On 20 October 2009 President Zuma demonstrated his commitment to dealing with some of the key challenges that face local government. In a unique forum which brought together mayors, municipal managers and other key local government stakeholders, President Zuma engaged in a frank discussion about the obstacles which municipalities face in trying to fulfill their developmental and service delivery mandate. The discussion points addressed some of the root problems that continue to undermine service delivery and as such bear repeating here.

Local economic development (LED) in South Africa has received considerable attention in recent months. This has ranged from LED-related conferences to the finalisation of a number of strategic national reports on the state of LED in South Africa. Progress certainly has been made with LED over the past decade, but these initiatives highlight the fact that the national LED landscape is still weighed down by many challenges.

The issue of mandates and functions continues to occupy the minds of many local government practitioners, and the question of who is responsible for Cape Town’s rebellious baboons is an interesting case study. This article examines the issue and makes suggestions for a possible solution to this particular monkey puzzle.

The Intergovernmental Relations Framework Act (the Act) took effect on 15 August 2005. With it came the promise of cooperative governance and a ‘seamless’ government, through which the constitutional ideals of cooperation in good faith and mutual trust between the spheres of government could be realised. It was hoped that this would result in spheres coordinating their actions and legislation, and assisting, supporting, informing and consulting one another.

Much, if not most, of our country’s problems – particularly poverty and unemployment – stem from our under-resourced and underperforming local government system. So much so, that it is now imperative that municipalities become the focus of government activity.

In recent months the courts have stressed the importance of the roles and functions of these committees. Contracts have been set aside because bid committees were not properly constituted, proper procedures were not followed at meetings or bids were evaluated based on specifications different from those initially advertised. With reference to the case law, it is particularly important for municipalities to comply with the following rules, as failing to do so leads to costly litigation.