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University of the Western Cape

Volume 20, Issue 2, June 2025

A decade into the implementation of SPLUMA: What have we learnt?

The 1st of July 2025 marks the 10th year anniversary since the Spatial Planning and Land Use Management Act of 2013 (SPLUMA) came into effect. SPLUMA regulates spatial planning and land use management in South Africa.

ConCourt bans only senior managers from holding political office

The recent 2023/24 Consolidated General Report on Local Government Audit Outcomes paints a bleak picture of governance in municipalities. Only 41 out of 257 municipalities received clean audit outcomes for the 2023/24 financial period, and there are more audit regressions than improvements (Auditor General, 2025: 25).

Making use of citizen-based monitoring approach to improve service delivery by municipalities

Over the last decade, South African municipalities have been at the forefront of escalating public frustration, with persistent complaints over poor service delivery leading to widespread protests across the country.

Parallel councils and duplicate management teams: The crisis in Thabazimbi Local Municipality

The Thabazimbi Local Municipality in Limpopo has been dysfunctional since 2021, paralysed by parallel municipal councils and management teams led by rival African National Congress (ANC) and Democratic Alliance (DA) coalitions.

The implementation of the Municipal Staff Regulations in South Africa: Challenges, successes and future directions

Local government in South Africa faces systemic structural challenges, including governance failures, administrative inefficiencies and misaligned human resource practices.

The role of special economic zones in the promotion of local economic development

Special Economic Zones (SEZs) are key tools used to attract investment, promote industrial development, and create jobs in South Africa. Zones like COEGA, Dube TradePort, and Saldanha Bay have recorded notable investment inflows and helped stimulate economic growth in their regions.