Local government, which is at the coalface of service delivery, has for many years faced challenges that many would deem insurmountable, writes Neo Semono.
Understandably, for many citizens, it feels as if government is taking too long to address pressing issues such as water and sanitation, overcrowding in public schools, and refuse collection.
Skill mismatches, corruption and the flouting of the Public Finance Management Act and other legislation by some government officials, have also not helped matters, taking away from the democratic gains of basic service delivery to all South Africans, regardless of one's skin colour.
One can also assert that while corruption within the corridors of state institutions such as municipalities is a challenge, not every government official is corrupt or unqualified for the job.
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The presence of rotten potatoes does not mean that government has abdicated its responsibility to citizens. The state has continued to come up with ways to address its service delivery challenges, through vehicles such as the recently gazetted, reviewed Draft White Paper on Local Government, which is out for public comment. You can access the draft here: https://www.cogta.gov.za/index.php/docs/government-gazette-review-of-the-white-paper-on-local-government/
The review of the 1998 White Paper seeks to modernise and strengthen the local government system to ensure municipalities are better equipped to respond to the developmental needs of communities. It proposes a range of key reforms aimed at improving governance, strengthening accountability, enhancing financial sustainability, and accelerating effective service delivery.
Government took the decision to review the 1998 version of the White Paper in 2022, cognisant of the challenges faced by municipalities. Following refinement, the document is ready for you and me as citizens to make our inputs ahead of the 28 May 2026 deadline.
The notion that the public participation process makes no difference in the outcome of what government passes as policy or legislation in the end is untrue. We ought to make inputs. This is our country and our home - and local government issues affect us all.
It is true that the drafting and passing of legislation does not automatically resolve problems. By no means is the legislation a silver bullet, but it does provide a framework for the effective running of the country's 257 metropolitan, district, and local municipalities.
The White Paper is structured around five reinforcing pillars for change - namely: one local government system; clean and capable political and administrative governance; differentiated powers and functions and a pathway to a single-tier future; partnership-based relational governance; and financial and service delivery reform - all aimed at modernising the system.
The draft White Paper does not shy away from the reality on the ground, stating that "too many municipalities are trapped in reinforcing cycles of decline" and that this results in "a system that often struggles to sustain basic reliability, maintain assets, and deliver responsive local governance at the pace and quality communities expect."
However, the White Paper is not the only way government has been working on resolving local government challenges.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has been leading engagements between the National Executive and provincial governments across the country. To date, the President and Cabinet have held eight engagement sessions, with the last held in the Free State in March 2026. The engagements are aimed at encouraging closer collaboration between the national government and the provinces to tackle service delivery challenges.
Recently, Deputy President Paul Mashatile also revisited the Ditsobotla Local Municipality in the North West where water and sanitation, unreliable electricity supply and poor road infrastructure among other issues, were flagged by community members during his visit in January 2026.
During his oversight visit to the municipality in May 2026, the Deputy President said efforts to stabilise the municipality, including the deployment of seasoned former Free State Director-General Kopung Ralikontsane to help rebuild and strengthen the municipality, which Cabinet placed under administration in terms of Section 139 of the Constitution, were underway.
Section 139 of the Constitution speaks to provincial intervention in local government.
In addition, a National Cabinet Representative (NCR), through whom the Cabinet will attend to the situation in this municipality on a day-to-day basis, has also been appointed. The NCR is a multi-disciplinary team under the supervision of the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA) and the Treasury.
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Furthermore, as the voice of the people, the National Council of Provinces (NCOP), as one of the two houses of Parliament that represents provincial and local interests at the national level, recently embarked on its "Taking Parliament to the People" programme, which President Cyril Ramaphosa addressed on Friday, 15 May 2026, in the North West. In this programme communities are engaged on their concerns and issues.
With its core function amongst others, including the oversight of local and provincial government, the NCOP acts as a bridge that makes sure that provincial and local concerns inform the country's national policy and legislation. This shows that policies and legislation are not drawn up in a vacuum.
As citizens, we need to take an active interest in the running of our country; it is not the sole job of the state. Let us participate in fixing our municipalities by commenting on the White Paper and refusing to participate in corrupt activities in our municipalities. Let us not connect water and electricity illegally, let us pay for the services we use and not ignore municipal bills.
The clock is ticking; if we all play our part, we can turn the fortunes of municipalities around. -SAnews.gov.za
Neo Semono is a Features Editor at SAnews.gov.za
