Local government in South Africa is in for a testing year during 2010 – both at service delivery level and as an institution of government. Some elements of the testing time will stretch well into the new decade.

During the first half of the year, particularly in the major metropolitan areas, the infrastructure and management skills of local government will be tested severely in terms of the ability to deliver on the promise of “the best Soccer World Cup ever”.

The upgrading of infrastructure of the road and transport networks, which went hand-in-hand with huge disruptions for the travelling public, is fast approaching completion – as is the case with stadiums and their precincts. By the second half of the year, we will know if it was worth the country’s while.

If all goes well, the legacy of the 2010 Fifa Soccer World Cup will leave our metropolitan areas with a much improved, more efficient transport system that will serve us well for many years to come. Similarly, if the tournament lives up to expectations as a marketing event, the advantages will linger for some time in the tourism industry.

Once the soccer fans have returned home, the noise of next year’s municipal elections will take over the local government scene. For a number of reasons, the 2011 election will be the most important for the third level of government since the advent of full democracy in 1994. It will also be a make-or-break affair for certain political parties.

Not only will the elections be contested extremely keenly, but it will also present an opportunity for communities to vent their anger and frustration over unrealised expectations of service delivery and improvement of their living conditions since 1994. This situation is also sure to be exploited to the maximum by some – if not all – political role-players.

To this already explosive mix can be added plans for structural interventions, which are likely to come into play in the months and immediate years ahead. These include:

• Plans for a single civil service for all three tiers of government;

• Declared intentions by President Jacob Zuma to see a separation between municipal officialdom and political parties;

• The possibility of scrapping separate elections on different dates for local government and the introduction of one “super election”; and

• Possible redrawing of the boundaries of some local authorities.

All in all, we are in for eventful times on the local government front – that is an unavoidable fact. South Africa and all its people, whose lives are most directly affected by the government at local level, will be best served if all concerned show restraint during these testing times.

Piet Coetzer