REFLECTING ON THE PAST
AND BOLDLY LOOKING TO THE FUTURE Every journey has a beginning, and November 1996 marks the beginning of the South African Local Government Association’s journey. By Bonolo Selebano
T
he life story of the South African Local Government Association (SALGA) is one of innovation, influence, impact, and growth to meet the evolving needs of its member municipalities and the local government sector within an ever-changing municipal world. As an organisation, SALGA has grown considerably over the years. During this period, the national voice of local government in South Africa also refined its story to become a key role player in building inclusive and sustainable communities across the length and breadth of the country. Working closely together with municipalities to achieve shared goals and meet common challenges, SALGA has achieved much, and the organisation is looking forward to achieving even more in the years to come.
play in representing the interests of local government within the unfolding system of intergovernmental relations,” he said. In 1998, the Minister for Provincial Affairs and Constitutional Development (currently Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs) recognised SALGA as the national association representing local government,
as per section 2(1) of the Organised Local Government Act, 1997 (No. 52 of 1997). In 2002, SALGA began operating as a Schedule 3A public entity in terms of the Public Finance Management Act of 1999. SALGA continued to consolidate its institutional systems and processes and now 25 years later, the organisation has a staff complement of 404 employees across the nine provinces and boasts a wide array of services rendered to the country’s 257 municipalities. SALGA’s rich history will be key to its success in the future. It truly is a voice and an advocate for local government; this role is as important today as it was two and a half decades ago.
ESTABLISHING A FOOTPRINT SALGA has come a long way since its establishment 25 years ago, where its formation can be traced back to the November 1996 National Summit for Organised Local Government in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, five months after the conclusion of the country’s first municipal government elections. The summit was a milestone in local government and paved the way to co-operative governance across the three spheres of government. Speaking at the summit, then president Nelson Mandela underscored the importance of local government associations in not only representing the interests of municipalities, but also strengthening their institutional capacities. “The establishment of the South African Local Government Association begins a new era. Congratulations on this achievement. You have a critical role to
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