Latest news with #SouthAfricanLocalGovernmentAssociation
The Citizen
7 days ago
- The Citizen
Muni prioritise safety in communities
The Steve Tshwete Local Municipality held a Community Safety Forum on July 9 at the Municipal Council Chamber. The meeting's purpose was to generate ideas on how to strengthen working relationships among the stakeholders within the Community Safety Forum. Ward Councillors, the South African Local Government Association, Cooperative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs, Nkangala District Municipality, Community Development Workers, the Department of Community Safety and Liaison, the Department of Social Development, the Department of Justice, the SAPS, the Community Policing Forum, Mpumalanga Economic Regulator, the Department of Health and Department of Education, as well as Amakhosi and Traditional Healers were represented. Alcohol was the most contributing factor in relation to crime. Law enforcement agencies will now focus on the easy access to alcohol and drugs within the community at large. Alcohol is also the number one contributor to gender-based violence. Home affairs was also encouraged to scrutinise the nationality of the homeless people found on the streets. Attendees agreed that a database of the homeless needed to be created. At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
TimesLIVE
25-06-2025
- Science
- TimesLIVE
Municipalities to be lauded for trailblazing projects
While many municipalities are in crisis there are those punching above their weight when it comes to innovation. That's according to chief director of Innovation for Inclusive Development in the department of science, technology and innovation, Tshepang Mosiea, who said this ahead of the 2025 Municipal Innovation Recognition Awards (Mira). The awards, to be held on June 30, are part of the Viability and Validation of Innovations for Service Delivery Programme, spearheaded by the department of science, technology and innovation in collaboration with the South African Local Government Association (Salga) and the University of KZN. 'Insomuch as we persevere as a fairly young democracy to ensure all South Africans are considered equal, we would be foolish to negate the historical framework within which we are operating,' said Mosiea on Tuesday. 'There are far-flung rural areas that are completely cut off from the most basic necessities like health care and education, and it is for this purpose innovation plays such an important role in expediting growth.' 'The awards seek to unearth innovation and technology municipalities are leveraging to ensure efficient service delivery — something the minister of science, technology and innovation Professor Blade Nzimande has prioritised, and which is in line with his mantra of placing science, technology and innovation at the centre of society and government.' Associate professor at UKZN's school of built environment and development studies, Sithembiso Myeni, told TimesLIVE 51 projects were submitted from 20 municipalities. 'Among the objectives of Mira is to recognise and appreciate current innovation lighthouse initiatives implemented by municipalities to improve the delivery of basic services. This objective is attainable through category three of the Mira, which is directed towards recognition of trailblazing projects. ' The Western Cape is the province represented by the highest number of municipalities with trailblazing projects, adding up to 21 in total.' He said some of the innovations equipped employees and citizens with digital skills which presents 'a good initiative, especially considering that we are moving towards, if not already in, an era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR)". He said municipalities were investing in recycling infrastructure and aware of the need to strengthen water provision systems. 'The nature of entrance and the number of submissions received reflects the long desire from the municipalities to showcase their innovative initiatives. This has proved the importance and uniqueness of the Mira in terms of encouraging the uptake of innovation in municipalities and encouraging municipal leadership and officials to adopt innovation and technology in the delivery of basic services.' At the inaugural awards event in 2023, Myeni was recognised as the 'champion' of the Municipal Innovation Maturity Index (Mimi), a tool used to assess and benchmark municipal innovation. That year, uMhlathuze local municipality was recognised for using drone technology to tackle water loss and improve water supply planning. The initiative responded to growing water demand driven by population growth, with illegal and unbilled connections identified as major contributors to losses.
IOL News
24-06-2025
- Politics
- IOL News
Limpopo municipalities owe Eskom R1. 6 billion; blame infrastructure tampering and theft
Electricity and Energy Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa placed much of the blame for persistent power supply challenges in Limpopo on illegal activities such as meter bypassing, infrastructure vandalism, and unauthorised electricity connections, particularly in densely populated urban and rural communities. Municipalities across Limpopo owe Eskom a staggering R1.6 billion in unpaid electricity bills, with the bulk of the debt linked to persistent issues such as electricity theft, infrastructure tampering, and non-payment by end-users. This was revealed by Electricity and Energy Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa over the weekend during a South African Local Government Association (SALGA) indaba attended by local mayors, municipal officials, councillors, and Limpopo Premier Dr Phophi Ramathuba. Ramokgopa warned that the escalating debt — part of the national municipal debt to Eskom, which now totals R78 billion — poses a major threat to the stability of South Africa's electricity supply and the financial viability of the power utility. Of the 27 municipalities in Limpopo, those in the Waterberg District – namely Modimolle/Mookgophong, Thabazimbi, and Bela Bela – are the worst offenders. While these municipalities have been approved for debt relief through the National Treasury, only Bela Bela has met the necessary conditions, having signed an active partnering service level agreement with Eskom. 'A similar agreement was signed by the previous Thabazimbi council, but it was never implemented,' said Ramokgopa. 'We have also received commitments from Musina, Makhado, and Mogalakwena municipalities to improve payment compliance, but action must follow those words.' Ramokgopa placed much of the blame for persistent power supply challenges in Limpopo on illegal activities such as meter bypassing, infrastructure vandalism, and unauthorised electricity connections, particularly in densely populated urban and rural communities.
The Citizen
18-06-2025
- Business
- The Citizen
Salga looking for ideas to help municipalities despite solution already offered
Outa have offering a free service delivery reporting app to municipalities for three years, but only one metro accepted. The largest municipalities across South Africa are on the hunt for new ideas to solve service delivery challenges. An Intercity Innovation Challenge was launched last week with two core themes in mind — township tech transformation and intelligent service delivery. Spearheaded by the South African Local Government Association (Salga), assistance with the project will be provided by business incubator specialists and tertiary institutions. Tech solutions for municipalities The search for ideas will focus on the Johannesburg, Tshwane, Ekurhuleni, Cape Town, Buffalo City, Mangaung, eThekwini and Nelson Mandela Bay municipalities. The initiative plans to pair enhanced service delivery and digital technologies with the values and goals of the G20, National Development Plan 2030 and Integrated Urban Development Framework. 'This national initiative aims to chiefly surface community-powered, tech-enabled solutions that promote inclusive development and foster innovation, improve public service delivery and management decision-making,' stated Salga. The Innovation Hub, Innovate Durban and Wits University's Tshimologong Precinct will be judging the ideas based on challenge-specific criteria. The innovation challenge is a spin-off of a similar project that has been running in Johannesburg for several years. Last October, the City of Johannesburg offered R1 million for the best way to fix the city, but no winners have been made public to date. Two specific challenges The township tech transformation challenge will be a call for solutions to infrastructure, unemployment and limited digital access in informal settlements. Submissions must be innovative, original, feasible, scalable and demonstrate the potential for social impact through clear presentation. Submissions for the intelligent service delivery challenge must meet the same criteria but must address 'reactive, inefficient, or disconnected' service delivery. 'Intelligent service delivery means using real-time data, predictive maintenance, user feedback, and automation to provide services more efficiently, transparently, and sustainably,' stated Salga. Winning ideas will receive funding and early-stage developmental support, which will include technical and business mentorship. Existing Outa solution Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (Outa) CEO Wayne Duvenage considered the Salga initiative a 'good idea', as he believes the body was mandated to assist local government interests. 'As it is, many municipalities outsource their services to external consultants, due to their incompetence on matters such as finance, engineering, road maintenance, etc,' Duvenage told The Citizen. However, Duvenage explained that Outa had been offering a free service delivery reporting app to Salga and the same metros for the past three years. 'This was a live, geolocation incident reporting tool which enables residents to report potholes, traffic light malfunctions, water leaks, sewage leaks, signage issues, street lights, etc,' he said. He added that this data would be fed directly into the municipality's enterprise resource planning systems, but that only 10 small municipalities and the City of Cape Town had taken up the free offer. 'They just didn't want to take it up. I think it may also have something to do with civil society owning the process instead of themselves,' suggested Duvenage. 'The app would have allowed us as civil society to benchmark cities with the best levels of repair times, and we believe the poorly managed cities did not want that, so they simply didn't respond,' he added. Intellectual property retained The window for idea submissions will be open between 13 June and 15 August, with an announcement on winning ideas scheduled for November. Participants retain ownership of their intellectual property, including current government employees whose employment contracts take precedence over the project terms and conditions. '[We aim] to unlock the under-leveraged innovation ecosystem by supporting low-cost, high-impact solutions that use technology to improve quality of life, generate income, or expand access to essential services,' stated Salga. Despite the snub, the Outa CEO hoped the innovation initiative would be fruitful and provide results for municipalities. 'Hopefully, Salga's Intercity Innovation Challenge will be able to introduce their own reporting tool or solution in this regard,' Duvenage concluded. NOW READ: JRA allocated just 1% of amount needed to fix Johannesburg's roads
IOL News
06-06-2025
- Politics
- IOL News
Exploring the five critical issues in KwaZulu-Natal local government
The South African Local Government Association (SALGA) in KwaZulu-Natal identified five problems facing municipalities in the province. Image: Screengrab Political leadership is getting weaker, and at the next local government elections, there might be a huge turnover with many new councillors who will be part and parcel of governing municipalities without the requisite experience. This was the view of the South African Local Government Association (SALGA) in KwaZulu-Natal, which went on to identify the core problem that local government is inadequately equipped to fulfil its development agenda. SALGA made the remarks during the launch of the KZN Speaker's Forum and signing of a memorandum of understanding at the KZN Legislature on Friday. The forum is aimed at strengthening cooperation and coordination between the two institutions. This partnership is expected to enhance support to municipalities and strengthen legislative oversight programmes across the province. SALGA identified five problems in local government, which are: Poor political leadership capacity and weak administrative management. Inefficient and non-integrated local government delivery mechanisms, systems, and processes to enable service delivery. Ineffective utilisation of financial resources (poor financial administration), inability to collect revenue, and insufficient fiscus allocation Degenerating infrastructure and non-existent or poor services provided to local communities. Poor relationship with citizens leading to loss of confidence in local government. The KZN Speaker's Forum aims to empower speakers through the sharing of reports, develop strategic partnerships, and improve oversight programmes. Furthermore, this strategic collaboration will provide a structured platform for addressing service delivery challenges and promoting intergovernmental participation, particularly within Integrated Development Plan (IDP) processes. Nontembeko Boyce, speaker of the KZN Legislature, said no speaker should feel isolated, nor should the council have to navigate complex challenges alone. She stated that through this forum, they should support and learn from one another and stand together as leaders for the greater good of the province. 'Our communities do not care where a service comes from, they expect service delivery. They do not care who fixes the road, who installs the tap, or who makes sure the clinic is working, they just want it done. And they want us, as their leaders, to pull in the same direction. With all those expectations, the local government, as a sphere in which service delivery is the first point of call for our communities,' Boyce said. The forum's objectives are: To exchange knowledge, skills, and views on strategies to strengthen good governance and deepen democracy. Build a stronger link between councils and the provincial legislature. Share what works, and help each other through. Speak with one voice on issues that affect our communities. Sithole Mbanga, SALGA CEO, spoke about harnessing the power of political leadership to restore public trust and drive service delivery. Mbanga said the challenges they face are maintaining public trust from society and ensuring effective service delivery demands urgent attention. 'The government is under pressure to deliver, which is an important issue. We are not here to pay lip service, we want to form a relationship between the provincial and national governments. If you look at the surveys that one conducts and the perception that society has against local government, it is negative.' Mbanga expected new councillors to be part of governing municipalities after next year's elections. 'Without the requisite experience, it will be a problem for us. We will have to upskill those people who are going to become part and parcel of the leadership,' he said. SALGA's mandate is to transform local government to enable it to fulfil its development. Mbanga said SALGA is focused on four things: leadership, differentiation, data optimisation, and management and coordination. 'A mayor cannot run a municipality if there is no collaboration with others. Our mayors are saying help us to build that layer of leaders from the other spheres of government and other spheres of business and society," Mbanga said. [email protected]
