Dr Harlan Cloete launches local governance book in Sandton
A research fellow says South Africa's municipal challenges stem from poor management rather than a lack of policy or resources.
South Africa does not necessarily lack the policies or resources needed to improve local government, according to researcher and author Dr Harlan Cloete.
Instead, he believes one of the country’s biggest challenges lies in how municipalities are managed. Cloete, a research fellow at the University of the Free State’s Centre for Gender in Africa Studies, made the observation during the launch of his new book, 101 Local Governance Lessons: From the Great Governance ZA Podcast, at Nedbank Head Office in Sandton on September 2.
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The book draws on more than four years of conversations recorded for Cloete’s podcast, which has produced about 115 episodes featuring politicians, municipal officials, community leaders, business people and other governance practitioners.
Rather than simply documenting municipal failures, Cloete said he wanted to understand why some people and municipalities manage to succeed despite the challenges facing local government. “I wanted to find out more,” Cloete said. “How did they get it right? How are you an island of excellence in a sea of mediocrity?”
What started as curiosity during the Covid-19 pandemic eventually became a four-year project and, ultimately, a book. “When I had about 115 episodes, I was like, maybe I should turn these episodes into a book. It was a tedious process putting it together.”
According to Cloete, the lessons gathered through his podcast point to a problem that is often overlooked in discussions about struggling municipalities. “I don’t think we’ve got a lack of resources, neither do we have a lack of policies. We’re not managing managers in municipalities.
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“We’ve got a management problem that spills over to the political problem because we also have a political problem that spills over to the administration and spills over to communities.”
He described local government as a three-legged stool in which if one leg is broken, the entire system collapses. His book therefore focuses not only on what is going wrong, but on examples of people who are finding ways to navigate these challenges and deliver results.
Lessons across key sectors
The book is divided into three sections focusing on politicians, communities and business. Cloete said his approach was shaped by his curiosity about what motivates people to serve and lead.
The answers were then organised into themes and developed into chapters containing lessons and practical takeaways.
One of the messages he hopes to convey to political and administrative leaders is the importance of remembering why they entered public service.
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“You should be linked to your why. Why are you in that position? Why did you get into politics? Why did you get into administration? There can be no higher calling than being a public servant, not an official, a servant. You work for the greater good of society.”
He said the book contains examples of people who serve their communities because they believe in the value of public service rather than financial rewards.
Reframing the local governance narrative
With South Africa heading towards local government elections in November, Cloete hopes the lessons in the book can assist both newly elected councillors and communities.
“There are plenty examples of councillors who are leading ethically. If you’re a community member, I hope you look at your councillor with new eyes because the thing about knowledge, once you know, you can’t unknow.
“I’m on a mission to change the narrative that local government is all doom and gloom. There are great stories out there and there are beautiful people out there. South Africans are good people at heart.”
101 Local Governance Lessons: From the Great Governance ZA Podcast is published by the University of Johannesburg Press and is available online.
Cloete said efforts are also under way to have the book stocked in mainstream bookshops.
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