PRETORIA, Gauteng — As South Africa prepares for the highly anticipated 2026 local government elections, Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) Minister Velenkosini Hlabisa is issuing a stark warning to the electorate: do not repeat the mistakes of the past by re-electing councillors who have failed their communities.
With the voters’ roll now officially closed and November 4, 2026, officially gazetted as the polling date, the minister is urging citizens to channel their frustrations directly to the ballot box, emphasizing that the time for mere complaints must come to an end.
A Dire Backdrop for the 2026 Local Government Elections
The push for renewed civic engagement comes against a deeply concerning backdrop regarding municipal governance. According to the Auditor General’s latest report, only 15% of municipalities achieved clean audits. Furthermore, over half of the country’s municipalities are currently technically bankrupt, and 105 out of 144 water services authorities are in a state of total collapse.
In response to these systemic failures, President Cyril Ramaphosa has promised a fundamental overhaul of local government, focusing on professionalizing municipal staff and cracking down on maladministration. However, Minister Hlabisa stresses that government interventions can only succeed if the electorate takes responsibility for choosing capable leaders.
“The elections on the 4th of November must shift the gear,” Hlabisa stated. “You know people who failed you; don’t make a mistake of repeating the failure. Don’t stay away. Take your protest to the ballot box and vote for new councillors.”
Professionalizing Administration and the White Paper Review
Addressing the ongoing municipal collapse despite years of promised reforms, Hlabisa pointed directly to poor and incompetent leadership as the root cause of financial mismanagement. He noted that even if failing municipalities are injected with billions of rand, the funds will be misused without competent oversight.
To combat this, the government is leaning heavily on the upcoming review of the White Paper on Local Government. The final document is scheduled to be launched on September 15, 2026. According to Hlabisa, the review will introduce critical changes, including:
- Stricter competency requirements for hiring municipal officials.
- Regulations on how political parties deploy cadres to local councils.
- A new, tailored municipal funding model, acknowledging that a “one-size-fits-all” approach has proven ineffective.
Hlabisa highlighted that during the seventh administration, his department actively refused to concur with the employment of unqualified individuals. “If you elect competent councillors, they will hire competent employees. They will complement each other,” he explained, noting that the department is already seeing the “needle moving” in recent audit outcomes.
Clean Audits Across the Political Spectrum
When asked about replicating the governance standards of the country’s best-performing, opposition-run municipalities, Hlabisa clarified that clean audits are not exclusive to any single political party.
While acknowledging the Democratic Alliance’s strong performance in the Western Cape, Hlabisa cited the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) as another prime example of ethical leadership. He specifically pointed to a municipality in the King Cetshwayo District Municipality in KwaZulu-Natal which has secured a string of clean audits for five consecutive years.
“What makes a clean audit is the quality of leadership,” Hlabisa noted. “If you have good leaders at the helm, they cascade that good leadership to the supply chain, to corporate services, and to everybody in the value chain.”
The Coalition Bill: Enforcing Five-Year Stability
A major disruptor of service delivery in recent years has been the collapse of local coalitions and the constant introduction of motions of no confidence, a trend notably seen in the City of Johannesburg. This political infighting frequently leaves municipal managers operating in a state of limbo, unable to implement five-year infrastructure master plans or pass compliant budgets.
To resolve this, a new Coalition Bill was delivered to the Speaker of Parliament on the exact same day the 2026 election date was gazetted. The bill aims to introduce legally binding agreements for hung municipalities.
“The coalitions bill is going to enforce legally binding agreements. When political parties get into a coalition, they must be sober and awake to the fact that they are getting into a marriage for five years,” Hlabisa explained. The legislation will regulate unnecessary motions of no confidence, ensuring that governing coalitions are given the stability required to implement, monitor, and review their service delivery plans over a full term.
Tackling the Water Crisis and Calling on Women
With 105 water authorities in critical failure, communities ranging from ETI to the rural North West have been forced to rely on water tankers instead of working taps. Hlabisa described the water tankers as a temporary intervention to prevent communities from going days or weeks without water.
He assured the public that the proposed new funding model will rechannel resources specifically toward municipalities struggling with aging infrastructure and water shedding. However, he reiterated that permanent water availability relies entirely on competent leadership that can manage resources ethically and communicate water shedding schedules well in advance.
In a final call to action coinciding with National Women’s Day, Hlabisa urged the youth and, specifically, women to step forward as candidates.
“Women are strong people in every community and in every family,” Hlabisa said. “If women can take charge and become part of the decision-making in the councils, we will reshape service delivery. They know the pain better of living without water, and they will be vigilant in ensuring that every cent collected is diverted to ensure a permanent water and electricity supply.”
