Now showing items 1-20 of 57

    • ANC proposals on local government 

      de Visser, Jaap; Chigwata, Tinashe (Community Law Centre, University of the Western Cape, 2012)
      In the run up to the ANC Policy Conference in Mangaung, the party's Legislature and Governance Working Group has produced a policy discussion document that pays considerable attention to provincial and local government.
    • Are ward committees working? Insights from six case studies 

      Smith, Terence; de Visser, Jaap (Community Law Centre, University of the Western Cape, 2009)
      The research presented in this book sets out to offer a deeper and more nuanced understanding of the functioning and value of ward committees. In-depth qualitative studies of six ward committees are described. They provide ...
    • Book Review: Improving local government 

      de Visser, Jaap (Commonwealth Journal of Local Governance, 2009)
      Academic literature that engages in a comparison of local government systems, policies and practices and their impact on democracy and development is hard to come by. Yet, these comparisons are critical as they shed light ...
    • Bridging the gap between theory and practice: Reviewing the functions and powers of local government in South Africa 

      Christmas, Annette; de Visser, Jaap (Commonwealth Journal of Local Governance, 2009)
      The purpose of this practice note to evaluate the current allocation of functions and powers in the Constitution, and furthermore to propose a set of criteria to guide decisions on where powers and functions are best ...
    • Career patterns of local politicians: The case of metropolitan mayors 

      de Visser, Jaap (Community Law Centre, University of the Western Cape, 2006)
      Local government is emerging as a strong third sphere of government. Within local government, metropolitan cities are coming out as powerful institutions. Meanwhile, the discussion on the role of provincial governments is ...
    • Community participation: The cornerstone of (local) participatory democracy 

      de Visser, Jaap (Community Law Centre, University of the Western Cape, 2007)
      Community participation is key to the functioning of local government. One of the constitutional objects of local government is to encourage the involvement of communities and community organisations in local government. ...
    • Confronting the state of local government: the 2013 Constitutional Court decisions 

      de Visser, Jaap; Steytler, Nico (Juta, 2016)
      In September 2014 the then Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Pravin Gordhan, divided municipalities into three groups: a third of the municipalities was carrying out their tasks adequately, a third ...
    • Constitution-Building in Africa 

      de Visser, Jaap; Steytler, Nico; Powell, Derek; Durojaye, Ebenezer (Community Law Centre, University of the Western Cape, 2015)
      The process towards the adoption of a constitution is determined by the context in which the constitution is written. It navigates such issues as political engagement, keeping politically agreed timelines, ensuring the ...
    • Constitutional Court shows DFA the door 

      de Visser, Jaap (Community Law Centre, University of the Western Cape, 2010)
      In October 2009, the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) declared parts of the Development Facilitation Act (DFA) unconstitutional. The Gauteng Development Tribunal was making land use management decisions and bypassing municipal ...
    • Court condemns political interference in municipal manager's appointment 

      de Visser, Jaap (Community Law Centre, University of the Western Cape, 2009)
      Amathole District Municipality, a municipality controlled by the African National Congress (ANC), advertised the position of municipal manager. The recruitment process was subject to the municipality’s Recruitment Policy, ...
    • Devolution by court injunction: The case of land use planning and management in South Africa 

      de Visser, Jaap (Uganda Management Institute, 2016)
      In South Africa, the legal and policy framework for land use planning and control underwent a significant transformation in which power over land use planning and control was shifted from provinces to local governments. ...
    • DPLG's policy review process: Local government under the spotlight 

      de Visser, Jaap; Christmas, Annette; Baatjies, Reuben (Community Law Centre, University of the Western Cape, 2007)
      On 31 July 2007, the Department of Provincial and Local Government (DPLG) initiated a policy review process of provincial and local government. It will ultimately result in a first White Paper on Provinces and a discussion ...
    • Electing councillors: A guide to municipal elections 

      de Visser, Jaap; Steytler, Nico (University of the Western Cape, 2016)
      The electoral system for local government combines ward elections with proportional representation. It is regulated in at least four different statutes, the Electoral Act 73 of 1998, the Local Government: Municipal Structures ...
    • The enforcement of socio-economic rights against local governments in South Africa 

      de Visser, Jaap (International Development Law Organization (IDLO), 2015)
      Poverty and underdevelopment are South Africa’s greatest challenges. These are inextricably linked to uneven access to adequate public services. By all accounts, South Africa has made impressive progress in extending ...
    • Facilitating public participation: A niche role for the speaker? 

      Baatjies, Reuben; de Visser, Jaap (Community Law Centre, University of the Western Cape, 2007)
      Considerable attention has been drawn to local government’s ability to facilitate public participation and the role and effective administration of ward committees. Undoubtedly the most important aspect of the local ...
    • Five suggestions to fix local government 

      de Visser, Jaap (State of Local Governance Publication, 2018)
      The past few weeks have brought the troubled state of local government to the fore with renewed vigour. The Auditor-General’s (AG) consolidated report over the 2016/2017 financial year presented a very bleak picture of the ...
    • Formulating the pillars of a turnaround strategy About Previous issues 

      Steytler, Nico; de Visser, Jaap; May, Annette (Community Law Centre, University of the Western Cape, 2009)
      The turnaround strategy (TAS) for local government is gaining momentum. Initiated by the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CGTA), the TAS is aimed at identifying the drivers of the distress in ...
    • The functioning of ward committees: Challenges and prospects 

      de Visser, Jaap (Dullah Omar Institute, 2007)
      Ward committees were formally introduced in 2000, and many municipalities soon commenced the process of establishing them. The establishment rate of ward committees across the country now stands at over 90% and is growing, ...
    • Implementing Spluma: A review of four ‘Post-Spluma’ provincial planning bills 

      de Visser, Jaap; Poswa, Xavia (Dullah Omar Institute for Constitutional Law, Governance and Human Rights, 2017-10)
      Between 2015 and 2017, municipalities across the country developed municipal planning bylaws. Many municipalities were assisted by national government and/or provincial governments. The involvement of both the national ...
    • Implementing the Municipal Systems Amendment Act 

      de Visser, Jaap (Local Government Bulletin, 2011)
      The Municipal Systems Amendment Act was signed into law by the President on 5 July 2011 and is set to have a major impact on municipal governance. Regulations to give further substance to the Act are on their way. The first ...