New leaders, persistent challenges...What lies in store for local government?

Abstract

The outcome of the elections of 22 April is critical for local government. The success of ‘developmental local government’ depends to a large extent on the choices the incoming national and provincial governments make around local government. For example, the review of provincial and local government, started by former Minister Sydney Mufamadi, will be completed under the auspices of the incoming national government. This article presents some perspectives of the Good Governance Learning Network (GGLN) that the incoming governments and the political parties that populate them may want to consider. The GGLN is a group of 15 NGOs working in and with municipalities and communities. It seeks to positively impact on local governance through research, information dissemination, piloting innovative practices and advocacy.