Following the 6th meeting of the Joburg Crisis Alliance, Angela Rivers General Manager of the Johannesburg Property Managers Association (JPOMA), told the M&G there is cautious optimism based on whether the committee can provide real accountability and community involvement to residents eager for change.
Rivers said there is a historical pattern in Johannesburg of plans being announced with much fanfare but faltering at the implementation stage.
“For meaningful change to occur, these structures need to overcome bureaucratic inertia, ensure transparency, and integrate private sector expertise. Without these shifts, there’s a risk they may repeat the mistakes of past initiatives that promised legacy benefits but delivered limited long-term impact” she said.
“The Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA), Mr. Velenkosini Hlabisa, has gazetted the Discussion Document on the Review of the 1998 White Paper on Local Government (WPLG98), marking a step towards a reimagined and results-driven local government system in South Africa.
This document, gazetted under Notice No. 6118 (Gazette: 52498), sets in motion a national conversation intended to culminate in a revised White Paper on Local Government in March 2026 (WPLG26). The review aims to incite fresh thinking, honest reflection, and decisive action toward building a fit-for-purpose local government system that truly serves the people of South Africa.
“This process is not about tweaking the symptoms. It is about confronting the root causes of dysfunction in local governance. We need to ask the hard questions, and more importantly, we need to answer them with the courage to act,” Minister Hlabisa said.
The Discussion Document reasserts the interconnectedness and indivisibility of the four key components of an effective local government system: governance, institutional arrangements, service delivery and infrastructure, and financial arrangements.
Key aims of the Review:
Assess and revise outdated assumptions of WPLG98.
Strengthen cooperative governance among the three spheres of government.
Align reforms with parallel initiatives such as amendments to the MFMA, Municipal Structures Act, and SPLUMA.
Enhance integration with traditional leadership and improve community participation. Tackle systemic issues such as municipal financial sustainability, over-politicisation, climate risk, and spatial inequality.”
Mr Velenkosini Hlabisa, Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, invites the public, civil society, public institutions, interested stakeholders and all three spheres of government to provide comments towards the Review of the White Paper on Local Government;
Any person or institution wishing to submit written comments on the Discussion Document and specifically the questions contained in Annex 3 to this Notice, should do so on or before 30 June 2025. Comments can be sent to the following addresses: WPLG26@cogta.gov.za or RichardP@cogta.gov.za or MaphutiL@cogta.gov.za
Ingelosi Foundation is a youth-focussed organisation that aims to uplift youth and develop young entrepreneurs, in the Johannesburg CBD; Committed to creating opportunities that will create a better future for local youth.
Register online for their Youth Programme for Grade 10 and 11 youths, join one Saturday per month and learn how to take control of your future https://forms.gle/hfcZeyYg4FDM7qJRA The deadline for registration is 15 February 2025.
On 9 December 2024, Mr Ntshavheni Mukwevho from Johannesburg Water presented on Water Conservation and Water Demand Managementat an event organised by the Johannesburg Chamber of Commerce.
On Tuesday 3 December, Angela Rivers presented to the Inner City Partnership Forum. Historically the platform has given the private sector an opportunity to engage with City of Joburg officials including the Executive Mayor.
The presentation focused on; -Sewer & refuse cases against CoJ. -Billing & utilities challenges. -Tariffs & affordability. -Way forward & solutions -Success story: Reminington House
On Wednesday 4 December, Angela Rivers presented at the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (NERSA) public hearings on Eskom’s Sixth Multi-Year Price Determination (MYPD 6).
