“Fixing South Africa’s Broken Municipalities” is the title of the webinar today at which the Institute of Race Relations (IRR) launched a new in-depth study of local government.
Local government: crises decades in the making and how to deal with them was presented in a webinar at noon today by its author, IRR Projects and Publications Manager Terence Corrigan. The event was jointly hosted by the IRR, the University of the Free State and the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung.
Corrigan was joined by noted academics Sanet Solomon and Sethulego Matebesi, and municipal planning expert Burgert Gildenhuys.
In a statement, Corrigan notes that, as local elections approach, “the failures of many of our municipalities have become front of mind for South Africa”.
“Dysfunctional towns and cities constitute some of the most acute burdens on the quality of life and economic prospects of the country. Their malaise is turning into an existential issue for South Africa’s future.
“And while the everyday symptoms – gaping potholes, burst pipes and uncollected refuse on our streets – claim public attention, beneath them lie a series of profound political and structural problems. Local government, as it is currently constituted, is not designed to succeed in South Africa’s current realities.
“Beyond the polls on November 4, South Africa’s local government system needs to be fundamentally reformed.”