Johannesburg: Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Velenkosini Hlabisa, has called for a differentiated approach to tackling the challenges facing municipalities. This includes improving funding, providing better remuneration for councillors, and attracting skilled staff to rural areas.
According to South African Government News Agency, Hlabisa emphasized the need for municipalities to be run like businesses by adopting a bold and new approach to structuring funding and remuneration of councillors. He stressed that inadequate pay forces councillors to focus on other jobs, resulting in only superficial attention to their municipal duties. The Minister was speaking at a high-level dialogue with political parties in South Africa as part of the ongoing review of the 1998 White Paper on Local Government.
Hlabisa advocated for discussions on the remuneration of councillors, municipal managers, and Section 56 employees, particularly to attract skilled professionals to rural areas. He highlighted the importance of compensating competent engineers, accountants, and municipal managers to encourage them to serve in deep rural municipalities.
The Minister urged government officials and stakeholders to engage honestly in reviewing the White Paper and to provide recommendations on these critical issues. In April, Hlabisa officially published a discussion document on the Review of the 1998 White Paper on Local Government, initiating a national discussion aimed at producing a revised White Paper by March 2026.
The review process, involving over 300 delegates from various sectors, calls for political parties to submit their contributions by June 2025. This initiative aims to inspire fresh thinking, facilitate honest reflection, and promote decisive action toward establishing a local government system that effectively serves South Africans.
Hlabisa highlighted the poor performance of many municipalities, citing audit outcomes, financial mismanagement, and distressed municipalities. He acknowledged the public perception that most municipalities are underperforming, overshadowing the few that are doing well.
The Minister emphasized the essential role of political parties in shaping the future of municipalities and expressed eagerness for their contributions. He stated that local government is crucial for translating policies into services and infrastructure, and it must be strengthened in terms of human resources, capabilities, and financial resources.
Additionally, Hlabisa noted the importance of involving traditional and Khoi-San leaders in local government to ensure their participation and contribution to advancing democracy and service delivery.