The Democratic Alliance (DA) launched its manifesto in Johannesburg on Saturday and has set out plans which it believes will bring change to the lives of South Africans.

Around 20 000 party supporters gathered at Rand Stadium to hear party leader Mmusi Maimane outline the DA's election promises and policies.

Here are some of the things that the party highlighted in its manifesto launch:

Policy certainty

1. The DA says the first vital step in turning the economy around is to provide the private sector with a reason to invest in South Africa - policy certainty. This means it will give complete policy certainty to business through guaranteed private property rights that will be upheld for everyone in the country. It will also give policy certainty to business through the rejection of expropriation without compensation. 

Land

2. The party believes in land reform that grows jobs, expands ownership and the economy, and enables economic justice – it says this does not require expropriation or state ownership but a government capable of using existing provisions in the Constitution. 

Jobs Act

3. The party says it would introduce a Jobs Act to serve as an economic stimulus shock. The act will make special incentive offers open to foreign and domestic investors who meet a minimum employment threshold.

Employment corruption

4. In order to tackle employment corruption, the party says it will increase the transparency of the recruitment process by ensuring high-profile public sector jobs are properly advertised through a variety of media. It will also make a hotline available to report instances of employment corruption.

Legislation against sexual exploitation

5. The DA will also introduce legislation to protect job-seekers, particularly women, who are vulnerable to coerced transactional sex requests. It says the legislation should codify sexual exploitation as a distinct form of corruption.  

Grade R subsidy

6. The party says in order to ensure that learners are appropriately prepared to enter the foundation phase of their schooling, it plans to implement a per-child Grade R subsidy from the state to all public schools. It will also allow fee-free access to Grade R at fee-free schools. 

The party will also develop a more formalised curriculum for Grade R teaching, based on a thoroughly researched understanding of the cognitive development required to prepare a child for success in Grade 1 and beyond.

BEE

7. The DA rejects the approach to Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) as carried out by the ANC, which "has only served to enrich a politically connected elite and to dampen economic growth, at the cost of job creation". The party wants policies that spend tax wisely, a programme of real empowerment that makes the pot of economic growth bigger, and the share that all South Africans get, to be fairer.

8. The DA says it will manage risk posed to the stability and growth of the economy by rooting out corruption at Eskom and other state-owned enterprises, in order efficiently manage procurement and prevent irregular and wasteful expenditure. 

Rejecting NHI

9. The party says it will reject the ANC’s proposed National Health Insurance (NHI). The party says NHI presents an idea that could "sink South Africa financially". Instead the DA proposes its Health Plan, which will improve healthcare in South Africa without "threatening the financial health of South Africa". 

Crime

10. The DA also has plans to tackle crime in rural areas and a comprehensive plan to address rural safety challenges covered in the Safety section. The party says it will keep separate statistics on specific rural crime categories, including attacks and murders on farms and stock theft at station level. This will enable to identify the rural areas facing the most significant challenges and under-resourcing. It will also allow for the deployment of resources to those farming areas and rural communities worst affected by crime. 

To read the party's full manifesto, visit its website.