Service - Leadership in Government - Issue 77

S
elections
Guiding the
Transition
A special meeting of the South African
Local Government Association focused
on renewal in the runup to elections.
SALGA President Councillor Thembi Nkadimeng called for practical
plans for improvement in municipal performance as the South African
Local Government Association (SALGA) convened for special National
Members Assembly (NMA) earlier this year.
The hybrid two-day event brought together people from government,
heads of Chapter 9 Institutions, civil society and the research community
with a limited number of delegates attending in person.
The event was held under the theme, “Guiding the Transition: An
opportunity to renew as we usher in the 5th Term of Democratic and
People-Centred Local Government.” The aim of improving service
delivery was at the centre of deliberations.
Councillor Nkadimeng stressed that practical
actions plans would strengthen municipal
capacity and performance, which in turn will
help improve service delivery outcomes over the
next five years of local government.
Public sector workers and
government officials need to
obtain the requisite skills
and qualifications to perform
their duties and desist
from corrupt practices.
“As we are all aware, the local government
elections were scheduled to take place towards the
end of this year. It has therefore become necessary
to prepare for the transition that municipalities
will experience before, during and post the
elections,” Cllr Nkadimeng said.
As the 4th term of democratic local
government nears an end, the NMA assessed
preparations for the upcoming local government
elections and adopted a management and
transition framework for the 5th term of
democratic local government.
“Our intention, therefore, commencing with
this Special NMA, is to ensure the development
SALGA
6 | Service magazine