By Johnathan Paoli
The Municipal Demarcation Board (MDB) has expressed confidence ahead of the local elections expected in November, noting that while some litigation remains, most of the country’s wards are ready.
Briefing Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs on Wednesday, MDB chairperson Thabo Manyoni said the immediate priority is finalising ward delimitation.
However, post-election plans will shift toward addressing deeper structural challenges in local governance.
These include the concept of “district-less municipalities”, which could pave the way for mergers, boundary changes, or even the dissolution of underperforming municipalities.
The MDB’s long-term strategic plan, presented alongside its 2026/27 Annual Performance Plan, includes proposals for municipal boundary re-determination by 2030, signalling a post-election phase of structural reform.
Manyoni said the board is working to ensure all ward boundaries are finalised and handed to the IEC in time for the 2026 polls, describing the process as critical to electoral stability even as broader reforms loom.
“The intention is that starting in May, the IEC can begin addressing outstanding matters, allowing us to complete all required work,” he said.
The MDB has completed 95% of ward delimitations [4,305 out of 4,488] with the remaining 5% delayed by litigation in KwaZulu-Natal municipalities, according to its presentation.
Beyond the elections, however, the board is positioning itself for a more interventionist role in reshaping municipal boundaries.
This includes assessing municipal capacity, service delivery viability and spatial planning, factors that could ultimately justify dissolutions or mergers in areas where governance has collapsed.
Central to these reforms is the ongoing review of the White Paper on Local Government (1998), which includes proposals to rethink the current district municipality system.
The “district-less municipalities” concept could fundamentally alter the architecture of local government by removing or consolidating district structures, potentially triggering large-scale boundary changes and institutional restructuring.
While the MDB has not identified specific municipalities for dissolution, the inclusion of this review in its policy framework indicates that no configuration is off the table.
It confirmed that the demarcation dispute involving Inkosi Langalibalele and Okhahlamba local municipalities is expected to be concluded by August, once the final litigation is resolved.
Acting CEO Aluwani Ramagadza said the board remains focused on delivering a credible electoral framework through stable and legally compliant ward boundaries.
“It’s very important that we maintain a level of stability. Unfortunately, current legislation requires the MDB to review wards every five years, mainly to ensure alignment with population shifts over that period,” Ramagadza said.
He acknowledged that frequent boundary changes can disrupt development planning and governance, adding that the board has previously proposed extending ward delimitation cycles to 10 years to align with census data.
Ramagadza said the MDB has significantly expanded public consultation ahead of the elections, moving beyond one-day municipal visits to more localised, community-level engagements.
“This time around, we went further; breaking municipalities into smaller regions and engaging communities at that level,” he said.
However, he warned that financial and capacity constraints continue to limit the depth of engagement and research underpinning demarcation decisions.
“We are unable to conduct in-depth research and modelling on different municipal configurations, and are restricted to the minimum required by legislation,” he said.
Despite these constraints, the MDB reported increased public participation, with about 39% of proposed wards amended following objections—an indication of growing community influence on demarcation outcomes.
The board also highlighted ongoing challenges, including the splitting of communities across wards due to voter distribution requirements, as well as disputes over voter data and access to voting stations.
Ramagadza emphasised that wards belong to communities, not the institution.
“Wards don’t belong to the Demarcation Board—they belong to the community. Where agreement is possible, there is no need to litigate,” he said.
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