Page 12 - Research Report 2025.1

Participant 1
“The municipality is governed by an ANC-led government, 100%. So the council is made up of those and a few other
parties, like DA, but I think it’s only a small percentage of those.”
Participant 5
“Alfred Ndzo district Municipality is a municipality that is governed by it is mostly in terms of the administrative and
politically. It is, under the leadership of the ANC government.”
Participant 4
“Politically, this is one of the stable municipalities... when we are here in this space, what is it that we want to do? What is it that our people need?”
Participant 6
“Our council is stable. We have government structures with all the committees as mandated by the law to govern the institution.”
Theme 1:
Governance and Financial Structure of Rural Municipalities
This theme focuses on the governance, political leadership and financial dependence of rural municipalities.
Political Leadership and Governance
Participants reported the political structure of rural municipalities, particularly noting the dominant role of the African National Congress (ANC) in local governance in the context of Alfred Nzo District. Participant 1 explained that the municipality is led by an ANC-majority council, with a few smaller political parties like the Democratic Alliance (DA) holding minor representation. Participant 5 confirmed that the Alfred Nzo District Municipality operates primarily under ANC leadership in both political and administrative functions.
Participants highlighted the political stability of rural municipalities like Alfred Nzo, noting that this stability plays a critical role in ensuring effective governance. Participant 4 described the municipality as one of the most politically stable, which allows local leaders to focus on the needs of the community without the disruptions caused by political conflict. This stability enables the municipality to maintain clear goals and long-term development plans, ensuring that the community’s priorities are consistently addressed.
Participant 6 further stressed that the council operates within the structures mandated by law, with all necessary committees in place to govern effectively. This structured governance contributes to the overall stability of the municipality, allowing for smooth operation and consistent delivery of services.
Participant 3
“In the council, traditional leaders are involved, Okay. I don’t know how do they choose which traditional leadership because we have traditional leaders in the district the council”.
Participant 5
“There’s also strong, relations between them, the district municipality, and the traditional leaders, within the district municipality. As such, there is no program that is being done by the municipality without the involvement of the traditional leaders or their representatives”
Traditional Leadership Involvement in Governance
Participant 7
Any population or settlement or territory which
is not urban area...with traditional, cultural defined areas or places that statutory recognised to be rural. In most cases, these areas are under the leadership of traditional Monarch, unlike urban areas.
The involvement of traditional leadership in rural governance is a critical component of the political structure in municipalities like Alfred Nzo. Participant 3 noted that traditional leaders are actively involved in the council, although the process of selecting which traditional leaders participate in governance is not always clear. Nevertheless, their inclusion ensures that local governance reflects the cultural values and practices of the community.
Participant 5 underscored the strong relationship between the district municipality and traditional leaders, stating that no municipal programs are undertaken without the involvement of traditional leaders or their representatives. This partnership ensures that development initiatives and public services are culturally appropriate and accepted by the local population, fostering community support and engagement.
Participant 2
“Rural municipality heavy heavily depends on supply of the grants. Grant supplied by whether the provincial or the national government. They heavily depend on the grants because of the because of the type of people that you would find in an area that is classified as a rural. Yeah. Where you would that, the opportunities that are there are limited. And, it’s a rurality, character.”
Participant 5
“We dependent on the grants, the municipal infrastructure grants, and all related grants that we received from government for infrastructure development. But there isn’t much that we’re doing as the district municipality in terms of having a revenue that we generate on our own.”
10 | STUDY OBJECTIVE I