Deputy Minister Dickson Masemola addresses North West Provincial Local Government Kgothakgothe

Deputy Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA), Dr Namane Dickson Masemola has today (10 February 2026) delivered remarks at the North West Provincial Local Government Kgothakgothe. The engagement was attended by various stakeholders and role-players within the sector – MECs, Executive Mayors, Mayors, Traditional Leaders, Councillors, Ditsobotla NCR, Experts and other guests.

Emphasising the theme – “Fixing Local Government- Every Municipality Must Work”, Deputy Minister emphasised that Kgothakgothe is an important milestone for the province and that the theme is a call to action that our communities must be placed at the centre of service delivery. Kgothakgothe emphasised a need to respond to this theme by emerging from this engagement with an actionable action plan that will set local government in the province on a path towards effective and efficient municipalities.

The two days Provincial Kgothakgothe is held under the following objectives:

1) Adopt a New Narrative – Align stakeholders on a shared vision for accountable, efficient and citizen-focused municipalities.
2) Formulate actionable strategies covering governance, financial recovery and improved service delivery.
3) Strengthen Partnerships: – Enhance collaboration among provincial, national, traditional and oversight bodies.
4) Guide Institutional Reforms.
5) Intensify Electoral Preparedness for 2026 LG Elections.

The state of local government in the North West was raised by the speakers, including MECs as a concern. The challenges in municipalities have negative impact on communities who find themselves in dire conditions.

Kgothakgothe looked at various areas identified as key to resolving the challenges facing local government. The reports presented included – (1) The state of Local Government in NW; (2) State of municipal financial performance & urgent implementation of improvement plans; (3) Reflections on municipal audit outcomes; (4) Indaba Resolutions; (5) the review of White Paper on Local Government; (6) Building blocks towards ideal municipality; (7) State of Readiness for the 2026/27 Local government elections; (8) Determination of municipal boundaries outcomes, etc.

The milestone meeting is meant to reflect, take stock of the current situation and plan ahead towards a lasting solution which places communities at the centre.
The session noted that despite continued national and provincial efforts to support municipalities in the province, unfortunately, challenges in municipalities persist.

To this effect, Kgothakgothe saw robust discussions geared at finding solutions to the problems in Municipalities. The Review of White Paper on Local Government is important as it emphasised the need for reforms that would benefit communities.

The session is a recognition of the commitment by the provincial government and the ensure sector to move decisively towards greater coherence, coordination, and collaboration, ensuring that all national and provincial interventions in municipalities are aligned, complementary, and geared towards a single developmental agenda for maximum impact in the lives of many South Africans, especially those who were marginalised by the apartheid regime.

The Kgothakgothe noted with concern the challenges related to the exorbitant costs related use of consultants, litigations, etc. The poor revenue collection and unfunded budgets were also highlighted as challenges that require urgent attention and improvement. These and many other challenges are being discussed over the two days by the delegates attending Kgothakgothe.

The Deputy Minister spoke extensively about the type of municipality that we would like to see post the 2026/27 local government elections.
The Session also reflected on the challenges and plan of action emanating from the Local Government Indaba – 2025. The integration of the Indaba outcomes into the Kgothakgothe was important as it allowed delegates to locate their work within those resolutions, thereby implementing the agreed plans.

The message was clear, communities expect municipalities to make life easy for communities that are the beneficiaries of services provided by municipalities. Deputy Minister emphasised that as a caring government, ours is to always strive to meet the needs of communities and make their lives better.

The Review of the White Paper on Local Government (WPLG), was described as “a bridge between analysis and action”. The Deputy Minister provided an update on the ongoing work to review the 1998 local government White Paper which is nearing the completion. The new WPLG review updates the 1998 framework by drawing on 30 years of experience and responding to current priorities, challenges, and developmental realities.

This White Paper provides the national policy framework for the local government sphere as defined in the Constitution. It is unique in that it addresses an entire sphere of democratic government, with no equivalent white papers for the national or provincial spheres.

Of importance, it serves as an All-Of-Government and Intergovernmental Framework guiding all departments and regulators with authority over local government and acts as a blueprint for future legislation and regulations. Deputy Minister highlighted that the First Draft of the Reviewed White Paper on Local Government has been completed and released for public consultations and comments during February and March months (2026).

The Deputy Minister urged commitment from the local government leadership in the province to turn the situation around for the benefit of communities, emphasising that all municipalities must work for the benefit of the people.

In conclusion, Deputy Minister Masemola urged for cooperation and working together to ensure that municipalities are able to deliver on their constitutional mandate.

Enquiries:
Musa Maud Mkaliphi
Media Liaison Officer to the Deputy Minister of CoGTA
Cell: 063 271 3498 / 060 204 2563

Mr Legadima Leso
Head of Communications – CoGTA
Cell: 066 479 9904

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