President Ramaphosa to launch the Revised White Paper on Local Government

President Cyril Ramaphosa will tomorrow, Thursday, 22 October 2026, launch the Cabinet-approved Revised White Paper on Local Government (WPLG), 2026, at the Birchwood Hotel & OR Tambo Conference Centre in Ekurhuleni, Gauteng.
 
The launch will be convened under the theme “Every Municipality Must Work: From Policy to Collective Action” and marks an important step in advancing the reform of local government in South Africa.
 
The Revised White Paper builds on the national dialogue on the future of local government, including the resolutions of the 2022 Presidential Local Government Summit, stakeholder consultations and the government’s ongoing efforts to address persistent challenges relating to municipal governance, financial management, institutional capacity and service delivery.
 
The policy provides a framework for a differentiated approach to municipalities, recognising that metropolitan, secondary-city, rural and small-town municipalities have different capacities, challenges and development needs.
 
The launch will also introduce the Implementation Plan and Transition Management Body, which will support the transition from policy development to implementation. The White Paper will be accompanied by the Research Compendium, which consolidates the research informing the policy review.
 
The launch follows the President’s commitments in the 2026 State of the Nation Address (SONA), in which he pledged to finalise a revised White Paper to reimagine the local government system and address its structural and operational challenges.
 
The event will bring together the political and administrative leadership of all 257 municipalities, national and provincial government, Parliament, constitutional and oversight institutions, organised local government, traditional and Khoi-San leadership, organised labour, organised business, civil society, academia, professional bodies and development partners.
 
The launch will provide an opportunity to strengthen stakeholder ownership of the revised policy and reinforce the shared responsibility of government and wider society in building capable, accountable and developmental municipalities that deliver reliable services and respond to the needs of communities.
 
President Ramaphosa will launch the Revised White Paper on Local  Government as follows: 
Date: Thursday, 22 October 2026
Time: 14h00
Venue: Birchwood Hotel & OR Tambo Conference Centre, City of Ekurhuleni, Gauteng
 
 
For media accreditation enquiries, please contact Mr Legadima Leso: 066 479 9904
 
 
Media enquiries: Vincent Magwenya, Spokesperson to the President  -media@presidency.gov.za
 
Issued by: The Presidency
Pretoria