2025 Institute for Local Government (iLGM) Conference

The theme of this year’s iLGM conference is “From Local Government Transformation to Building Capable Local Government Management: Clearing the Forest”.

The concept of a capable state is a common currency in the South African political and management landscape. Yet, it remains a vague, almost catch-all phrase, aspirational but not sufficiently defined, described, or explained, which can address the gaps its use is purportedly meant to solve. In the vortex of transitioning from a transformation continuum, spanning more than two decades, building a capable state has also gained traction and currency in the local government sphere and sector.

The transformation of a post-apartheid local government system is traced to the Local Government Transition Act, No. 209 of 1993 (LGTA), the Green and White Papers on Local Government, and the various Local Government Acts, including the Municipal Structures Act, Municipal Systems Act, Municipal Finance Management Act, and Municipal Property Rates Act, which were promulgated to give legal effect to the policy intents of the era.

Notwithstanding the legal provisions to guide the construction of a post-apartheid local government system, the residues of apartheid planning, capacity building, and core local
government functions continue to fragment the public service and public sector character of the local sphere of government. Interventions which included the idea of a single public service were introduced to catalyse the transformation journey’s public administration and management dimensions and process considerations.

The National Development Plan states, “A separate strategy is needed to recruit high-calibre people into local government. It is in the interests of all spheres of government to ensure sufficient capacity exists to implement core government priorities and responsibilities, particularly ensuring that everyone has access to high-quality basic services. Yet, skills shortages
are most evident in local government, especially in rural municipalities. Municipalities require a flow of promising graduates if they are to manage their core functions, and pursue outstanding public service transformation matters regarding the requirement of a capable state in all spheres of government”

To respond to this managerial challenge of local government in building a capable state, the Institute for Local Government Management, a professional association operating in the Local
The government sector invites academics, local government administration and management practitioners, and policymakers to its annual iLGM conference, under the theme:
‘From Local Government Transformation to Building Capable Local Government Management: Clearing the Forest’.

Sub Themes

To make sense of the above theme and to enable rigorous discussion, the following sub-themes
are formulated:

1. Local Government Capability: Management of the Economy
   a. Expanding the economic development capacity of local government
   b. Building rural economies for global competitiveness
   c. Developing a sustainable theory of the ‘township and village economy’
2. Local Government Capability: International relations
   a. Creating global urban development nodes
   b. The RSA G20 presidency and developmental local government
   c. Leveraging the city-to-city partners for growth and development
3. Local Government Capability: The National Infrastructure Development Programme
   a. Public Infrastructure facilitation and municipalities
   b. Reimagining Municipal Infrastructure Development
4. Local Government Capability: The National Accountability Ecosystem
   a. Improving the audit outcomes for service delivery
   b. Managing the local government oversight functions
   c. Managing the district development system: A case for the DDM.
   d. Imagining a future and less complex IGR system: Simplifying and Enabling IGR
5. Local Government Capability: Foreign and Local Direct Investment
   a. Competitiveness of municipal jurisdictions
   b. International trade relations with Municipalities
6. Local Government Capability: The Unbundling of Network Industries
   a. Local government revenue generation through services
   b. Local government assets and network industry restructuring
   c. The Fiscal impact of unbundling and off-griding water and electricity
   to local government
7. Local Government Capability: The Building of the Professional Bureaucracy
   a. The Professionalisation Framework and Local Government
   b. Building a single or public service: Reimagining the local government central
   bargaining system for developmental local government
8. Management for the development agenda of local government
   a. Integrating Technology, Innovation, People, and Systems for institutional
   performance
   b. Building structures of institutional leadership for local government management
   c. Management of government-wide performance in municipalities

iLGM conference Papers

Based on the sub-themes, an opportunity will be created for well-considered individual contributions to the discourse on capable local government management. Responses to a call for
papers will dictate this. Read more about the call for papers on the iLGM website.

iLGM conference registration

To register for the 2025 iLGM conference, please visit the iLGM conference registration page.