Werner Pretorius | EWN Elections - EWN

Bloemfontein-born Werner Pretorius studied at the University of the Free State, where he was active in the DA Students Organisation and served as SRC treasurer. An admitted attorney with master’s degrees in law and business administration, he served Mangaung as a proportional representation councillor and later as a ward councillor. He has been a Free State MPL since 2024, and he chairs the provincial DA.

Pretorius calls Mangaung the country’s worst-run metro and a textbook example of municipal failure. He accuses the ANC of neglect and says the city is in intensive care. As proof that his party can do better, he points to DA-run councils elsewhere. He promises a well-run, financially stable and corruption-free metro that delivers reliable services, keeps communities safe and clean, fixes its infrastructure and creates jobs.

Pretorius also pledges a pro-poor budget, a wider indigent register, appointments on merit, and an end to cadre deployment.

Pretorius must show that clean governance can also answer urgent social needs, particularly in informal settlements. Housing is an early test. The DA has challenged the Lourier Park development in court, arguing for lawful planning and proper services after thousands settled on the land in 2024. In June the High Court dismissed its urgent application. Mayor Gregory Nthatisi says the metro is committed to moving people closer to the city, and has described the DA’s legal action as a regrettable moment for South Africa’s democracy.