The state of local government: third-generation issues

The South African local government sphere has seen vast changes since 1990. During this tumultuous periods, a phase of community-based resistance was followed by a complete redesign of local government. The heady period of constitutional negotiations (1992-1996) has been followed by a more businesslike concern with municipal delivery, especially to address questions of poverty, infrastructure backlogs, the need for economic development, and the consequences of HIV/AIDS. This paper will argue that the creation of developmental local government, as envisaged in the White Paper on Local Government, has created unforeseen challenges and difficulties. The requirements of local development are only gradually becoming understood and it is likely that the entire intergovernmental order will have to make developmental municipal government a key priority.