Webinar Summary: State of Democracy Unpacked

Below is a summary of the webinar titled State of Democracy. This webinar was hosted on 27 November 2024.

Local Democracy in Crisis: Experts Call for Radical Reforms to Empower Communities

JOHANNESBURG – As South Africa grapples with the state of democracy at the local government level, leading experts have called for urgent and radical reforms to empower communities and restore accountability.

In a webinar hosted by the Community Action Network, Professor William Gumede and Julius Kleynhans, a local government commentator, painted a bleak picture of the current state of affairs, highlighting the failure of democratic practices and the need for a fundamental shift in the culture of governance. Gumede, an associate professor at the University of the Witwatersrand, emphasized that while South Africa has the necessary laws and institutions to support democracy, the country is severely lacking in democratic culture. The professor pointed to the dominance of the African National Congress (ANC) as a contributing factor, stating that the party’s culture has often become a competing system to democracy, with leaders prioritizing party interests over democratic principles. Kleynhans, an executive manager at the Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (OUTA), echoed these sentiments, arguing that the political dynamics have turned local government into a “career” rather than a service to the community.

The experts called for a radical transformation of the municipal structure, proposing that local governments be run like non-profit companies, with a focus on core functions and professionalized management. Kleynhans suggested removing political representation altogether, replacing it with a professional board to oversee governance.

“I see a municipality that needs to be run as a non-profit company. It’s needs to be run like a business,” Kleynhans said, emphasizing the need for highly qualified municipal managers and transparent performance agreements.

The panelists also highlighted the failure of public participation processes, with Julia Fish, project manager at JoburgCAN, describing the City of Johannesburg as a “failed state” where community concerns are often ignored.

“People protest because they don’t have another platform to tell the city that they’re unhappy,” she said.

Gumede and Kleynhans called for legislative changes to enforce transparency and accountability, including the personal liability of public officials for failures and the mandatory public disclosure of all tenders.

As the 2026 local government elections loom, the experts emphasized the need for a shift in voting culture, urging citizens to vote based on competence rather than past affiliations or ethnicity. Gumede suggested that political parties should consider partnering at the local level to field competent candidates and keep populist forces at bay. The webinar participants expressed a sense of urgency, recognizing that the upcoming elections present a critical opportunity to shape the future of local governance in South Africa. With communities increasingly frustrated by the lack of accountability and service delivery, the call for radical reforms has never been louder.