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Government issues guidelines for new municipal councils after elections

Published

Ongoing: Elections Hot

The Department of Cooperative Governance, National Treasury and the South African Local Government Association (SALGA) signed the joint guidelines on 30 September 2026. They cover coalitions, handovers, finances and planning, as the Electoral Commission is expected to announce final results on Sunday.

The guidelines say the first council meeting must be convened within 14 days after a council is declared elected. Local and metropolitan municipalities have 120 days after the elections and first council meetings to set up ward committees. Municipal staff establishments must be reviewed within 12 months of the election.

On coalitions, the three bodies say agreements are political arrangements between parties. They cannot override the Constitution or other applicable law. After the 2021 Local Government Elections, 76 municipalities were led by coalitions.

The guidelines say municipalities must pay creditors, including Eskom and the Water Boards, first, to avoid service disruptions and financial instability. Municipalities with unfunded budgets, adverse audit outcomes or persistent financial problems may face interventions and funding-related measures.

The guidelines also refer to the District Development Model, which covers 44 district municipalities and eight metropolitan municipalities.

Key facts

Who
Department of Cooperative Governance (issued joint guidelines with National Treasury and SALGA); National Treasury (issued joint guidelines with DCoG and SALGA); South African Local Government Association (issued joint guidelines with DCoG and National Treasury); Electoral Commission of South Africa (expected to announce final 2026 Local Government Election results on Sunday, 8…)
What
Ahead of the IEC's expected announcement of final 2026 Local Government Election results on Sunday 8 November, DCoG, National Treasury and SALGA have outlined joint guidelines covering council establishment, coalition arrangements, administrative handovers, financial accountability and development planning for incoming councils.
When
7 November 2026
Where
South Africa
Status
Reported

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