“While local government’s shifting political landscape has been met with a period of introspection by the ANC, the realities and implications of a more pluralistic make-up have already become evident in two local government spaces. The first is Gauteng, where the ANC runs provincial government, but a DA coalition controls two of the province’s three metros. The second is organised local government, which is currently represented by the South African Local Government Association (Salga). . . . .
Together, these two recent and still unfolding developments suggest seismic shifts in local government in an era in which the ANC is no longer a monolithic majority party. It is pertinent to consider how local government’s role and relationship with other spheres needs to be reflected on and reconsidered. Arguably, this is a positive outcome. However, for the stability of the sector, it is imperative that political maturity prevails, to ensure intergovernmental co-operation and sustained service delivery, especially in Gauteng, despite the conspiracy theories. Millions of provincial residents rely on this for housing, healthcare, transport, planning and policing to be rolled out”.
New phase of democracy questions the nuts and bolts of how cities are run: Karen Heese, economist, and Kevin Allan, MD at Municipal IQ, in BusinessLive today published by Business Day.