By Sihle Mavuso
The South African Local Government Association (SALGA) has cancelled this year’s KwaZulu-Natal provincial games following last week’s local government elections, which left 35 of the province’s 44 municipalities without clear winners.
The games, which are traditionally held during the first two weeks of December, have been shelved to allow newly elected councillors and municipal administrations to focus on establishing new local governments amid ongoing coalition negotiations and transition processes.
The annual event, which has been held since the early 2000s, has helped identify sporting talent in codes such as soccer, netball and swimming, with some participants going on to compete at national and international levels.
In a statement, SALGA KwaZulu-Natal said the 2026 SALGA KZN Department of Sport, Arts and Culture (DSAC) Games would not take place this year.
“The decision to postpone the Games follows careful consideration by the SALGA KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Executive Committee (PEC) of the anticipated scheduling and operational challenges arising from the 2026 Local Government Elections and the associated municipal transition processes,” the association said.
SALGA said municipalities were required to undertake several statutory and administrative processes following the elections, including constituting newly elected councils, electing political office-bearers, establishing council structures and managing the transition to a new local government term.
These processes require significant attention and coordination from municipal political leaders and administrative officials, many of whom are involved in organising and delivering the provincial games.
“Consequently, the overlapping timelines would present considerable challenges relating to logistical preparations, municipal participation, resource mobilisation and the overall coordination required to deliver an event of this magnitude,” SALGA said.
The association said its provincial executive committee had resolved to postpone the games to ensure that municipalities could prioritise governance during the transition period while safeguarding the standards and sporting integrity of future editions.
SALGA added that relevant stakeholders, including those involved in planning and coordinating the event, had been informed of the decision.
Meanwhile, a directive issued by the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA) on Wednesday indicated that only eight municipalities, where election outcomes were clear, could hold their inaugural council sittings between now and November 20.
The municipalities are uMngeni, Impendle, Ulundi, Nongoma, Msinga, Mthonjaneni, Nkandla and Greater Kokstad.
The remaining 36 municipalities will have to await the outcome of coalition negotiations before convening their first council meetings, where speakers, mayors, deputy mayors and council committees responsible for political oversight will be elected.
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