Cabinet has welcomed the signing into law the Local Government Municipal Systems Amendment Act by President Cyril Ramaphosa.

The Bill repeals the Amendment Act and has been properly tagged as a section 76 Bill. The Bill was approved by Parliament on 3 May 2022 with further amendments following comprehensive public participation processes at both national and provincial levels.

Following its meeting on Wednesday, Cabinet in a statement said it was confident that the changes would ensure that those who are appointed or elected into these positions will be able to deliver on their promises so that we can achieve a better life for all.

The Act aims to improve the capacity and ethical standards of local government. The law forms part of government’s efforts to professionalise the public service and ensure the sustainable provision of services to the people, as a basic right enshrined in the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa of 1996.

The Act specifies the processes to be followed for senior position appointments. It now prevents senior public officials from holding political office in political parties. Also with this Act in place, vacant municipal manager posts are expected to be advertised nationally to attract a wide pool of suitable candidates.

Source: South African Government News Agency