President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced a far-reaching overhaul of South Africa’s struggling local government system, warning that dysfunction in municipalities is undermining service delivery and eroding public trust.

Delivering his State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Thursday, Ramaphosa said the country’s service delivery challenges are symptomatic of “a local government system that is not working” and pledged urgent reforms to address what he described as systemic failures, weak accountability and political interference.

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Quoting the Auditor-General’s latest report, the President said local government is characterised by “insufficient accountability, failing service delivery, poor financial management and governance, weak institutional capability and widespread instability.”

“In many places, local government administrations are weak and governed by patronage rather than technical capacity and merit,” Ramaphosa said. 

“Arresting the decline of local government will require our collective action. We are now taking collective action.”

Central to the reform agenda is a revised White Paper on Local Government, which Ramaphosa said will be finalised in the coming months. 

The policy overhaul aims to “reimagine the way that local government works” and address what he described as an overly complex and fragmented system.

“The current system is too complex and fragmented, expecting even small and weak municipalities to take on many responsibilities,” he said.

Government will propose a differentiated approach to municipal powers and responsibilities, recognising that some municipalities are better equipped than others to carry out certain functions.

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Ramaphosa also announced plans to ensure that senior municipal officials have the required qualifications and are appointed through an independent process free from political interference.

“We will ensure that senior officials in local government have the required qualifications and are appointed through an independent process free from political interference,” he said.

The President made it clear that national government will not hesitate to step in where municipalities fail.

“To address the challenges effectively we will not hesitate to use the powers enshrined in the Constitution to intervene in municipalities where necessary,” he said. 

“Where municipalities fail, we will strengthen the ability of national government to intervene more quickly and to direct corrective measures in the interests of serving our people better.”

Targeted interventions are already under way through Presidential Working Groups in eThekwini and Johannesburg. 

Ramaphosa said progress had been made in stabilising eThekwini, helping to restore investor confidence, but admitted that significant challenges remain in Johannesburg, citing collapsing infrastructure and financial mismanagement.

“These changes may be difficult. But they must be done,” he said.

The President also pointed to the growing impact of extreme weather events on municipalities, referencing recent catastrophic flooding in Limpopo and Mpumalanga that claimed at least 45 lives and caused widespread destruction.

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“The classification of the floods as a national disaster has enabled national and provincial government to prioritise funding to address the most pressing needs of the people affected,” he said.

Ramaphosa said it was government’s responsibility to “remake, reorganise and better resource municipalities” so they can fulfil their mandate.

“There are many committed people with skills and experience working in local government,” he said.

“It is our responsibility to remake, reorganise and better resource municipalities so that they can do their work.”

The reform package marks one of the most direct acknowledgements yet by the President that the crisis in local government requires structural change, tighter oversight and decisive intervention from the centre.

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The ANC on Saturday opened its first National Executive Committee (NEC) Lekgotla of 2026 in a high-stakes test of its ability to deliver ahead of this year’s local government elections, amid a deepening credibility crisis and widespread municipal failures.

The party has declared the upcoming election year “the decisive year to fix local government” and restore public confidence in service delivery where it governs.

The three-day meeting is tasked with translating President Cyril Ramaphosa’s January 8 Statement into concrete programmes with measurable outcomes, with a strong emphasis on implementation, accountability and visible service delivery.

Former ANC leaders Kgalema Motlanthe and Thabo Mbeki attended the opening session, underscoring the political weight of the gathering.

Opening the Lekgotla, Ramaphosa warned that the ANC risked losing relevance if it failed to close the gap between policy and delivery.

Citing the Presidential Economic Advisory Council (PEAC), he said South Africa’s most persistent development challenge was weak implementation rather than a lack of ideas.

“The task of this Lekgotla must be implementation,” Ramaphosa said.

“We must emerge with clear programmes, timelines, reporting mechanisms and consequence management.”

Municipal governance has emerged as the movement’s most urgent challenge.

During the 2024 general elections, South Africans delivered a stinging rebuke to the ANC, handing the party its most significant electoral setback since it came to power in 1994.

Frustration over a stagnant economy, a 32% unemployment rate, lack of service delivery and persistent corruption allegations against senior officials has raised the likelihood that voters could further turn away from the ruling party in the upcoming local elections.

Ramaphosa acknowledged that political interference, corruption, weak administration and flawed tender systems had hollowed out municipalities and eroded public trust, saying that fixing local government must be the ANC’s central priority.

“2026 must be the Year of Decisive Action to fix local government and transform the economy,” he said.

The Lekgotla also reviewed economic developments, noting four consecutive quarters of growth in 2025, South Africa’s removal from the Financial Action Task Force grey list, a sovereign credit rating upgrade and a year largely free of load shedding.

However, Ramaphosa cautioned that unemployment, inequality and crime remained stubbornly high, warning that recent gains would count for little unless they were felt by ordinary citizens.

Organisational renewal and accountability were placed at the centre of discussions, with Ramaphosa issuing a blunt warning to underperforming leaders.

“If we are given tasks and we do not perform, there is only one outcome — you either do what you are meant to do or you move out,” he warned.

He added that ANC candidates for the local elections would face stricter vetting, compulsory ethics training and tighter enforcement of accountability measures.

Speaking to the SABC earlier this week, ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula said the party was focused on ensuring councillors and local government officials addressed basic service delivery failures, including sewage spills, road maintenance and other critical services.

“We will look at the end of the year at how we have fared. Our focus is on interventions at leadership level and governance challenges in local government,” Mbalula said.

“Those interventions will intensify after the Lekgotla, following the launch of the action plan and the work already done.”

On the appointment of mayors, Mbalula told reporters on Saturday that the responsibility would rest with national officials.

“We are currently developing a framework to guide national officials in executing this mandate,” he said.

“The framework will direct how appointments are made, from mayors to ward councillors. Anyone who stands will do so under the ANC banner, but there will be elements of public participation.”

Mbalula said the party would conduct quarterly evaluations of implementation in line with resolutions of the National General Council.

“We must fix local government and ensure economic growth, based on the programme of action that will emerge from this Lekgotla. This work did not start now; it began with the councillors’ roll call,” he said.

He added that the ANC was already in a position to intervene where necessary, citing eThekwini as an example.

“We are following this up with consequence management. Sometimes it is not about removing people, but about strengthening capacity where it is needed,” Mbalula said.

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The Local Government Indaba (LGI) has called for merit-based appointments in municipalities to attract experienced professionals, strengthen administration, and ensure resources are used efficiently to deliver services to communities.

Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA), Velenkosi Hlabisa, told delegates at Gallagher Convention Centre in Midrand on Thursday that merit-driven appointments would “uproot complacency, increase accountability and inspire confidence within communities that municipalities have their interests at heart.”

Hlabisa said weak monitoring and enforcement mechanisms had created an environment where maladministration thrives unchecked.

He urged decisive action to confront the systemic challenges undermining municipalities.

“These themes converge around systemic and institutional roots of failure. The current system is not failing by accident; it produces these outcomes by design. Technocratic solutions alone are insufficient; we must address political, cultural, and operational factors,” he said.

The minister also called for stronger ethical values within local government to combat corruption and instill integrity.

He urged that traditional leaders be involved beyond ceremonial roles, providing guidance on service delivery, policy, and community development, particularly in rural areas.

On financial mismanagement, Hlabisa pointed to weak revenue collection, poor budgeting practices, and widespread non-payment of services as major contributors to municipal collapse.

“To address these challenges, a large majority of contributors call for improving revenue management systems, for example, through modernised billing, debt collection and prepaid utilities. Similarly, respondents support reforming the local government funding model – adjusting equitable share allocations and grant formulas – to ensure municipalities have sustainable finances,” he said.

Auditor-General Tsakani Maluleke echoed these concerns, highlighting the scale of corruption and maladministration.

Only 16% of municipalities received clean audits in the 2023/24 MFMA cycle, with R31 billion in unauthorised expenditure recorded.

She noted that municipalities had spent R1.47 billion on consultants for financial statements and VAT returns, funds that “could have been better spent elsewhere to service communities.”

“These are not just numbers, they are missed opportunities. They are broken promises, they are lives left in limbo, and they are the real and lived experiences of citizens,” Maluleke said, warning that poor oversight and unfounded budgets perpetuate service delivery failures.

She added that since 2019, AGSA had identified over R8 billion in irregular expenditure, with less than half of the cases resolved and little money recovered.

“Professionalising municipal appointments would directly address some of the irregularities and ensure that capable, ethical and accountable appointments are ushered in to drive service delivery and guide state coffers away from greedy, unethical officials,” she said.

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The African National Congress (ANC) in the Free State has taken the drastic step of removing mayors, speakers and chief whips in seven struggling municipalities, citing persistent governance failures, financial irregularities and allegations of corruption.

The decision, announced on Thursday following a special sitting of the provincial executive committee (PEC) in Mangaung, affects the municipalities of Mafube, Moqhaka, Letsemeng, Nketoana, Nala, Masilonyana and the Lejweleputswa District.

ANC provincial secretary Polediso Motsoeneng said the reshuffle was part of a wider intervention to stabilise municipalities plagued by persistent audit disclaimers, weak leadership and poor service delivery.

“Communities have endured years of poor governance and allegations of corruption. The ANC has a responsibility to act decisively to restore credibility and ensure basic services reach our people,” Motsoeneng told the media.

Local government in the Free State has long been under scrutiny for collapsing infrastructure, mismanagement of public funds and widespread political infighting.

Many of the municipalities affected by the latest reshuffle have been the subject of repeated interventions by the provincial and national governments.

Mafube Local Municipality, which includes Frankfort, has been under administration since 2017 and is notorious for financial mismanagement and unpaid Eskom debt.

Moqhaka, which covers Kroonstad, has faced mounting community protests over water shortages, sewage spills and pothole-ridden roads.

Lejweleputswa District has drawn criticism for failing to coordinate development across the mining towns of Welkom, Virginia and Odendaalsrus.

Motsoeneng conceded that municipal leadership failures had compounded administrative weaknesses:

“The Troika, mayors, speakers and chief whips are meant to provide political oversight and direction. Where they have failed, service delivery has collapsed. Our decision is not about targeting individuals, but about collective renewal and accountability,” he said.

A PEC report flagged corruption allegations as a recurring issue in several of the affected municipalities.

In Letsemeng, where the ANC narrowly held onto control in the 2021 local government elections, councillors have faced accusations of irregular tender awards.

In Masilonyana in Theunissen, residents have for years complained of “tenderpreneurs” siphoning funds meant for water and sanitation projects.

While Motsoeneng did not name individual councillors implicated in wrongdoing, he confirmed that the PEC had directed provincial structures to cooperate with formal investigations, including the use of Section 106 of the Municipal Systems Act, which allows the provincial government to probe maladministration and fraud.

The ANC’s move comes less than a year after President Cyril Ramaphosa warned during the January 8th statement that the party risked losing public trust unless it dealt with corruption and incompetence in local government.

With the 2026 municipal elections looming, the Free State leadership is under pressure to demonstrate renewal.

Motsoeneng linked the reshuffle to the ANC’s broader “renewal project,” which seeks to strengthen governance, deliver on election manifesto commitments and reconnect with disillusioned voters.

“The ANC is taking a hard but necessary path. Renewal means unlearning bad practices, restoring ethical leadership and focusing on urgent community needs such as water, electricity, road maintenance, job creation and support for township economies. We cannot go into 2026 carrying the same mistakes of the past,” he said.

The PEC discussed relations with alliance partners, including the South African Municipal Workers Union and the SA National Civic Organisation, both of whom have raised alarms about collapsing service delivery in small towns.

The provincial leadership committed to strengthening alliance forums at regional and local level to ensure accountability and better communication with communities.

Motsoeneng further revealed that a “war room” for monitoring and evaluation would be established to track service delivery progress and assess the performance of newly appointed municipal leadership.

The ANC insists its latest intervention marks a turning point, describing its aim as restoring trust and putting municipalities back on a path of stability, accountability and service to the people.

The provincial working committee is expected to announce replacement mayors, speakers and chief whips in the coming weeks.

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The Democratic Alliance has launched a plan to boost the economy, while at the same time saying it will do all it can pressure the African National Congress to accept the proposed reforms and dismantle legislative barriers.

These include the Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment Act, the Employment Equity Act and the Expropriation Act, DA leader John Steenhuisen said on Monday.

“Today, I launch the party’s six-point plan to turbocharge the economy. This bold results-driven plan outlines a set of non-negotiable demands to reform which will kick-start our economy and set South Africa on a path to growth and jobs,” he said in a statement.

The party contended that its action-oriented solutions should be favoured over the “extremely over exaggerated” lip services and dialogues, which it accused the ANC of hiding behind.

The plan firstly focuses on laws and policies that the DA claims are killing jobs,

It proposes sweeping regulatory reforms to establish a business-friendly environment which enables entrepreneurship, investment and job creation.

“This includes scrapping B-BBEE and replacing it with the DA’s non-racial economic empowerment model based on the internationally recognised United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This model will target poverty instead of race, ensuring that no deserving South African is excluded,” a summary of the plan reads.

“In addition, key reforms to cut red tape, simplify business licensing and permits, and exempt SMMEs from bargaining council agreements must be implemented. The DA also calls for a commission of inquiry into race-based development finance institutions, to determine how much of these funds have been distributed to ANC-linked individuals at the expense of those trapped in poverty.”

Secondly, the DA seeks to energy wealth by fast-tracking the horizontal unbundling of Eskom and establishing a competitive energy market that delivers stable and affordable electricity.

It wants the ringfencing of municipal electricity revenues for infrastructure maintenance and investment, and renewable energy projects to be expanded alongside feed-in tariffs, which support “prosumers”.

Thirdly, it proposes fixing collapsing freight rail and ports by accelerating the concession of freight rail lines and port terminals to capable private operators through transparent and competitive tendering processes.

It said this must be done alongside the modernising, upgrading and maintenance of port and rail infrastructure and the strict enforcement of the law against those who damaged or interfered with essential infrastructure.

The party has called for a comprehensive review of South Africa’s tariff regime to lower input costs for manufacturers and exporters must be implemented.

To improve digital infrastructure, Steenhuisen said the rapid rollout of broadband infrastructure must be accelerated, and free public Wi-Fi expanded nationally.

On wasteful expenditure, the DA said the first step would be to conduct a comprehensive, government-wide spending review, while strengthening the implementation of recommendations from previous reviews.

“A three-month emergency review should aim to identify wasteful, underperforming and duplicative programmes, allowing the reallocation of funds to essential public services such as healthcare, policing and education by the time the Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement is tabled,” the summary reads.

“We must also introduce a fiscal rule into the expenditure framework to serve as a clear anchor for fiscal discipline by locking national debt to the level presented in the most recent budget.

“Wherever budget waste is found, it must be cut, and a ‘ghost employee’ payroll audit must be launched to eliminate ghost workers wherever they are found.”

The plan addresses dysfunctional municipalities, stipulating that government coalitions must be stabilised.

It said this could be achieved by setting electoral seat thresholds and reducing the frequency of motions of no confidence without valid reasons. This would prevent the revolving door of mayors such as seen Johannesburg.

Local government must be professionalised through the appointment of public servants based on merit and qualification, with zero tolerance for cadre deployment, and providing access to upskilling programmes for councillors, staff and communities must be a priority to enhance governing capacity.

The last priority is combatting crime, which the DA said cost economy around 10% of its GDP each year.

It wants an Anti-Corruption Commission to be formed, and evidence-based policing and partnering with private security and neighbourhood watches to promote a whole-of-society approach.

It said the NPA must be reformed by adjusting appointment processes, conducting performance audits, and fighting for better funding, recruitment and retention of experienced prosecutors.

The DA wants lifestyle audits for all senior police management.

“South Africa is in the grip of a crime epidemic which is hampering economic opportunity by deterring investment, trade and tourism in affected areas. Crimes such as murder, assault and theft remain at unacceptably high levels, while extortion chokes our construction, entertainment and transport industries,” the statement reads.

The party will table its plans in Parliament, with Steenhuisen telling reporters it would in fact address social issues impacting the country better than the National Dialogue.

“South Africa does not need more talk. It needs action. It needs the ANC to set aside their ideologies and instead work with the DA to focus on the economy,” he said.

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North West MEC for economic development, environment, conservation and tourism, Bitsa Lenkopane, has called for increased commitment and initiative from municipalities to boost local tourism, aiming to drive economic growth in the province. 

During a recent meeting with municipal leaders, Lenkopane emphasised the need for enhanced marketing and promotion of the region’s attractive tourism destinations. 

This call to action comes as the province prepares to host world leaders later this year, having recently conducted a series of G20 preparatory workshops across South Africa.

Lenkopane told municipal leaders, including members of mayoral committees across the province, that as part of efforts to stimulate local tourism, they should improve the grading systems of tourism establishments. 

She said as the provincial government, the department was constitutionally obliged to help municipalities grow tourism in their areas, but municipalities must lead the way in identifying projects which the department would financially support. 

She further encouraged municipalities to work with communities to help set up tourism projects, and if they were financially unable to do this, the department would be on hand to help them, either through funding or applications for funding. 

“I need municipalities because they are on the ground to identify the needs and then I facilitate. Generally, this department is there to facilitate,” said Lenkopane.

“Where there is economic growth opportunities, where there is tourism opportunities, the more the municipalities raise their hands, the more our department through this engagement that we have with international partners we can direct the investors to these projects.”

On her recent trip to Russia, she said the department realised the need to intensify social tourism to advance the transformation of rural areas and help them create jobs.

Lenkopane said the department learnt the aspects and importance of village, agricultural, mining and industrial tourism, which needed to be intensified. 

“These are areas that need to be intensified to advance our culture and heritage. So, the collaboration that we will need in these areas is that we want to market different tourism destinations,” she said. 

“This is not only to focus on the photographic tourism as well as tourism around the big areas like the Hartbeespoort, but also tourism in the sense of making people to start to understand their areas as tourism destinations.” 

The MEC added that it was important for municipalities to make people aware of the grants that were available to them if they chose career paths in tourism or wanted to start programmes which would in turn create jobs in their areas. 

Lenkopane’s call comes on the back of the department funding the construction of a museum at the Taung fossil site where a human skull was discovered in 1924. 

The discovery, which is known as the Taung Chlid, is significant because it was the first time a hominid was discovered in Africa. 

The museum is expected to be launched next month.

It is part of the department’s drive to drum up rural development and is likely to spark tourism potential and encourage cultural tourism in the province.

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African National Congress veteran Dr Naledi Pandor believes women within the organisation have the muscle and capacity to mobilise behind a female candidate to lead the party and ultimately the country.

Speaking to Inside Politics in a wide-ranging interview, Pandor said South Africa was more than ready to be led by a woman but society was too patriarchal, so there was a lack of appetite to support a woman.

She agreed that despite the hype within the ANC to have gender parity in most structures and a lot of talk about the organisation and the country being ready to be led by a woman, there was not much push or support for this to become a reality.

The former minister, who left politics after the national elections last year, said it was up to those who had access to power to deliver a woman leader.

“I think what we need (are) good leaders, and I really believe that there are women in South Africa who have the capacity to be the key leader of our country. So, indeed I don’t think it’s a matter of readiness, it’s really for those who enjoy access to power to realise that they should be playing a role in making sure that happens.

“We need bold action from women. In the ANC I think if women take the view that they as women will support a female candidate, I am sure we will see a woman as a leader of the ANC,” Pandor said.

This extended to other parties as well where women could take the same position.

She refused to be drawn on the ANC’s succession battle and the names being punted ahead of the party’s 2027 national conference.

Pandor cautioned that those who were going public on the succession battle were speaking out of turn with the constitution and tradition as the debate had not been opened yet.

Asked if she would return to politics to lead the party if she were called upon by the branches, Pandor chose to give a political answer, saying she was really enjoying her retirement which she was using to get to know herself.

“I don’t know because I don’t know what the membership of the ANC wants, but presently it’s not the time (to answer the question). The branch influence will happen, and we will have a sense of what will happen at the right time.

“The ANC has procedures. As a disciplined member one doesn’t speak or act outside of those procedures,” she said.

Pandor shared the sentiments of many ANC leaders that if the party did not clean its house ahead of the next elections, it could see its support declining further after a dramatic drop to 40% in the last national and provincial elections.

She was of the view that loyal ANC members were too demoralised to go to the polls due to widespread corruption and poor service delivery. This was evidenced by the fact that they did not vote for another party.

It was one thing, she said, for the ANC leadership to admit the party’s mistakes and shortcomings, but another for the leaders to be on the ground instilling discipline through political education.

“I think it’s not for a leader to anticipate doing badly, it’s for them to ensure that we improve. The rot was quite deep, and I think efforts are being made to communicate the character of the ANC and help those new structures to have people understand what the core purpose of the ANC is.

“If we do the right thing, which I think we are trying to, we could recover the majority support,” she said.

Pandor added that because ANC supporters did not vote for other parties in the last election, it had a lifeline to self-correct. And if there were genuine efforts to fight corruption and fix municipalities, ANC supporters were likely to vote for the party again.

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Civil rights organisation AfriForum has launched a legal challenge against the controversial Expropriation Act, calling for certain sections to be declared unconstitutional.

It argues that they undermine the fundamental right to private property in South Africa.

Launching the application in the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria, AfriForum spokesperson Ernst van Zyl described the law as giving virtually every government entity the power to take property without paying for it, including municipalities that were already riddled with inefficiency and corruption.

“We assured our members and the public at the beginning of the year that we would fight this dangerous act both domestically and internationally.

“The spotlight that US President Donald Trump has so far placed on the threat this act poses to private property rights in South Africa is a welcome development. AfriForum’s court case, in which we will test the constitutionality of the expropriation act, is our most important local battle in this fight for private property rights,” Van Zyl said on Wednesday.

The Act, signed into law by President Cyril Ramaphosa on 20 December 2024 and published in the Government Gazette in January, was introduced to replace outdated expropriation legislation and for it to align with constitutional principles.

However, AfriForum contends that the law in its current form poses serious legal and economic risks.

At the heart of the challenge is Section 12(3) of the Act, which allows for expropriation without compensation under specific circumstances.

AfriForum claims this provision creates a “definite possibility of the abuse of public power”, especially as it grants expropriation authority to all levels of government, including what the organisation describes as “mismanaged local authorities”.

It argues that the clause effectively amounts to “zero compensation”, which, in its view, violates the spirit of Section 25 of the Constitution which protects against arbitrary deprivation of property.

Another issue raised in AfriForum’s court application is the provision that allows expropriation to proceed even while the legality of the process is still being contested in court.

According to Van Zyl, this could lead to irreparable harm, as affected property owners may be forced off their land long before a court reaches a decision.

He welcomed recent remarks by US President Donald Trump, who has criticised the Act and expressed concern over its implications for private property rights and investment in South Africa.

The High Court is expected to consider AfriForum’s application and determine whether the contested sections of the Act are constitutionally permissible.

A date for the hearing has not yet been set.

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The Portfolio Committee on Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) has made progress in enhancing oversight and accountability in intergovernmental relations.

This after agreeing on a draft framework for the Intergovernmental Monitoring, Support, and Interventions (IMSI) Bill of 2023.

The committee met this week to deliberate on the Bill, which was officially introduced in Parliament on 15 April.

It will ensure that national and provincial governments provide coordinated and effective support to municipalities in need.

The Bill recognises the importance of catalytic projects under the District Development Model (DDM), particularly in traditional areas.

It also aims to tackle ongoing problems with government interventions under sections 100 and 139 of the Constitution.

These sections allow national or provincial governments to intervene when a province or municipality fails to carry out its executive duties, enabling the minister or national government to step in, restore stability and ensure service delivery in dysfunctional municipalities.

The committee heard that poor oversight, inconsistent interpretation of the rules and uncooperative councils have weakened these interventions.

The Bill seeks to fix these issues.

According to the committee, there have been 24 provincial and 217 municipal interventions—each facing problems like unclear legal interpretations, weak oversight, and resistance from municipal councils.

Since the implementation of these constitutional mechanisms, South Africa has seen numerous cases where intervention was necessary. 

Section 139(7) interventions have played a key role in addressing governance and financial challenges in the Lekwa, Mangaung and Enoch Mgijima municipalities.

Lekwa in Mpumalanga, was the first to undergo a joint intervention under Section 139(7) of the Constitution and Section 150(1)(b) of the Municipal Finance Management Act, setting a precedent for national oversight.

In Mangaung, the national government stepped in after the metro failed to implement a financial recovery plan enforced by the Free State government. In the Eastern Cape, Enoch Mgijima was placed under Section 139(7) following local resistance to earlier provincial interventions.

Structured across seven chapters, the Bill introduces measures such as early warning systems to pre-empt governance failures, clearer definitions including that of “executive obligation” and detailed procedures for appointing administrators.

The committee, however, emphasised that transparency in these appointments was vital, calling for rigorous verification of qualifications and a reduction in political interference in municipal administration.

“The committee also flagged political interference in municipal administration and said the Bill should address these blurred lines between the political and administrative interface,” said committee chairperson Zweli Mkhize.

The draft framework, adopted by the committee, sets in motion the legislative processing of the bill.

Public submissions will be invited from 20 May and close on 4 July. 

A report summarising these submissions is expected by 18 July, with public hearings to follow.

Mkhize underscored the importance of public participation in shaping the legislation.

“Strengthening intergovernmental cooperation is essential to ensuring municipalities serve communities effectively,” he noted.

He urged stakeholders across the public and local government spheres to actively engage in the process.

The framework will be further refined at the committee’s next meeting where firm timelines for public engagements will be finalised.

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In an effort to strengthen the fight against crime, the Gauteng government has signed a memorandum of understanding that will see law enforcement authorities be able to operate across municipal borders.

The agreement was signed by leaders of the provincial and local government and law enforcement during a public ceremony in Johannesburg on Tuesday.

The event featured a symbolic joint parade, reflecting the solidarity among Gauteng’s security forces.

The MoU marks a strategic milestone in advancing a unified government and society approach aimed at fostering safer and more secure communities throughout the province.

“Today, we are united under one vision and one plan to protect the people of our province. I thank all the municipalities who signed this MoU for abandoning unnecessary bureaucracy and putting the safety of our residents first,” said Gauteng premier Panyaza Lesufi during the ceremony.

Lesufi hailed the signing as a significant display of unity and strong leadership, noting that law enforcement agencies in the province were now working collaboratively rather than in isolation.

He also underscored the critical connection between safety and economic growth, warning that crime remained a major barrier to investment, job creation and the province’s overall economic development.

“This signature is a signal that we are taking back our province. We are pulling all resources so that we can go into Johannesburg, pull it back and reclaim it. We are liberating its streets for the people of this province,” Lesufi said.

The five-year deal brings together the SA Police Service, SAPS, Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Department, municipal police, municipalities and crime wardens to strengthen intergovernmental cooperation.

Key focus areas include joint operations, intelligence sharing and combating crimes like drug trafficking, illegal mining and gender-based violence and femicide, while promoting community safety campaigns and local capacity building.

The government said the pact formed a key part of Gauteng’s coordinated strategy to tackle 13 critical issues highlighted in the premier’s State of the Province Address earlier this year.

“The agreement further aligns with the priorities of the Gauteng Growing Together 2030 Plan, reinforcing safety and security as a foundation for inclusive development, mobility, and investment attraction,” said the provincial government spokesperson Vuyo Mhaga.

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