President Cyril Ramaphosa : Official launch of the revised White Paper on Local Government
Programme Director, Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Mr Velenkosini Hlabisa, Ministers and Deputy Ministers, Premiers and MECs, Members of Parliament,
We gather here today to undertake one of the most important reforms of our democratic era. The launch of this White Paper on Local Government is a landmark moment in the evolution of our democracy.
Nearly three decades after the original White Paper was adopted, we are undertaking a bold reset of the local government system.
Local government is the sphere of government closest to the people.
For millions of South Africans, the experience of government is not primarily shaped by what happens in Parliament, in provincial legislatures or in the offices of national departments.
Too many communities have grown accustomed to services that are unreliable, infrastructure that is deteriorating and municipal administrations that are unresponsive.
This cannot continue.
It is for this reason that we are launching the Revised White Paper on Local Government.
In 1998, the White Paper set out a blueprint for democratic local government.
We inherited a deeply fragmented system, deliberately designed to serve the interests of a minority while denying the majority of South Africans access to basic services and economic opportunity. Apartheid had created prosperous municipalities with strong revenue bases and well-developed infrastructure, while the vast majority of our people lived in neglected, underdeveloped areas.
We sought to ensure that all South Africans, regardless of where they lived, would enjoy access to essential services.
This revised White Paper lays the foundation for far-reaching legislative, institutional and financial reform of the entire local government system.
This White Paper represents a fundamental reassessment of how local government is structured, financed, managed and held accountable.
It is not simply about changing legislation or rearranging institutions.
The combination of support and regulation, respect for local government autonomy and a willingness to intervene when needed will transform the delivery of basic services.
Secondly, the Revised White Paper proposes that local government be treated as one integrated system.
The District Development Model was introduced to bring government and its partners together around shared priorities in each district and metro.
Municipalities must also plan for risk before disaster strikes, as floods, droughts and fires place growing pressure on communities and infrastructure.
Fellow South Africans, this White Paper sets out a sequenced, long-term reform agenda. Cabinet has endorsed a phased approach to implementation.