The Committee on Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs held an intense oversight meeting recently to review the Annual Performance Plan for 2026/2027 for the South African Local Government Association (SALGA). Though the organisation had put forward a twofold delivery and transition plan for the coming year based on the need for maintaining good governance practices, inducting new councillors and creating employment, the committee found it difficult to accept that the measures taken by SALGA will make a concrete difference.
One of the key areas of conflict that was spearheaded by the chairperson, Dr Zweli Mkhize, was the possible disconnection between the administrative reporting of SALGA and the actual state of affairs regarding local government issues. Although SALGA hopes to effect change in intergovernmental dealings and strengthen infrastructure and audit results, the committee pointed out that many municipalities continue to be stuck in a rut because of poor management and poor service delivery.
According to Dr Mkhize, SALGA has to introspect about its own achievements in relation to its membership, and the needle must move for the better in terms of lowering dysfunctionality. The committee identified the recurring issue of disclaimer audit results as a significant concern that required immediate action.
Moreover, the participants called for detailed information instead of generalised statements and asked for the names of the worst-performing municipalities that were supported by SALGA, as well as the tangible outcomes achieved through the process. The need for an analysis of the benefit gained from the services provided by the organisation was emphasised, as many are questioning whether there is a business case for the organisation at all and whether the financially challenged municipalities should continue paying levies despite the fact that no real effect has been witnessed yet.
Given the fact that the organization is switching its priorities to water, sanitation, and disaster issues, which have been around for several years already, the committee wanted to know what makes this year different from the previous unsuccessful attempts.
