Ralph Mathekga | Manifesto party politics is in full swing, but does it really matter?

Manifestoes should be made up of visions and promises, but they should not be too far from reality, given the experience that the voters had, writes Ralph Mathekga. 

Political parties have kicked off campaigns in earnest as South Africa gears up for the 1 November elections. Some of the parties started their campaigns over the weekend by launching their respective manifestoes. The local government sector remains embattled with wide service delivery concerns raised across the majority of municipalities. 

In a moment such as this, one would imagine that parties would use the limited campaign period to strike exactly at the message they want to deliver, instead of wasting time attending to issues that are far from municipalities. With the promises that were made by political parties, including the EFF over the weekend, a question arises regarding what's in a manifesto.