Capacity building for developmental local government in South Africa

Abstract

The democratic and decentralised municipal government in South Africa has been assigned a developmental role in order to improve service delivery in their areas of jurisdiction. The Municipal Structures Act, 1998, Municipal Systems Act, 2000 and Municipal Finance Management Act, 2003 are implemented to enhance the status of South African local government. The article aims to discuss the meaning of developmental local government in South Africa, explores the challenges and recommends the strengthening of capacity-building initiatives for development. Through descriptive and analytical approach, the article argues that ''without appropriate skilled and qualified staff, municipalities will be unable to meet the standards prescribed for financial and performance management'' (Van Dijk and Croucamp, 2007:667).