Latest news with #WhitePaperonLocalGovernment
IOL News
26-05-2025
- Politics
- IOL News
Fixing South Africa's ailing municipalities: White paper on local government under review
Cogta Minister Velenkosini Hlabisa said there was a need to reassess the funding model for municipalities. Image: File Picture Unethical practices, poor accountability, a broken social contract with communities and the weak integration of traditional governance systems are among the challenges facing South African municipalities. This is according to a discussion document released as part of the review of the White Paper on Local Government. The Department of Cooperative Governance has commenced the process of reviewing the White Paper on Local Government, which is expected to be completed next year. The review process will examine the funding model of municipalities and could lead to the closure of municipalities that are failing to provide services. The discussion document notes that there is reasonable concern and widespread doubt about the ability of most municipalities to perform their roles effectively. 'Manipulation and methods aimed at maintaining power and/or rapid enrichment have spread, resulting in corrupt, nepotistic, and unethical activities within municipalities. Many political leaders have continued to turn a blind eye to these practices, especially when municipal resources have been used and abused to fund party political operations and campaigns," it said. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. 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Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ The poor relationships with citizens are also a significant issue. 'There is a large divide between many municipalities and their communities, including residential, business, university, and institutional communities. The fact that, as of 2024, households owe municipalities a staggering R230.5 billion (74% of total municipal debt) is an indicator of the broken social contract,' said the discussion document. It further noted that there was weak integration of traditional governance systems which presents both challenges and opportunities for improving citizen service delivery and community development. 'Traditional leaders, who wield significant cultural legitimacy and grassroots influence, command respect from their communities and operate alongside constitutionally mandated municipal structures tasked with democratic governance and service provision. Traditional leaders potentially have an important role to play in nation-building, promoting social cohesion, contributing to municipal integrated development plans,' it said. Municipal budgets have also borne the brunt of climate-induced disasters, with extreme weather events between 1998 and 2025 increasing emergency expenditures by 320% across South African cities. 'Flooding in Durban during the 2022 rainy season required R780 million in unplanned drain clearance and road repairs, diverting funds from scheduled housing projects. The frequency of such events has necessitated permanent budget line items for disaster response,' it concluded. Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) Minister Velenkosini Hlabisa said there was a need to reassess the funding model for municipalities, pointing out that the current model—where municipalities collect 90% of revenue and other spheres of government contribute 10%—is not working. He added that the number of municipalities will also be revisited, and municipalities that are not delivering services may be dissolved. He stated, 'If a municipality is not fit to deliver services, why should we keep that municipality?' ActionSA member of Parliament Alan Beesley expressed deep concern over the worsening state of municipalities. He said poor service delivery by the municipalities not only negatively impacts the lived reality of many South Africans but also causes significant damage to the economy. 'As such, ActionSA welcomes the Review. It is important that in addressing the challenges faced by municipalities, the review does not become a waste of time and money but rather that the outcomes are pragmatic and implementable. Key challenges are the lack of governance, accountability, and consequence management. This will only change if the corrupt are put in jail and the incompetent are fired.' DA spokesperson on Cogta Marina Van Zyl stated that they welcomed the review but expressed concern that this process is yet another attempt to repackage systemic failures without a clear path to reform. 'Municipalities across the country are collapsing under the weight of poor governance, unfunded mandates, cadre deployment, and political interference. With only 13% of municipalities receiving clean audits and billions lost to fruitless and unauthorised expenditure, the rot is deep and structural. The DA believes that reform must begin with professionalised local government, strong consequence management, and electoral reform to stabilise fragile coalitions. The DA will engage with the review process constructively but firmly—advocating for reforms that give power back to communities, not to national bureaucrats,' she said. Local government expert Michael Sutcliffe said after 25 years, it was good that the white paper was being reviewed. 'We should be careful not to disrupt systems that are functioning well and should fix the things that need to be fixed.'
The Citizen
02-05-2025
- Politics
- The Citizen
Hostility towards civic participation is alarming notes DA in open letter
The Democratic alliance's ward 22 councillor, Zander Janse van Rensburg issued an open letter to the municipality regarding it's reply to Afriforum's call for the resignation of the municipal manager. Read the municipality's reply here: As the Democratic Alliance caucus in the J.B. Marks Local Municipality, we note with concern the statement recently issued by the Municipality in response to AfriForum's public call for the resignation of the Municipal Manager. While the Municipality is entitled to respond, the legal misstatements, inflammatory tone, and hostility toward civic participation are deeply alarming. These remarks are not just inappropriate, they reflect a fundamental misunderstanding of local government's constitutional and statutory role. 1. Civic organisations have a legal right to demand accountability The Municipality's claim that AfriForum 'has no right to demand the Municipal Administration to account' due to its lack of representation in Council is legally inaccurate. It undermines the participatory model of South African democracy. Section 1 of the Local Government: Municipal Systems Act 32 of 2000 defines a 'local community' as including civic organisations involved in local affairs. Section 5 confirms the right of all community members to: • Participate in decision-making processes, • Submit representations and complaints, • Expect transparency, accountability, and responsiveness. Moreover, the Government Gazette No. 52498 (10 April 2025), announcing the official review of the White Paper on Local Government (WPLG26), reiterates the national government's commitment to strengthening citizen engagement. As the Gazette states: 'Municipalities need to shift from a 'we will do it for you, without you' culture to the creation of a more enabling environment for citizens to be part of driving and contributing to their own development.' (p. 34) To suggest that only elected councillors may demand accountability from the administration is a dangerous distortion of the law. 2. Attacks on civic oversight undermine national reform priorities Instead of embracing civic involvement, the JB Marks administration has chosen to weaponise public statements against concerned residents. This posture contradicts the national goal of responsive, inclusive governance and is emblematic of the dysfunction the White Paper review seeks to address. 3. Failure to honour service delivery commitments AfriForum's concerns arose from the Municipality's failure to fulfill its undertaking: a commitment made in a meeting on 8 April 2025 to share its turnaround strategy by 14 April. That commitment was not honoured. Instead, the Municipality resorted to accusations and dismissiveness. The White Paper Review notes this exact pattern of behaviour—unresponsiveness, poor follow-through, and resistance to oversight—as systemic obstacles to local government reform: 'What needs to be delivered in the short term to stabilise municipalities and prevent further deterioration to the local government system?' (Gazette No. 52498, p. 67) JB Marks risks becoming a case study in precisely what the reform process is trying to fix. 4. Baseless allegations against civic organisations The Municipality's suggestion that AfriForum is attempting to 'infiltrate' procurement committees is reckless and unbecoming of a constitutional body. AfriForum's request was for greater public oversight of procurement, which is not only lawful but encouraged under both the Municipal Systems Act and national reform guidelines. The Gazette calls for building partnerships between municipalities and communities, including around planning, budgeting, and monitoring processes (p. 9, 36–37, 64). This is not infiltration, it is democratic governance. 5. Municipal managers must be apolitical by law In a landmark Constitutional Court judgment (April 2025), the Court upheld the principle that: 'A municipal manager or manager directly accountable to a municipal manager may not hold political office in a political party, whether in a permanent, temporary or acting capacity.' (Confirmation of Labour Court order on section 71B, Municipal Systems Act 32 of 2000) The DA caucus emphasises that this is not only about holding party office, it also affirms the expectation of political neutrality in conduct. When a Municipal Manager publicly expresses partisan attitudes, especially in their official capacity, they risk breaching the spirit, if not the letter, of this requirement. The community must have confidence that the administration serves all residents, not partisan interests. Governance Requires Listening, Not Deflection The Democratic Alliance caucus urges the JB Marks administration to shift away from deflection and denial. We call for: • Immediate release of the promised service delivery strategy, • An end to public antagonism toward civil society, • Renewed commitment to impartial, accountable leadership within the administration, and • Full alignment with the national reform agenda outlined in Gazette No. 52498 and the WPLG26 process. We reaffirm that every resident and every organisation within JB Marks has the right, and the duty, to hold this administration accountable. At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
