By Johnathan Paoli
President Cyril Ramaphosa has called for a specific focus on the state of local government, outlining comprehensive measures aimed at revitalising municipalities and restoring public confidence in service delivery.
Delivering his Political Report to the ANC’s 5th National General Council at the Birchwood Conference Centre on Monday, Ramaphosa acknowledged the persistent challenges confronting South Africa’s cities and towns and highlighted that the delivery of basic services has suffered due to governance lapses, poor financial management, inadequate infrastructure maintenance, and a shortage of skilled personnel.
“Many cities and towns are failing to deliver basic services, creating serious challenges for businesses, residents and public facilities such as schools, clinics and hospitals,” he said, emphasising that systemic weaknesses in local government were undermining the daily lives of citizens.
To address these issues, the president underscored the ANC’s commitment to a comprehensive reform of the local government system.
This includes a review of the White Paper on Local Government and the local government fiscal framework to ensure that the country’s eight metropolitan municipalities operate efficiently and are financially sustainable.
He also announced targeted interventions in struggling metropolitan municipalities, specifically eThekwini and Johannesburg, where dedicated working groups have been established.
These groups bring together mayors, senior officials across all spheres of government, business leaders, and civil society stakeholders to tackle urgent municipal problems and improve service delivery.
Ramaphosa stressed that improving municipal performance requires greater coordination across government spheres.
He pointed to the continued rollout of the District Development Model, which aligns planning, budgeting, and implementation across national, provincial, and local government levels.
This approach aims to reduce fragmentation, eliminate duplication, and maximise the use of resources while ensuring that development projects respond to the needs of local communities.
A critical aspect of municipal reform, Ramaphosa noted, is working closely with traditional leaders.
“We are committed to continue working with traditional leaders to ensure that they can play their essential role in promoting sustainable and inclusive economic development, while being custodians of heritage, culture and traditional values,” he said.
He underlined the importance of integrating local governance with cultural and community structures.
The president also addressed procurement practices, citing widespread misconduct and corruption as major obstacles to municipal efficiency.
He outlined government plans to implement the Public Procurement Act, which will establish a Public Procurement Office and introduce stricter oversight mechanisms.
Ramaphosa emphasised that procurement must be used as a tool to build black- and women-owned companies capable of producing goods and services that the government requires, rather than funneling tenders to incompetent intermediaries.
Linked to this, he called for an end to the outsourcing of core state functions, which has weakened institutional capacity and opened opportunities for corruption.
“The capacity of the state to perform these functions needs to be rebuilt,” he said.
He highlighted that municipalities must retain the skills and capabilities necessary to deliver essential services directly, rather than relying on external contractors.
Financial sustainability and support to municipalities were also a central focus.
Ramaphosa pointed out that, in line with ANC resolutions from the 55th National Conference, the government has increased allocations to municipalities to provide free basic services to needy households.
These interventions are designed to relieve the burden on vulnerable communities while ensuring that municipal service delivery remains a cornerstone of social development and poverty alleviation.
Throughout his address, Ramaphosa positioned these measures within the broader goal of strengthening the ANC’s renewal and accountability agenda.
He linked the improvement of municipalities to the party’s efforts to promote ethical, capable, and development-focused governance, insisting that local government must reflect the ANC’s foundational principle of the people governing.
By combining fiscal oversight, structural reforms, capacity-building initiatives, and anti-corruption measures, Ramaphosa’s vision for municipalities seeks to restore public confidence in local government, reduce service delivery backlogs, and strengthen South Africa’s developmental state.
He concluded that municipal reform is not just a technical exercise but a moral and political imperative: improving local governance is essential to achieving a higher quality of life for all South Africans and advancing the National Democratic Revolution.
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