Bulletin Archives

Free State High Court compels the provincial government to intervene in the dysfunctional Ngwathe Local Municipality

The Ngwathe Local Municipality within the Fezile Dabi District Municipality, encompassing towns such as Parys, Tumahole, Heilbron, Koppies, and Vredefort in South Africa’s Free State Province, has been embroiled in a severe governance and service delivery crisis for years.

How to address systemic sabotage of essential water infrastructure?

On 25 June 2025, the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC), mandated to promote, protect and monitor human rights, released a policy brief which explores what the government and other state actors can do to address the systemic sabotage of essential water infrastructure in municipalities.

Parallel councils and duplicate management teams: The crisis in Thabazimbi Local Municipality

The Thabazimbi Local Municipality in Limpopo has been dysfunctional since 2021, paralysed by parallel municipal councils and management teams led by rival African National Congress (ANC) and Democratic Alliance (DA) coalitions.

Making use of citizen-based monitoring approach to improve service delivery by municipalities

Over the last decade, South African municipalities have been at the forefront of escalating public frustration, with persistent complaints over poor service delivery leading to widespread protests across the country.

ConCourt bans only senior managers from holding political office

The recent 2023/24 Consolidated General Report on Local Government Audit Outcomes paints a bleak picture of governance in municipalities. Only 41 out of 257 municipalities received clean audit outcomes for the 2023/24 financial period, and there are more audit regressions than improvements (Auditor General, 2025: 25).

The role of special economic zones in the promotion of local economic development

Special Economic Zones (SEZs) are key tools used to attract investment, promote industrial development, and create jobs in South Africa. Zones like COEGA, Dube TradePort, and Saldanha Bay have recorded notable investment inflows and helped stimulate economic growth in their regions.

A decade into the implementation of SPLUMA: What have we learnt?

The 1st of July 2025 marks the 10th year anniversary since the Spatial Planning and Land Use Management Act of 2013 (SPLUMA) came into effect. SPLUMA regulates spatial planning and land use management in South Africa.

The implementation of the Municipal Staff Regulations in South Africa: Challenges, successes and future directions

Local government in South Africa faces systemic structural challenges, including governance failures, administrative inefficiencies and misaligned human resource practices.

Is national government’s approach to local government roadworthy? Vehicle testing sites and unfunded mandates

The law contains many provisions that charge municipalities with responsibilities that are not part of local government’s constitutional mandate. They are often referred to as ‘unfunded mandates’ because they create expectations on municipalities, often without any arrangement to support municipalities to perform a function that is not theirs.

Poor service delivery and the struggle for transformative constitutionalism in Nogqala Village

Before the advent of South Africa’s democracy, the black majority, particularly those situated in rural communities, endured substantial hardship. The apartheid government failed to recognise, protect, enforce and fulfil their fundamental human rights and freedoms. As a result, many communities were left in a state of neglect, characterised by poor socio-economic development, dilapidated infrastructure and a lack of access to essential services.

Are senior municipal managers’ declarations of financial interests being published?

The Auditor General of South Africa has over the years exposed possible corruption, maladministration, and irregular expenditure in local government. These challenges to good local governance can be attributed to the lack of transparency and absence of consequence management, to name a few.

Fixing the gaps in whistleblower protection: developments from 2023 – 2024

Local government’s challenges are exacerbated by corruption. It results in wasteful and fruitless expenditure, compromises service delivery, and increases financial distress. Corruption has also facilitated the growth of organised crime networks that infiltrated sectors such as development, housing, and water.

The problem with government’s response to spaza shops: the Standard Draft By-Law for Township Economies

The nature of standard draft by-laws is sometimes misunderstood and this may cause legal problems. The Local Government: Municipal Systems Act, 2000: Standard Draft By-Law for Township Economies (Standard Draft By-Law for Township Economies) is an example of this.

Constitutional Court stops a Municipality from abusing judicial self-review

The self-review of procurement decisions by governmental institutions, such as municipalities, has again come under the spotlight in a recent Constitutional Court ruling involving the Greater Tzaneen Municipality.

Personal Liability for Unauthorised, Irregular, Fruitless and Wasteful Expenditure

Financial health and sustainability remain one of the foundation blocks for functioning municipalities. Without good financial management, municipalities are unable to fulfil their mandates and deliver uninterrupted services.

Can traditional leaders exercise their land allocation authority to block developments in their areas of jurisdiction?

In a series of judgments, the courts have made it clear that the unlawful practice of allocating municipal land by some unscrupulous traditional leaders needs to stop.

The invasion of municipal land: A view from practice

Local government is partially responsible for fulfilling the right to housing. This responsibility is not without challenges.

The limits of the power of traditional leaders to allocate land

Over the past two years, the Local Government Bulletin has published a series of articles examining judgments concerning the power of traditional leaders to allocate land.

A review of the Public Procurement Act of 2024: Ministerial regulatory powers

This article, part of a series covering the Public Procurement Act, discusses the delegation of law-making powers to the responsible Minister.