Address by President Cyril Ramaphosa at the 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, Executive Mayors, Mayors and Councillors, Leadership of the South African Local Government Association, Traditional and Khoi-San leaders, Directors-General, Representatives of organised labour, civil society, academia, the judiciary and faith-based organisations, Development partners and sponsors, Members of the media, Distinguished Guests, Fellow South Africans, Sanibonani. Dumelang.

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. It is shaped by the quality of the water that comes out of their taps, the reliability of the electricity supply, the state of the roads in their neighbourhood, and the efficiency of the local clinic. It is shaped by the responsiveness of their local municipality.

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 in some areas, while leaving the vast majority of our people in underdeveloped, underserviced townships and rural 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.

The White Paper outlines a clear path towards a differentiated model that would link municipal powers and functions to their actual capacity. In addition, the White Paper recognises that the role of local government as a provider of water and electricity has not been sufficiently regulated. 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.

The 1998 White Paper helped us establish democratic local government. The task before us now is to make developmental local government work as it was intended.

Fellow South Africans, This White Paper sets out a sequenced, long-term reform agenda. Cabinet has endorsed a phased approach to implementation.