Submission of comment on the Draft Revised White Paper for Local Government To the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs

The Public Affairs Research Institute (PARI) critiques the Draft Revised White Paper for Local Government, arguing that it relies too heavily on technical and managerial solutions for fundamentally political problems. PARI suggests that the proposed shift to a single-tier municipal system is politically unfeasible and warns that removing functions from weaker municipalities could undermine democratic accountability. The submission advocates for a stronger focus on the affordability of basic services, noting that 40% of households cannot afford them, and calls for a revitalisation of democratic social mobilisation to drive genuine reform. It also recommends formalising the role of traditional leadership through democratically responsive compacts and improving municipal communication to rebuild public trust.

• PARI argues that the draft white paper frequently proposes technical or managerial fixes for issues that are fundamentally political, such as intergovernmental relations affected by political fragmentation or poor political leadership in councils.
• The proposal to move to a single-tier municipal system (Option 1) is viewed as politically unfeasible and likely to cause significant opposition and administrative upheaval, whereas adapting the two-tier system (Option 2) is seen as a more viable route.
• PARI expresses concern that removing functions from weaker municipalities to national or provincial government may result in a loss of democratic accountability to residents and could perpetuate the underdevelopment of institutional capacity in former homeland areas.
• There is a critical need to address the affordability of basic services, as 40% of households are unable to pay for them, which in turn erodes food security.
• The submission suggests that the relationship between municipalities and traditional leadership should move toward structured, enforceable partnerships that mandate direct community involvement to ensure democratic responsiveness.
• PARI highlights a failure in municipal communication across South Africa, which undermines public trust and exacerbates service delivery tensions, and calls for the professionalisation of these structures.
• The document recommends that the state determine minimum levels of services that all households are entitled to, regardless of their ability to pay, and increase the amount of free basic services to support low-income households and informal businesses.

APA

Public Affairs Research Institute (2026). Submission of comment on the Draft Revised White Paper for Local Government To the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs. https://pari.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/20260528_PARI-Submission_DraftRevised_WPLG_v1.pdf

Chicago

Public Affairs Research Institute. Submission of comment on the Draft Revised White Paper for Local Government To the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs. 2026. https://pari.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/20260528_PARI-Submission_DraftRevised_WPLG_v1.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Public Affairs Research Institute |title=Submission of comment on the Draft Revised White Paper for Local Government To the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs |date=28 May 2026 |url=https://pari.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/20260528_PARI-Submission_DraftRevised_WPLG_v1.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{publicaffairsresearchinstitute2026submission, author = {{Public Affairs Research Institute}}, title = {{Submission of comment on the Draft Revised White Paper for Local Government To the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs}}, publisher = {Public Affairs Research Institute}, year = {2026}, month = may, url = {https://pari.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/20260528_PARI-Submission_DraftRevised_WPLG_v1.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }