benoni, Gauteng. pic.twitter.com/jUIsXX4eQC
— SABC News (@SABCNews) August 15, 2026
He stresses that the ACDP’s message is that it has zero tolerance for corruption.
“Corruption steals from the poor. And the message of the ACDP is that we will deal with corruption, and we will deal with corruption strongly and vehemently. And in addition to that, I think the position of the ACDP is we do this by presenting what we call using the Jethro Principle. And the Jethro Principle says, choose able men, able men and women. So we’re not looking at cadre deployment, but those who are fit for purpose within our municipalities. Capable men and women, those who have the proficiency, those who have the expertise, those who have the technical know-how. This is what the ACDP presents,” adds Thring.
Thring says that at the same time, the ACDP is a federal party, a party that believes in federalism.
“We believe that the principle of subsidiarity, that is taking power to the lowest levels and ensuring that power is watered down, or rather dropped down, to the lowest levels, the principle of subsidiarity is a principle that the ACDP will adhere to. So these are some of the things that differentiate the ACDP from many other political parties,” says Thring.