Advancing South African Local Government: Key Initiatives For Transformation

Episode Summary:

Dr Emmanuel Ngcobo, President of the Chartered Institute of Government Finance, Audit & Risk Officers (CIGFARO) from October 2023 to October 2025, discusses transformative initiatives in South African local government.

Key points include:

1. Financial Management and Assurance: CIGFARO supports municipalities by enhancing financial governance through capacity-building programmes tailored to local challenges. These efforts aim to restore public trust and ensure practical, impactful outcomes, with increased practitioner participation indicating relevance.
2. Performance Management: Recognising its critical role in service delivery, CIGFARO has integrated performance management into its focus areas, alongside audit and risk. The institute is equipping practitioners with skills to translate municipal plans (e.g., Integrated Development Plans) into measurable results, addressing past neglect of this function.
3. Professionalisation: As a 96-year-old professional body, CIGFARO aligns its programmes with South Africa's professionalisation agenda, collaborating with government entities like National Treasury and the Auditor General. It is also launching a Global Federation for Public Finances to adopt international best practices.
4. Policy Implementation: Despite South Africa's robust policies, implementation challenges persist due to political instability and uncoordinated support from national departments. Recent improvements, driven by a national government of unity, foster better inter-departmental collaboration, reducing duplication and enhancing governance.
5. White Paper Revision: The 2026 White Paper on Local Government revision aims to update outdated policies and establish clear ownership and coordinated support mechanisms between municipalities and national departments to improve policy implementation and service delivery.
6. Local Government Conversations Webinar Series: Now in its fourth year, this digital platform organised by Future Cities Africa, supported by CIGFARO, promotes collaboration and knowledge-sharing amongst municipalities and key stakeholders. It encourages constructive dialogue, technology adoption, and practical solutions to enhance municipal efficiency and service delivery.

Dr Ngcobo emphasises coordinated action, professional capacity-building, and digital transformation as key drivers of sustainable change in South African local government.