Parliament, Wednesday, 22 April 2026 – The Portfolio Committee on Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) on Tuesday expressed concern that the performance targets set by the Department of Cooperative Governance (DCoG) do not reflect the scale of the challenges communities face.
DCoG, the Department of Traditional Affairs and the Municipal Infrastructure Support Agent (MISA) briefed the committee on their Annual Performance Plans (APPs) for the 2026/27 year.
During deliberations, Members emphasised the need to close the gap between what is presented in these plans and departmental reports and what is happening on the ground in communities.
The concern was that, while the DCoG’s APP sets structured targets, communities continue to face challenges in accessing basic services, such as water provision, maintaining infrastructure and joblessness. Some Members felt several targets were too “modest” and called for clearer explanations of how these targets would be achieved, how progress would be measured and how confident the department is that it can meet them. Members also emphasised the need for greater clarity on the distinction between outputs and outcomes, stressing that spending and activity, in themselves, do not amount to real impact.
The committee also expressed concern about a lack of capacity in municipalities, including vacant critical posts, limited skills in essential areas such as preparing financial statements and overall poor administrative capability. Regarding poor financial management, Members pointed to problems such as creditor backlogs, non-payment of contractors, project stoppages and the broader inability of municipalities to sustain recovery plans such as audit recovery plans.
Members questioned whether current support measures, including section 154 support, are producing meaningful improvement on these challenges. They called for more concrete evidence of the impact of these interventions. They were also concerned that the department’s plans do not yet sufficiently reflect the urgency of professionalisation, accountability and consequence management in local government.
The committee paid particular attention to the department’s contribution to job creation, which is an objective with set targets. Members insisted on a detailed explanation of how this would be achieved, measured and sustained. The Community Work Programme (CWP) was a major concern, with Members questioning its practical value and what happens to these workers after completing accredited training.
Some Members cited reports that CWP workers often lack the equipment to do their job, face several operational difficulties and do not always work under conditions that support meaningful delivery. Members also raised the issue of NGOs, arguing that the DCoG must account more clearly for the role and cost of these structures.
On service delivery, Members focused on issues relating to water provision. They highlighted ongoing water insecurity in communities and raised concern about infrastructure backlogs, maintenance failures and uncertainty around institutional responsibility for water provision. They noted that these failures continue to affect communities and require more focused intervention. They emphasised the need to focus on meaningful outcomes, as merely meeting targets, such as expenditure targets, often does not translate into real impact for residents.
The committee also urged the department to expedite key reforms, including the Local Government: General Laws Amendment Bill (Coalition Bill), the State of Local Government Report and disaster management reforms. It emphasised that these processes are important to improving local government performance and should be advanced with more urgency.
The committee further underscored the importance of balancing long-term planning with short-term delivery. Members asked for clearer, time-bound priorities that indicate what can realistically be achieved within the next year and how progress will be tracked.
ISSUED BY THE PARLIAMENTARY COMMUNICATION SERVICES ON BEHALF OF THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON COOPERATIVE GOVERNANCE AND TRADITIONAL AFFAIRS, DR ZWELI MKHIZE.
For media enquiries, please contact the committee’s Media Officer:
Name: Alicestine October
Cell: 083 665 4345
E-mail: aoctober@parliament.gov.za
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