A summary of the Municipal Structures Amendment Bill 2024

About 70 municipalities are governed through coalition governments. Coalition governments are formed between parties and interests when no single political ...

When the turkey snubs Christmas: The MEC’s power to convene council meetings instead of the speaker

Municipal council meetings are central to local democracy. It is where the municipal executive accounts, municipal policies and by-laws are adopted, and ...

Irregular appointments of municipal managers: A key challenge to effective service delivery

Municipal managers are appointed by the municipal council under section 54A of the Local Government: Municipal Systems Act 32 of 2000 (Systems Act). They act ...

Social service delivery in Ghana: Assessing the credibility and equity of composite budgets in the delivery of social interventions at the sub national level

The concept of decentralisation has been discussed widely in literature as a key approach for bringing development closer to the citizenry. The effective ...

Pharmaceutical waste: A hidden threat in municipal waste management

Everyone has the constitutional right to an environment that is not harmful to their health or well-being. Yet pharmaceutical waste poses a unique and often ...

Resistance to SPLUMA: Traditional leaders' lack of trust in SPLUMA instruments and processes

The article forms part of a series of articles which examines the five major reasons traditional leaders opposed the implementation of the Spatial Planning and ...

How to address systemic sabotage of essential water infrastructure?

On 25 June 2025, the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC), mandated to promote, protect and monitor human rights, released a policy brief which ...

The City of Ekurhuleni escapes High Court’s “non-consensual” consent order

Headline: The phrase “don’t talk to me, talk to me my lawyer” backfired when the City of Ekurhuleni (the City) found itself bound to a consent order granted by ...