SA: Cyril Ramaphosa: Address by South African President, official launch of the revised White Paper on local government (22/10/2026)

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.

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.

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.

In less than two weeks, on the 4th of November, South Africans will vote in the Local Government Elections.

The political parties and candidates seeking public office may compete vigorously for votes. They may disagree about policy. They may form coalitions or govern with a majority. But once elected, they share a common responsibility to the people they serve.

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.

We have brought us to this point. We now have a shared policy direction. We must now show the courage, determination and discipline to put it into practice.