Velenkosini Hlabisa, Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs. (Photo by Darren Stewart/Gallo Images via Getty Images)
SCORE: B
Velenkosini Hlabisa quickly brought both structure and order to South Africa’s most dysfunctional tier of government, reading them the riot act over unpaid Eskom and water board debts. He has established an inter-ministerial committee focused on improving audit outcomes at all 257 municipalities and has intervened in a number of stalled municipal infrastructure grant projects in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal. The Inkatha Freedom Party president has also reviewed the country’s ailing disaster management systems, regularised councillor allocation, begun a review of the white paper on local government and the municipal demarcation system and reorganised the department’s Community Works Programme. Hlabisa has made advances in improving — and regularising — the relationships between traditional leaders and local government, while acting as the voice of reason in President Cyril Ramaphosa’s GNU cabinet.