‘This cannot continue’: Ramaphosa unveils a bold reset of South Africa’s failing municipalities

President Cyril Ramaphosa has launched the revised local government White Paper, admitting that too many municipalities are failing the people they serve.

We must therefore acknowledge, without qualification, that too many of our municipalities are failing to meet the needs and expectations of the people they are meant to serve. This cannot continue.

The president stated that the current system requires a bold reset, noting that nearly three decades after the original White Paper was adopted, the government is undertaking a fundamental reform of the local government system. He emphasized that local government is the sphere closest to the people, where the promise of democracy is most directly experienced, but also where the failure to deliver services is most acutely felt.

The new policy document aims to tackle systemic challenges including overlapping mandates, unsustainable finances, corruption, and weak administrative capacity. A key proposal involves a differentiated approach to municipal powers and functions, recognizing that some municipalities are better equipped than others to carry out specific responsibilities.

Going forward, revenues from the sale of electricity and water will be ring-fenced and used to maintain infrastructure before anything else.

The reforms also seek to professionalize municipal administrations, strengthen financial controls, and clarify the division of responsibilities between elected officials and civil servants to ensure that municipalities prioritize residents’ interests over partisan rivalries.