Gqeberha — The South African Local Government Association (SALGA) will convene a high-level roundtable in Gqeberha on 30 September 2026 aimed at bolstering governance, accountability and service delivery in Eastern Cape municipalities.
Purpose and participants
Organisers say the event will assemble representatives from national and provincial government, municipal officials, academics, business leaders, civil-society organisations and development partners to move discussions beyond diagnosis and toward implementable solutions.
The roundtable, co-hosted with Nelson Mandela University’s Raymond Mhlaba Centre for Governance and Leadership, takes place at The Capital Boardwalk Hotel in Summerstrand from 08:00 to 15:00. Media have been invited to attend.
- Host: SALGA (South African Local Government Association)
- Partner: Raymond Mhlaba Centre for Governance and Leadership, Nelson Mandela University
- Venue: The Capital Boardwalk Hotel, Boardwalk Mall, Entrance 4, Marine Drive, Summerstrand, Gqeberha
- Time: 08:00–15:00 on 30 September 2026
Agenda: turning policy into practice
SALGA spokesperson Motalatale Modiba said the aim is to translate policy debates, research findings and community experience into practical measures that improve municipal performance. The programme will centre on persistent problems in the province — failing infrastructure, financial instability at municipalities, weak planning and insufficient community participation.
“The roundtable seeks to strengthen collaboration among key stakeholders and ensure that policy, partnerships and performance translate into measurable improvements in service delivery for communities,” Modiba said.
Topics listed for discussion include leadership, governance and accountability; municipal finance and sustainable service delivery; integrated planning and spatial transformation; local economic development; community participation; and disaster risk reduction and climate resilience.
Why the timing matters
Delegates will meet with less than a year remaining in the current local-government term — a window when many municipalities face heightened scrutiny over service backlogs and governance lapses. SALGA has framed the engagement as an opportunity to clarify institutional responsibilities, strengthen oversight, and craft partnerships that can be operationalised quickly.
For Eastern Cape residents, the concerns are immediate: erratic water supply, poorly maintained roads, municipal financial distress and, in some areas, failures in waste removal and electricity distribution. The roundtable signals an attempt to bring different actors together to co-design solutions that can survive council and administration changes after local elections.
What participants will seek to achieve
Organisers and invited stakeholders will aim to produce short-term and medium-term actions, including:
- Practical governance interventions to improve accountability within municipal administrations
- Approaches to stabilise municipal finances and improve infrastructure maintenance
- Mechanisms to deepen community participation in planning and service oversight
- Strategies for integrating climate resilience and disaster risk reduction into local planning
Structure of the engagement
The format combines plenary sessions and focused breakaways so that high-level policy conversation is coupled with sectoral problem-solving. SALGA said the intent is not merely to debate but to identify concrete partnerships between municipal managers, universities, civil society and private-sector actors.
| Focus area | Expected outcome |
|---|---|
| Governance & accountability | Clearer roles, oversight mechanisms and performance indicators |
| Municipal finance | Short-term stabilisation measures and longer-term revenue strategies |
| Integrated planning | Practical steps for spatial transformation and service delivery sequencing |
Access to media and follow-up
Media who wish to attend were invited to confirm attendance and request interviews. SALGA provided contact details for enquiries: Motalatale Modiba at 072 515 3022 or mmodiba@salga.org.za; and Sandiswa Pholo at 084 888 9514 or spholo@salga.org.za.
How the roundtable’s recommendations will be monitored remains a central question. Implementation will require municipal buy-in and resources; without clear accountability mechanisms, outcomes risk remaining at the level of proposals rather than becoming operational changes.
For the Eastern Cape — where many municipalities struggle with capacity and financial constraints — the test will be whether this multi-stakeholder engagement delivers measurable improvements for residents in the months following the event.
