Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Velenkosini Hlabisa has called for an urgency in addressing what he called “the hard reality” of the deteriorating performance of the country’s eight metropolitan municipalities.
Hlabisa highlighted that the metros play a crucial role in improving the quality of life for communities, by promoting inclusive local economic development and providing vital services, including housing, electricity, water, sanitation, and waste removal.
He has however painted a concerning picture of metros under strain from a combination of governance failures, financial mismanagement, and infrastructure decay.
“As executive mayors of metropolitan municipalities, you lead the governance and economic engines of our country.
You carry the significant responsibility and civic duty of navigating the socio-economic complexities of modern urban life, often under challenging circumstances,” stressed the minister.
The Minister was addressing a high-level meeting of metro leaders at the in Boksburg, where he reiterated that the health of metropolitan municipalities is critical to the country’s economic stability, noting that they house 62% of the nation’s population and generate over two-thirds of the country’s GDP.
“We stand at a crossroads.
The time for decisive action is now.
We must commit ourselves to enhancing intergovernmental relations and fostering partnerships that can revitalise our governance framework.
It is through collaborative efforts that we can rise to the occasion, restore public trust, and improve the quality of life for all South Africans living in our metropolitan areas,” said Hlabisa.
Metropolitan municipalities across South Africa are facing systemic governance, fiscal, and institutional pressures that severely hinder their ability to serve their communities effectively.
“If these eight metropolitan municipalities are not fully functional or are in a state of collapse, the country will soon collapse,” warned the minister.
Hlabisa accentuated political instability, poor decision-making, and a lack of accountability as key factors undermining effective governance.
He emphasised that many of the municipalities are battling declining revenue and low collection rates, while simultaneously facing rising service delivery demands driven by rapid urbanisation.
The minister also raised concern about failure of some national and provincial government departments to pay for services rendered by municipalities daily, contributing to municipalities’ mounting debt to bulk suppliers such as Eskom and water boards.
Hlabisa underscored the importance of collaboration in efforts to enhance service delivery and governance in local government, calling for decisive and collective action to restore the functionality of metropolitan municipalities.
“We are three spheres of government but one country.
We will successfully overcome the obstacles that our metropolitan municipalities are currently facing by working together.
This engagement must yield sustainable, meaningful contributions that keep our metros at the heart of economic growth and development,” concluded the minister.
