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FW DE KLERK FOUNDATION CALLS FOR TRANSPARENT MUNICIPAL RECOVERY PLANS AMID R400 BILLION WATER INFRASTRUCTURE BACKLOG

2026-10-26

South Africa faces an estimated R400 billion backlog to repair and upgrade ageing water infrastructure across 107 water services authorities. The FW de Klerk Foundation calls for transparent, municipality-specific recovery plans with clear deadlines, measurable milestones and accountable authorities. Reliable access to water is a constitutional right, and infrastructure spending must translate into measurable improvements in service delivery.

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THE ROLE OF MUNICIPALITIES IN PROMOTING OUR HERITAGE

2026-09-24

South Africa’s cultural and linguistic heritage depends on public spaces where communities can learn, gather and pass traditions from one generation to the next. Municipalities have an important role in maintaining the local facilities and public spaces that help make these constitutional rights meaningful in everyday life. As Heritage Month and the local government elections approach, communities should demand clear accountability for how these spaces are maintained, funded and protected.

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STATE CAPTURE IS HOLDING BACK SOUTH AFRICA

2026-09-08

After Nelson Mandela was elected in 1994 his government abolished racially segregated local authorities, creating ostensibly integrated municipalities. Today these range in size from Johannesburg, the commercial capital, to units like Mpofana that comprise a small town and rural areas. All are supposed to fund themselves through property taxes, business rates and charges for water, electricity and waste collection. The poorest also get a grant from the central government to fill any gap between revenue and expenditure.

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INTRODUCING THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT REPORT CARD 2026

2026-08-17

The Local Government Report Card 2026 provides an independent assessment of 50 municipalities across all nine provinces, measuring performance against five pillars of constitutional local government. The findings reveal a sharply uneven picture, with strong institutional leadership and sound financial management consistently linked to better service delivery and public accountability. By presenting clear evidence of what works, what fails and where improvement is possible, the Report Card equips residents, councillors and policymakers to demand practical, measurable change.

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MUNICIPAL FAILURE IS NOT INEVITABLE AND THIS REPORT PROVES IT

2026-08-13

The FW de Klerk Foundation’s Local Government Report Card 2026 argues that municipal failure is not inevitable, but the result of identifiable institutional weaknesses that can be measured and addressed. Assessing 50 municipalities against 100 objective tests, the report highlights where local government is improving, where it is failing and what distinguishes high-performing municipalities from those in decline. It offers practical, evidence-based recommendations to strengthen constitutional governance, improve service delivery and make municipal recovery measurable.

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FW DE KLERK FOUNDATION RELEASES THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT REPORT CARD 2026

2026-08-04

The FW de Klerk Foundation’s Local Government Report Card 2026 provides an independent, non-partisan assessment of municipal performance and constitutional accountability across South Africa. Using 100 published tests across five key pillars, it evaluates 50 municipalities and highlights the institutional factors that drive success or failure in local government. The report offers evidence-based insights into the state of municipal governance and demonstrates that effective, constitutional local government is achievable.

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LESSONS FROM THE 2026 GTAC CONFERENCE

2026-07-14

The 2026 GTAC Public Economics Conference highlighted a central truth: South Africa’s employment crisis cannot be solved by training people for jobs that do not exist. Sustainable progress requires evidence-based policy, smarter public spending and greater support for the informal, township and rural economies where millions already earn their livelihoods. Ultimately, the Constitution demands a state that protects dignity, removes barriers to opportunity and measures success by real outcomes rather than the number of programmes funded.

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THE STATE CANNOT FIX MUNICIPALITIES WHILE REFUSING TO PAY THEM

2026-06-29

Provincial departments owed municipalities R14,9 billion by December 2025, placing further pressure on already fragile local government finances. This persistent non-payment undermines service delivery, violates the principles of cooperative government and forces municipalities to finance provincial operations through unpaid accounts. National Treasury should enforce accountability and establish a targeted mechanism to deduct verified municipal debts from provincial allocations.

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