The review of the White Paper on Local Government, which has been in place since 1998, aims to solve the overarching issues facing local municipalities, including a limited funding and lack of professional skills and transparency.

The review was launched by Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Velenkosini Hlabisa on May 19, at an event attended by a range of local, provincial and national government officials and local government stakeholder organisation representatives.

The review will now gather input from across society and produce a final draft by March 31, 2026, that will be submitted to Cabinet.

Many municipalities had struggled with inefficiencies, corruption and neglect of infrastructure, which had led to public disillusionment with and a lack of trust in the local government system, said Hlabisa.

“These issues must be confronted and lasting solutions found. The review of the White Paper on Local Government aims to address some of the challenges municipalities face and will propose structural changes to enhance accountability and efficiency,” he said.

South Africa's Government of National Unity, which consolidates the common priorities of citizens across party lines, aims to create inclusive growth, address poverty and establish a capable and ethical State.

“Local government plays a crucial role in the development agenda, as it is the closest level of government to the people and is where policies are converted to services; promises evolve into infrastructure, and governance becomes lived experience,“ emphasised Hlabisa.

But some municipalities were unable to deliver basic services, such as collecting waste, fixing potholes or providing clean water, or even failing to spend the grants they have at their disposal in full, he said.

The medium-term portion of the National Development Plan from 2024 to 2029 proposes reviewing institutional and legal frameworks governing local government with the aim to strengthen the frameworks and support differentiation among municipalities.

This review initiative aimed to establish mechanisms that would enable effective interventions when municipalities failed to meet minimum norms and standards for service delivery, he noted.

The 1998 White Paper on Local Government laid the groundwork for a developmental local government as a key pillar of South Africa's democracy. However, three decades later, some of the key structural and systematic assumptions of the original White Paper need to be reassessed.

For example, the assumption that local governments would be able to collect 90% of their own revenue and rely on national government for only 10% had been demonstrated to not work, he illustrated.

TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY
The review aims to ensure that municipal leaders are held accountable for their decisions. It aims to ensure this by fostering greater accountability and transparency in local government through a participatory approach to governance.

Meaningful consultation was not only beneficial but necessary for effective governance. The shift towards transparency was vital for rebuilding the trust between communities and government, Hlabisa said.

The White Paper review calls for the establishment of forums, workshops and platforms to allow citizens to voice their concerns and suggestions. This engagement serves two purposes, including empowering communities and helping local government to make informed decisions that reflect the needs of their constituencies.

The review also aimed to create robust institutional and legislative frameworks that governed local governments, and clear guidelines and standards for service delivery, including mechanisms for interventions when municipalities failed to meet these standards, he noted.

Further, ethical government was important, as corruption remained a significant impediment to progress, said Hlabisa.

Therefore, the White Paper review proposes stringent mechanisms to combat corruption and promote transparency in procurement.

“An ethical approach to government will not only help to combat corruption, but will enhance civil trust and promote active citizen participation.

“Citizens who perceive local government as fair and accountable are more likely to engage with municipalities and participate in community activities and responsibilities.”

Additionally, among the nine priorities in the review discussion document, Hlabisa singled out financial and fiscal reform as something that had to be addressed in the final document “because the current financial and fiscal system in local government is not working”.

A new funding model was a must and must be produced when the final review document was completed in March 2026, he emphasised.

DEPOLITICISATION
Meanwhile, another major factor that must be addressed is the depoliticisation of local municipalities and government.

Many municipalities were unstable because of politics and were not sufficiently delivering services, said Hlabisa.

“The review White Paper must come up with clear, stringent measures on how to ensure that we effectively professionalise municipalities so that competent people are hired as senior managers and are able to give direction based on their expertise and ensure the effective functioning of the local government sphere.”

Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Deputy Minister Dr Namane Masemola noted that feedback received by the department while developing the review was that the over-politicisation of the municipal space had not helped.

“There is poor oversight and weak integration. Politics is not helping the situation. Therefore, we have proposed the principle of baseline engagement, which will aim to develop mechanisms that leverage on consistent areas of cooperation and concurrence,” he said.

“We are determined to design a system that brings together harmony and humility and aggregate alignments across differences to get the system working in the process and develop the future of South Africa's local government system,” he said.