Local Government in South Africa is governed by the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa 1996. which stipulates that there will be three tiers of government and lists the responsibilities of each. The Local Government Transition Act, 209 (LGTA) 1993 provided for the dissolution of old councils and the establishment of the interim structures. Other legislative documents include the Municipal Demarcation Act, 27 of 1998, and the Municipal Structures Act 117 of 1998 (which sets up the different categories of municipalities). The Local Government Turn Around Strategy (LGTAS) of 2009 which provides a road map for effective local government is at this time the guiding document for the improvement of localities.
Â
Â
South Africa is divided into nine provinces and a further six Metropolitan Municipalities – (Cat A ) 231 Local Municipalities (Cat B)and 47 District Municipalities – (Cat C). The institutional set-up for local government comprises of the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CogTA) an Inter-Governmental Working Group and Ministerial Advisory Committee, National Coordinating Unit to the COGTA and finally the Technical Support Unit to the COGTA. All these various institutions work together to ensure effective local government in South Africa. The institutional structure of local government in South-Africa is thus put under close scrutiny so that the state machinery remains sensitive to the needs of the people. The South Africa Local Government Association (SALGA) is the representative body for local governments.
Â
Local elections( provincial and municipal) are held every 5 years. The latest municipal elections were in May 2011 and the next elections are planned to take place in 2016. The metropolitan local governments have exclusive legislative and executive power in their respective areas. Districts and local councils on the other hand operate interdependently through a division of power. This means that the districts hold the control over legislative and executive power for a larger area. Localities share their municipal authority with the districts and are made responsible for local issues. Local government has the power to recruit their own staff and have the authority to cooperate with private-sector partners. In addition; national, provincial and local authorities continue to re-evaluate and improve local government. Several reform projects have been initiated in the past years such as budget management trainings and the fight against corruption.
|
