A newly established political party with roots in Mpumalanga has set its sights on Phumelela Local Municipality in the Free State, wich include other towns such as Memel and Warden, where it plans to contest the November 2026 Local Government Elections.
The Service Delivery Party (SDP) has established a base in Thembalihle Vrede and says it intends to challenge the established political parties by placing service delivery, economic development and job creation at the centre of its campaign.
Speaking to Puisano News, SDP Coordinator for Phumelela Local Municipality, and also Ward 4 Candidate, Christos Nshime Molefe, said residents in Thembalihle, Vrede and Phumelela had turned to the new party after years of what he described as persistent service-delivery challenges.
Molefe said residents were grappling with dilapidated roads, sewage spillages, crime, drug abuse and high unemployment, among other challenges.
He said the party would also address the long-standing issue of outstanding rental debt. “With regard to the long unresolved issue of outstanding rental debt, we will scrap all the rental debts and start on a clean slate in agreement with the community,” said Molefe.
He said the party would seek to attract investors to Phumelela, arguing that increased investment could stimulate the local economy and create employment opportunities for young people and graduates.
“We will work on attracting investors to this municipality. This will in turn boost our economy and help in creating jobs for our people and youth, including graduates who are frustrated due to a lack of employment,” he said.
Molefe said the party’s ward candidates had already started engaging with communities ahead of the elections. He highlighted Ward 2 candidate Nonhlanhla Brenda, who he said was involved in a project aimed at assisting people struggling with drug addiction.
According to Molefe, the SDP’s broader objective is to restore Phumelela and its towns — Vrede, Memel and Warden — to what the party describes as their former glory and dignity.
“As the Service Delivery Party, we are asking and pleading with the community of Phumelela to support and vote for the Service Delivery Party in the upcoming local elections for real change in this municipality. We will correct the wrongs done by this municipality,” Molefe said. The SDP will be among the parties seeking support from Phumelela voters when South Africans head to the polls for the 2026 Local Government Elections.
