This handbook is a resource guide primarily for you, the some 1170 councillors and administrative staff of municipalities and neighbourhood democratic councils. It is a tool that explains local government laws, particularly in relation to the role, scope and authority of councillors and councils, to assist you to perform your jobs effectively and responsibly. Though every effort has been made to ensure accuracy of the information presented, this guide is not set in stone.
Despite the progressive provisions in the Constitution and subsidiary laws relating to the system of local government, the system in the recent past was considered to have little, if any, relevance. This was as a consequence of central government’s attitude over an extended period of time which suffocated local government organs and denied them their constitutional authority.