The South African Constitution provides that government is broadly constituted as national, provincial and local government, which are distinctive, interdependent and interrelated. The recognition of local government has significantly enhanced its status and has given it a new dynamic character.
Municipalities have a key role to play in South Africa's social and economic development. With limited resources and often insufficient capacity, they have to transform racially segregated areas into integrated communities, provide basic services to people who were denied in them in the past and now often cannot afford them; maintain the highest standards of accountability to national and provincial government and to their own constituents; and create an investor-friendly climate to enable business to expand and to attract other investors.
