Revised White Paper could see a shake-up of local government

While everybody was focused on the recent Trump-Ramaphosa White House discussions, and other geopolitical conflicts, Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Velenkosini Hlabisa made a very important announcement regarding local government in South Africa. He announced the beginning of a review of the White Paper on Local Government.

- POLITICAL PERSPECTIVE by Theo Venter

Although our relations with the US are important, and tariffs are crucial for trade, the failure of local government in South Africa is very important to the agriculture sector in general.

The previous White Paper published in 1998, following the acceptance of the 1996 Constitution, created the policy and legislative environment to consolidate more than 1 100 city, town, district, and village councils into the current 257 councils.

It was done with the aim to create a local government environment that would provide democratic and accountable government for local communities, and ensure the provision of sustainable services to communities, while promoting social and economic development.

Three crucial pieces of legislation followed on from the White Paper: the Municipal Structures Act (No. 117 of 1998), the Municipal Systems Act (No. 32 of 2000), and the Municipal Finance Management Act (No. 56 of 2003).

Despite the consolidation of local government structures and demarcation of municipal areas, the functionality of local government has remained a major problem over the past 27 years.

The announcement that the White Paper will be reviewed is a very important step, and an issue that should be on the agenda of the National Dialogue, announced by government on 10 June 2025.