SA CITIES NETWORK
ALL-OF-SOCIETY TO ADDRESS URBAN GOVERNANCE ISSUES, HIGHLIGHTS SACN’S 2021 STATE OF CITIES REPORT
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ow in its fifth edition, the South African Cities Network (SACN)’s State of Cities Report 2021 (SoCR) has been released and, overall, strongly points to the need for a whole-of-government and all-ofsociety approach to address rampant urban governance issues, many exasperated by recent emergencies in the financial, health, corruption and climate environments that each require swift, integrated and effective governance.
but face key pressures and that they have been effective drivers of local and national development. The 2021 Report builds on each of these themes, continuing the journey by applying a governance lens to diagnose progress made towards achieving productive, inclusive, sustainable and spatially transformed cities – while demonstrating how all actors across society, from civil society, business, government, and citizens must work together to address ongoing issues at the city level.
The SoCR is a yardstick report that has been published since 2004. Previous editions have focused on how cities can be drivers of social change, that apartheid has remained largely unchanged, that cities are resilient
“This is because by 2050 the South African population is expected to grow by 9 – 24 million people, many of whom will live in cities or towns. Given cities are crucial for global development, their performance in
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Municipal Focus
delivering basic services and positive development outcomes is inextricably linked to the wellbeing of their citizens, regions, countries and the world,” says Sithole Mbanga, CEO of The South African Cities Network. The 9 cities that the SoCR analyses are Buffalo City, Cape Town, Ekurhuleni, eThekwini, Johannesburg, Mangaung, Nelson Mandela Bay, Msunduzi and Tshwane. The report’s insights per city pertain to people and households, the economy, social fabric, sustainability, city finance, service delivery, citizen engagement and transport. “In order for cities to meet their objectives of becoming more economically and socially inclusive, sustainable and spatially transformed,
