16 Jul 2026

Local authorities are assessed twice a year using the Balanced Scorecard methodology, which measured performance through four key perspectives.

This was revealed by Minister of Local Government and Traditional Affairs, Mr Ketlhalefile Motshegwa when answering a question in Parliament on Wednesday.

He said the first perspective assessed how local authorities delivered their core products and services to customers, adding that the products and services were prescribed under the Local Government Act and Government Gazette Extraordinary G.N. No. 742 of November 12, 2024.

Mr Mohwasa said the second perspective evaluated the efficiency of the internal processes used to deliver those services, while the third assessed institutional capacity to manage the processes effectively.

He said institutional capacity covered areas such as human resource management, staffing levels, leadership, management competencies and organisational agility.

The minister noted that the fourth perspective measured the ability of local authorities to generate revenue and effectively manage the resources at their disposal.

Therefore, he said the ministry did not compare the performance of local authorities.

Instead, Mr Motshegwa said each was assessed individually based on its unique circumstances and socio-economic environment as each institution operated under different conditions.

“Each local authority is assessed on its own, considering its uniqueness and the socio-economic dynamics therein. Some local authorities have high levels of poverty, while others have limited enablers for social and economic development. It would therefore not be fair to compare institutions that are not congruent,” he said.

Minister Motshegwa also pointed out that the ministry had identified 10 factors contributing to poor service delivery and weak development outcomes, as well as 41 interventions aimed at addressing the challenges.

He said the interventions formed part of government’s efforts to improve service delivery by removing administrative bottlenecks that slowed down the delivery of public services.

Among the challenges identified, was a fragmented policy and legislative framework. 

Mr Motshegwa said the ministry had resolved to harmonise the relevant policies and legislation in consultation with government institutions and other stakeholders.

“Other factors affecting service delivery include an unfavorable fiscal environment for local authorities, weak project management, poor monitoring and evaluation systems, inadequate digitalisation, shortages of human resources, ageing fleets, equipment and infrastructure, lack of a governance framework for local authorities, corruption perceptions and incidents, as well as high prices of government goods and services,” he said. 

In addition, he said factors affecting service delivery would continue to evolve, with some disappearing as solutions were implemented, while new challenges emerged in response to changes within local authorities.

He said the ministry would continue to monitor the performance of each local authority and work closely with their leadership and management to improve performance, service delivery and development outcomes.

Minister Motshegwa was answering a question from MP for Kgatleng Central, Mr Mpho Morolong who had asked the minister to brief Parliament on the comparative performance by local authorities and what factors contributed to poor service delivery and development outcomes. ENDS