South Africa faces a stark fork in the road between economic renewal and deepening decline. This is according to Democratic Alliance (DA) leader John Steenhuisen.

He made the remarks after visiting two municipalities in Gauteng – the DA-run Midvaal and Emfuleni, controlled by the African National Congress (ANC).

Steenhuisen said voters needed to decide whether to continue under what he described as ANC-driven decay or to back a growth path led by his party.

He pointed to worsening national indicators as evidence of the country’s drift. The expanded unemployment rate stands at 43.1%, while economic growth remains moribund. Steenhuisen argued that such figures prove reform can no longer be delayed if jobs and opportunities are to expand.

The DA leader used his visit to these Gauteng municipalities as examples of the choice at hand. In Emfuleni, run by the ANC, he described sewage leaks, potholed roads, failing refuse sites, and businesses shutting their doors. He contrasted this with DA-run municipalities, which he said offered better service delivery and infrastructure as foundations for growth.

“The employment crisis is not destiny but a product of governance failure,” Steenhuisen said. He insisted that the quickest way to change people’s lives was through competent municipalities that restore basic services, attract investment, and allow enterprise to thrive.

Steenhuisen said the upcoming local government elections – due at the end of next year or early 2027 – offered South Africans a clear choice: “growth, opportunity, and prosperity with the DA, or continued unemployment and decay under the ANC.”