The South African Local Government Association (SALGA) is urging the public to comment on the Reviewed Draft White Paper on Local Government before the 28 May deadline, as the organisation pushes for significant reforms aimed at building ethical and accountable municipalities.
SALGA CEO, Sithole Mbanga, said the draft white paper represents an opportunity to rethink local government after 30 years of democratic governance.
“There are lessons that we have learned on how we have been implementing local government,” Mbanga said.
A key proposal is the introduction of differentiated funding models. Mbanga noted that South Africa’s 257 municipalities are not the same, yet policy and legal instruments have treated metropolitan municipalities identically to deep rural municipalities.
“The principle of differentiation or supporting differently is important and it has been missing,” he said.
Mbanga also revealed that the original 1998 white paper assumed municipalities would raise 90% of their own income, with only 10% coming from national government in grants. He acknowledged that this target has not been achieved over three decades.
“We have to find a different way of funding local government. It’s not working,” he said.
The draft white paper also proposes the professionalisation of local government, including the establishment of professional bodies to oversee the conduct of municipal officials, similar to how doctors and lawyers are regulated.
“That’s what we’re wanting to introduce in the local government sphere,” Mbanga said, adding that individuals who misbehave must still be subjected to legal scrutiny.
On climate change, Mbanga described it as “a real thing, no longer a theory,” noting that extreme weather events are making municipalities unsustainable and requiring costly adaptation measures.
Regarding political interference, Mbanga acknowledged that politics cannot be removed from governance but argued that it must not be wielded to override decisions against the interests of communities.
“If someone uses their political might to override all decisions because they are a political might, then it becomes a problem,” he said.
SALGA also emphasised the need for community participation, with Mbanga urging citizens to register for local government elections in November, participate in decision-making, and submit comments on the draft white paper.
As part of professionalisation efforts, SALGA is working to integrate and orientate councillors up to tertiary level education.
Parliament, Mbanga said, must play its role by putting in place stringent rules of engagement between local government, the private sector, civil society, and other spheres of government.
SALGA confirmed that 75 to 80 percent of the content in the draft white paper was inputted by local governments themselves.