Civic groups are calling for urgent local government reforms to root out inefficiency, corruption and service delivery failures.

Both the iLembe Chamber of Commerce and the Dolphin Coast Residents and Ratepayers Association (Docrra) submitted detailed proposals for the national review of the 1998 White Paper on Local Government. The White Paper, which established the current municipal system, is being updated for the first time. Public comments closed in July and a revised version is expected next March.

While approaching the issues differently, both organisations agreed on the need to shift from positive theoretical systems to practical, accountable solutions with meaningful public engagement.

The Chamber advocated reconfiguring the current two-tier municipal system (eg KwaDukuza forms part of iLembe) to improve efficiency and reduce duplicated costs.

Chamber CEO Cobus Oelofse urged depoliticising administrative positions through merit-based appointments. He further recommended enforceable performance management systems with independent oversight, transparent contracts and automatic interventions in cases of repeated failure.

Financially, he proposed linking grants to clean audits and service delivery, while strengthening revenue collection and financial planning. He also encouraged expanding successful Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) in water, waste and electricity, citing the Siza Water model.

Docrra’s submission included more wide-ranging interventions. Vice-chairman Brian Pottinger called for every political party to sign a binding “covenant” preventing politicisation of council leadership and for minimum education standards for councillors. He also urged legislative changes to curb the outsized influence of mayors and micro-parties in coalition councils.

Pottinger recommended creating two overlapping local government zones, namely self-sufficient “Economic Cantons” and rural or small-town “Developmental Zones”. The cantons would rely on precinct management and PPPs, with private-sector infrastructure investment incentivised through long-term rates rebates in exchange for service delivery relief. Developmental zones would be managed by District Services Entities with provincial support to address local needs.

He further proposed provincial integrity units to investigate corruption and receive whistle-blower reports, merit-based hiring and “Sectoral End User Forums” to strengthen communication between government and the public.

Both submissions contain greater detail and can be read in full at ilembechamber.co.za and docrra.co.za.

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