The opening day of the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) Local Government Week delivered a clear call: Municipalities must be supported before they fail, to safeguard the sustainable delivery of basic services and in protection of communities.

Chaired by Deputy Chairperson of the NCOP, Hon Poobalan Govender, the programme featured contributions from the Chairperson of the NCOP, Hon. Refilwe Mtshweni-Tsipane, the Deputy Minister for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA), Hon Z Burns-Ncamashe, Deputy Minister for Water and Sanitation, Hon D Mahlobo, the Minister for Human Settlements, Hon T Simelane and the President of the South African Local Government Association (SALGA), Cllr B C Stofile. Ministers and local government leaders alike warned that restoring dignity in communities demands systematic support, fair resource allocation, and accountability from all sectors of society.

Highlights from the Opening Day

Government leaders cautioned that the practice of stepping in only once municipalities are already failing is unsustainable. Municipalities, they argued, must be treated as the first line of delivery, with support, skills, and resources reaching them early enough to sustain the delivery of services and prevent collapse.

“Too often, municipalities are only attended to once they are already in crisis. That must change. Support, skills and resources must reach municipalities before collapse, so that they can deliver reliably,” warned Deputy Minister Zolile Burns-Ncamashe (CoGTA).

Water and sanitation were framed not as technical issues, but as matters of dignity and equality requiring urgent and coordinated backing.

“Water and sanitation are not privileges, they are rights. Municipalities need technical and financial backing to extend these services equally to both rural and urban communities,” stressed Water and Sanitation Deputy Minister David Mahlobo.

Ministers also underlined the importance of holistic planning, insisting that housing, water, and sanitation must be planned jointly by all spheres of government, not in isolation.

Human Settlements Minister Hon. Thembisile Simelane emphasised that, “A house without water, sanitation and proper planning is not a dignified home. Human settlements must be planned together with basic services, so families live in communities that work, not in silos.”

By March 2025, unpaid consumer and business debt to municipalities had ballooned to R416 billion (National Treasury), placing immense strain on service delivery.

“This mounting debt severely restricts the ability of local government to provide services. Households, businesses, state-owned enterprises and government departments must pay what they owe so municipalities can function,” cautioned Cllr. Bheke Stofile, President of SALGA.

Cllr Stofile went on to highlight that municipalities are constitutional institutions at the heart of development and deserve systematic, not sporadic, support.

“Local government must be recognised as the foundation of service delivery and development, with support flowing systematically, not sporadically. Municipalities should also be seen as catalysts of transformation driving local economies, creating jobs, and building dignity through basic services,” he added.

Presentations underlined that municipalities must be strengthened with resources, training, and support, but interventions should never come at the expense of local autonomy. The discussions pointed to the need for collaborative solutions that respect the constitutional role of municipalities while enabling them to deliver effectively.

Hon. Mtshweni-Tsipane summed up the opening day’s vision: “When local government works, South Africa works. Restoring dignity begins with empowering municipalities to deliver.”

Deliberations at NCOP Local Government Week are continuing, with delegates exploring sustainable, people-centred solutions to strengthen municipalities and rebuild trust with communities. Delegates will also visit township and peri-urban communities in the Cape Town metro, including Dunoon, Gugulethu, Khayelitsha, Philippi, Delft, Eersteriver, and Forest Village. These visits take engagement beyond reports and numbers, giving leaders a first hand experience of the realities and an opportunity to directly connect with residents and a deeper understanding of how the three spheres of government are working together in South Africa’s most critical socio-economic and political spaces.