Local government in South Africa has gained constitutional protection and a stronger institutional role since 2000, making intergovernmental relations more dynamic yet complex.
 

Author:

J de Visser

Summary:

Since the year 2000, local government has entered South Africa’s system of intergovernmental relations with a new institutional appearance and has been granted constitutional protection. Intergovernmental relations among municipalities, provinces, and the national government have thus become more dynamic yet also more complex and demanding. This article analyses the constitutional and policy frameworks for those relations, and provides insight into current debates and the dynamics related to them. The legal and constitutional recognition of local government is impressive and propels it to a status that at times equals or surpasses that of provincial government. Yet this constitutional status provides no guarantee of strong local government. In reality, many municipalities are incapable of asserting their financial and political autonomy for reasons both within and beyond their control. The article further unpacks the legal and policy frameworks shaping the interactions between local, provincial and national governments, revealing how municipalities, despite their elevated status, often struggle to assert financial and political autonomy in South Africa.

Link to Book Chapter