By Simon Nare
The South African Local Government Association (SALGA) has welcomed Cabinet’s approval of the Reviewed White Paper on Local Government, describing it as a significant step towards reforming the municipal system, strengthening governance and restoring public trust.
Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni confirmed the approval at a post-Cabinet briefing on Tuesday, saying the review was intended to guide the transformation and renewal of the local government system.
Ntshavheni said the review was undertaken in response to persistent governance, institutional, financial and service delivery challenges facing municipalities.
SALGA said the approval would help improve service delivery and the effectiveness of local government institutions.
“This is a landmark milestone in the ongoing transformation and renewal of South Africa’s local government system. The approval marks the culmination of an extensive review process aimed at ensuring that local government remains responsive, developmental, financially sustainable and capable of meeting the needs and aspirations of communities,” the association said in a statement on Wednesday.
SALGA said, as the constitutionally recognised voice of local government, it had been a key driver of the reform process and had advocated for the review of the 1998 White Paper on the mandate of municipalities.
SALGA president Bheke Stofile said the association had engaged successive ministers of cooperative governance, including Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma and Thembi Nkadimeng, to initiate a process to reassess the future of local government.
Throughout the review, SALGA sponsored research, led consultations with municipalities, mobilised sector-wide input and advanced reform proposals aimed at strengthening local government.
“The Cabinet approval of the Reviewed White Paper therefore represents not only a national milestone, but also the culmination of a long-standing municipal call for meaningful reform of the local government system,” Stofile said.
“SALGA’s proposals and contributions throughout the process sought to ensure that the next phase of local governance is informed by evidence, municipal experience and the realities facing communities across the country.”
Stofile said the approval came at a significant time as South Africa prepares for the 2026 Local Government Elections.
He said the timing would ensure that the new generation of municipal councils assumed office with a clear reform framework to guide the next phase of local governance.
SALGA said it was particularly encouraged that several of its priorities were reflected in the reviewed framework, including a differentiated and fit-for-purpose local government system that moves away from a one-size-fits-all approach and recognises the varying capacities, realities and developmental needs of municipalities.
The framework also provides for the professionalisation of municipal administration through competency-based appointments, stronger performance management and reduced political interference in administration.
It further seeks to strengthen governance, accountability and ethical leadership through clearer separation of roles, improved oversight and enhanced consequence management.
SALGA said the framework also promotes improved fiscal sustainability and financial resilience, underpinned by the principle that funding should follow functions and that municipalities should have the resources required to fulfil their constitutional mandates.
The reviewed White Paper is the first comprehensive policy overhaul of the local government system since 1998 and is expected to provide a more flexible framework for addressing persistent municipal governance, financial and service delivery challenges.
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