Research & Publications
Electing Councillors – A Guide to Municipal Elections
This manual, written by Jaap de Visser and Nico Steytler, explains the system in an accessible manner. It is intended to assist everyone who participates in municipal elections or contributes to their administration. This manual is an updated version of the 2021 edition.
Electing Councillors – A Guide to Municipal Elections
Municipal elections combine ward elections with proportional representation. They are governed by the Constitution, the Electoral Act, the Municipal Structures Act, the Municipal Electoral Act, and the Municipal Systems Act. Additional rules are contained in regulations made under these Acts. The result is an electoral system that is sophisticated but also complex. This manual, written by Jaap de Visser and Nico Steytler, explains the system in an accessible manner. It is intended to assist everyone who participates in municipal elections or contributes to their administration. This includes voting officials, government officials, councillors, candidates, political parties, journalists and members of civil society. It also explains the rules governing the filling of vacancies between elections. This manual is an updated version of the 2021 edition.
Book Chapter - 'Public Participation, Municipal Websites, and Transparency in Procurement in South Africa’
South Africa has a well-developed system of local government which is anchored on public publication. This chapter examines the basic features of the legal and policy framework for public participation and assess to what extent e-participation has taken root in municipalities to augment traditional forms of participation.
Book Chapter - 'Local Governance and Public Participation in South Africa: An Urban-Rural Perspective’
This chapter examines the effectiveness of public participation mechanisms in South African local government, with a strong focus on the municipal budget process.
Book Chapter - 'The Role of Local Authorities in Intergovernmental Conferences in South Africa’
This role that local government plays in intergovernmental conferences is addressed at the hand of four interrelated questions: First, what is the formal place of local government within the legislative framework of intergovernmental relations?
Book Chapter - 'Fees as Alternative Sources of Local Revenue in South Africa’
The general statement that local government has extensive revenue-raising powers often hides the huge disparities in revenue generation among municipalities in South Africa and creates the perception that all municipalities are self-sufficient. The chapter looks at fees as an alternative source of revenue for local governments in South Africa.
Local Government Law of South Africa
The Local Government Law of South Africa offers a comprehensive analysis of local government law.
Constitutional Change and Constitutionalism in Africa Get access Arrow
The new generation of African constitutions that were crafted in the 1990s began a trend that promised a new dawn of radical transformation of the continent’s governance landscape, and a concerted attempt to eliminate the risks of coups and political instability that had plagued the continent since decolonization and the granting of independence to countries from 1957 onwards, by embedding democracy and constitutionalism.
