A Municipal Road Travelled (ePub)

This book spans the political transition from apartheid South Africa to the new South Africa with a democratic Constitution and a Bill of Rights. It represents the author's memoirs for the period 1985 to 2022 and his involvement in local government and its transformation from racially based municipalities under apartheid, to non-racial municipalities.

He shares his personal experience and stories from the various municipalities that he served during this period. In doing so, he tell the story of the transformation journey of local government in South Africa. The author is in a unique position having worked in a Black Municipality (Munsieville) from 1987 to 1992, in a White Municipality from 1992 to 1995 (Margate Borough) and non-racial Municipalities (Margate Transitional Local Council, Greater Margate Municipality and the Hibiscus Coast Municipality) from 1995 to 2003.

He witnessed and participated actively in the negotiations between municipalities and the civic associations in the early 1990's and the later negotiations leading up to the establishment of Transitional Local Councils (TLCs) in 1995. He writes extensively about these negotiations and the various roleplayers involved.

The author concludes the book with two chapters. One that critically look at the state of local government today, why some of the current challenges experienced has its genesis in the legal framework adopted between 1998 and 2004 for the new dispensation for local government and what must be done to get local government back on track. In the last chapter he briefly looks at the outcome of the 2021 local government elections and whether the many governing coalitions that were formed after the elections brought stability to local government.

Herewith an overview of the chapters in the book:

Three introductory chapters -

Chapter 1: Introduction to the book.
Chapter 2: Overview of the history of local government in South Africa.
Chapter 3: The authors upbringing in Apartheid South Africa, his studies, and the start of his career so that you know a bit more about the author.

Five chapters about Munsieville, his experience working in the township and the negotiations with the local civic association following the unbanning of the ANC in 1990.

Chapter 4: Overview of the history of Munsieville - 1889 to 1985.
Chapter 5: Turbulent and uncertain times in Munsieville - 1986.
Chapter 6: A time of unprecedented peace, stability, and progress in Munsieville - 1987 to 1989.
Chapter 7: The local government negotiations in Munsieville - 1990 to 1992.
Chapter 8: Munsieville after I left - post 1992.

Four chapters about his experiences working at municipalities on the KwaZulu-Natal Lower South Coast and the negotiations leading up to the establishment of Transitional Local Councils in 1995.

Chapter 9: Margate Borough and the establishment of the National Local Government Negotiating Forum - 1992 to 1995.
Chapter 10: Local Government Negotiations on the Natal Lower South Coast - 1993 to 1995.
Chapter 11: Establishment of the Margate Transitional Local Council and elections for the Greater Margate Municipality - 1995 to 1999.
Chapter 12: Establishment of the Hibiscus Coast Municipality - 2000 to 2003.

One chapter, chapter 13, on his career after leaving the service of local government - 2003 to 2022 and working at inter alia PricewaterhouseCoopers and the Western Cape Department of Local Government.

Two chapters on the current state of local government and the 2021 local government elections.

Chapter 14: A critical reflection: The state of local government in South Africa (post 2000).
Chapter 15: 2021 Local Government Elections and the dilemma of unstable local government coalitions.