Decisive leadership needed to drive change after 2026 LGE: Analyst

Municipalities need decisive leaders with the political will and understanding of the local government system to drive the changes needed after the 2026 Local Government Elections.

This is according to Political Commentator Rebone Tau; she says meaningful progress, or the lack thereof, starts with the calibre of candidates fielded by political parties.

She says with the application of this, municipalities should see changes as compared to the previous term.

“We need leaders who can go in but also understand the system and how the municipality works and, most importantly, put people first,” she says.

Tau points to concerns about councillors’ ability to perform their responsibilities effectively. A report from KwaZulu-Natal indicated that about 300 councillors could not read or write. In Tshwane, she says, there are 20 councillors without matric qualifications.

“If you get reports like that, how do you expect to improve the lives of the people and service delivery? How will they read documents and elaborate on them in the best interests of the people?”

Principles of putting people first must be respected by those entrusted with governing municipalities, she says.

“You cannot have the Batho Pele principle disrespected by those who are supposed to be driving it. If you have councillors who are clueless and preoccupied with enriching themselves instead of serving the people, we will continue having the same issues building into the next elections.”

Service delivery remains a major challenge

Local government continues to face significant challenges when it comes to service delivery, with the ongoing water crisis in the country being one of the issues Tau highlights.

The impact is particularly significant for residents who pay their rates and taxes but do not always receive the services they are entitled to.

She says councillors need to be accessible to residents and must be free from corruption. She argues that service delivery is a two-way responsibility: leaders must deliver services to communities, while residents have a responsibility to pay for those services.

Coalitions must have clear agreements

Tau also believes coalitions are now a permanent feature of South African local government.

However, she says they continue to be undermined by internal political battles and power struggles.

“We need coalitions with agreements and clear policy direction and consistency. The absence of clear agreements and consistent policy direction, she argues, contributes to political instability, including repeated motions of no confidence against mayors.”

 Visible change needed

Looking beyond the 2026 Local Government Elections, Tau says municipalities need to demonstrate tangible improvements.

“Post this election, there needs to be visible service delivery, especially to those who pay for services,” Tau adds.

Audio: Decisive leadership needed to drive change after 2026 LGE