The funding model has always tilted in favour of national and provincial governments, leaving municipalities to stretch meagre resources across vast inequalities
Condemning fraud and trying to inculcate ethics won’t change things; it requires redesigning the very systems that enable malfeasance
Declining trust in local governments, exacerbated by poor service delivery and political instability, threatens democracy and demands urgent action for reform
The cause goes beyond corruption and incapacity to dysfunctional centralised, bureaucratic rule. The solution lies in decentralised, participatory and direct democratic forms of organisation
Driven by corruption and patronage, the killing of municipal officials and local councillors is rising, eroding democracy and accountability
There’s a disconnect between how the state interacts with citizens and how citizens engage with the state, which hampers governance
The city faces grant cuts unless a credible recovery plan is submitted, as tensions grow in the governing coalition
Loyiso Masuku is gaining ground ahead of the ANC’s Johannesburg regional conference where the two will vie for the chairperson position
Political interference, weak capacity and patronage hinder South Africa’s post-apartheid planning, leading to dysfunctional local government
The key assumption that municipalities would raise enough revenue to fund most of their operational expenditure needs to be revisited
The DA leader’s interest in the position has sent political parties scrambling to find stronger candidates as the 2026 municipal elections loom
Democratic Alliance federal leader’s possible comeback as Joburg mayor also rattles rivals
Conditions in South Africa’s many informal settlements cause health and environmental problems too
Residents deserve to know that the information shared with their municipality is securely stored and will not be leaked, sold or weaponised
Despite public spats in Gauteng, the parties are teaming up in North West municipalities, including those where the ANC has a majority
The president and the national treasury launched phase two of Operation Vulindlela on Wednesday, expanding its focus areas
Coalition politics, while not perfect, forces parties to negotiate and compromise, boosting accountability and combatting complacency and corruption
People have had to drill their own boreholes, dig wells and buy from vendors, because local government has failed to provide a secure supply
By law, powers and functions are devolved to local government but the ruling Zanu-PF’s ideology is to control municipalities
Revitalise municipal accountability by ensuring the effective implementation of the auditor general’s recommendations
The future of municipal governance is contingent on a review of the white paper leading to effective reforms which address its failings
The Economic Freedom Fighters will rebuild its structures and its morale ahead of the 2026 local government elections
Herman Mashaba has created a deputy position for Forum 4 Service Delivery founder Mbahare Johannes Kekana as part of the agreement
The capital’s new mayor will focus on resolving long-standing tensions with labour, coalition management, and service delivery
The ANC must ‘watch this space’ the DA federal chairperson says
Ekurhuleni’s ANC plans to exclude the Economic Freedom Fighters and bring in the Democratic Alliance, plus Patriotic Alliance and ActionSA
The success of coalition governments hinges on the ability of coalitions to rise above political differences and prioritise the needs of the people they serve
The ANC deputy secretary general has rebuffed Democratic Alliance chair Helen Zille’s demand that the ousted Tshwane mayor be reinstated
Mbulelo Tshangana’s statements come as the KwaZulu-Natal cooperative governance MEC has threatened the metro with ‘escalated intervention’, drawing the ire of its mayor
ActionSA has ruled out future coalition agreements with the Democratic Alliance.
ActionSA has promised positions to the ANC and EFF but the former ruling party is cautious of the city’s poor finances and service delivery failures
Municipalities need a governance register to ensure their performance more than compliance