Ramaphosa to launch revised local government policy amid municipal challenges

President Cyril Ramaphosa will launch the Cabinet-approved Revised White Paper on Local Government on Thursday, as government seeks to address persistent challenges affecting municipalities across South Africa.

The launch will take place at the Birchwood Hotel and OR Tambo Conference Centre in Ekurhuleni, Gauteng, under the theme “Every Municipality Must Work: From Policy to Collective Action”.

The revised policy builds on stakeholder consultations, the resolutions of the 2022 Presidential Local Government Summit and ongoing efforts to reform the local government system.

The Presidency said the White Paper introduces a differentiated approach to municipalities, recognising that metropolitan areas, secondary cities, rural municipalities and small towns have different capacities, challenges and development needs.

The policy aims to provide a framework for addressing weaknesses in municipal governance, financial management, institutional capacity and service delivery.

The launch will also introduce an implementation plan and a Transition Management Body to support the shift from policy development to implementation. A Research Compendium containing research that informed the review will accompany the White Paper.

The revised policy follows commitments made by Ramaphosa in his 2026 State of the Nation Address, in which he pledged to finalise a new framework to reimagine local government and address its structural and operational challenges.

The event is expected to bring together political and administrative leaders from all 257 municipalities, national and provincial government representatives, Parliament, oversight institutions, organised local government, traditional and Khoi-San leadership, business, labour and civil society.

The Presidency said the launch would strengthen stakeholder ownership of the revised policy and reinforce the shared responsibility of government and society in building capable, accountable and developmental municipalities.

The initiative comes as local government remains central to the delivery of essential services and the provision of infrastructure needed by communities across the country.