A MUNICIPALITY
A municipality is often one administrative division with corporate status and the authority to govern itself as provided by local, state, and federal laws to which it is subject.
Municipalities in South Africa
Up to 10 part-time representatives may be chosen to represent municipalities and take part in NCOP proceedings in conformity with the Constitution and the Organised Local Government Act, 1997 (Act 52 of 1997).
The Department of Cooperative Governance seeks to increase and improve the capacity and responsibility of municipalities and provinces.
Among them are:
Continued hands-on assistance through the established system and capacity-building program, concentrating on crucial areas like integrated development planning, local economic development (LED), financial management, service delivery, and public involvement, assessing the impact of government programs in municipal areas, enhancing performance and accountability by improving the quality of reporting on the Local Government Strategic Agenda, and improving the monitoring,supporting service and delivery
Number of municipalities in South Africa
South Africa has 278 municipalities, including 226 local, 44 district, and 8 metropolitan municipalities. In addition to providing infrastructure and services, they are concentrated on boosting local economies.
The Local Government: Municipal Structures Act, 1998 (Act 117 of 1998) contains criteria for determining when a region must have a category-A municipality (metropolitan municipalities) and when municipalities fall into categories B (local municipalities) or C. This is in accordance with the Constitution (district municipalities).
The metropolitan municipalities
There are eight metropolitan municipalities in South Africa, including:
Buffalo city (East London)
Cape Town City
Metropolitan Municipality of Ekurhuleni (East Rand)
eThekwini City (Durban)
Johannesburg City (link is external)
Municipality of Mangaung (external link) (Bloemfontein)
Metropolitan Nelson Mandela Municipality (Port Elizabeth)
Tshwane City (Pretoria).
Decentralization Power and Functions
Metropolitan councils may decentralize authority and responsibilities. But the metropolitan council has exclusive control over all initial municipal, legislative, and executive functions.
In urban regions, there are two different types of executive systems available: mayoral executive systems, in which the mayor has executive authority, and collective executive committee systems, in which the executive committee has these powers.
District councils and local councils govern non-metropolitan areas. Planning for the entire district and building capacity fall primarily under the purview of district councils. Ward committees are established under the Local Government: Municipal Structures Act of 1998, and among their responsibilities are the following:
- assemble, put into action, and evaluate integrated development strategies
- municipal performance-management systems should be established, implemented, and evaluated.
- track and evaluate the effectiveness of local governments
- assemble the finances of local governments
- engage in the selection of the services that will be provided by the municipality
- spread the word about governance-related issues through communication.
Why is local governance important for organizations to understand?
Local government is the branch of power that is most accessible to the populace. Local governments provide a wide range of essential services, and ward council members are the elected officials who are most in touch with local residents. Organizations with an activist or developmental focus should be aware of how local government operates and how to exert influence there.
The South African government has explicit regulations stating that local councils and municipalities must be considerate of community opinions and responsive to regional issues. To address local concerns, civil society and local government should form partnerships. Several regulations specify the participation procedures that municipalities must follow in order to consult the community.
