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The GGLN is a network of South African non-governmental organisations (NGOs) that aims to promote participatory, effective, accountable and pro-poor local governance.

The network was established in 2003 in order to provide an interface for civil society organisations  working on issues of local governance and citizen participation to network and share information towards strengthening local democracy in South Africa. Other objectives include the documentation and dissemination of good practices, building the capacity of practitioners, advocacy, as well as creating awareness about the value of participatory local governance. 

On 13 April, the GGLN launched its third State of Local Governance Report. The theme of this year’s report, Recognising Community Voice and Dissatisfaction, was driven to a large extent by community-based protests and the proposed local government policy reforms. These protests have brought wide-spread attention to the gaps in delivery on basic services, a poorly capacitated administrative system and a fledgling political system. This publication includes a varied perspective, considering both formal and emerging or “invented” spaces of participation, and critiques techno-bureaucratic and state-centric approaches to democratic participation.

For a PDF copy of this report, click here.

State of Local Governance Report - 2008

Local Democracy in Action: A Civil Society Perspective on Local Governance in South Africa

Last year marked the tenth anniversary of the 1998 White Paper on Local Government. Under the guidance of this document, the form and substance of local government and governance in South Africa has been fundamentally reshaped. As a network of civil society organisations active in the field of local governance, we have been witnesses to the development of South Africa’s new system of local government over the past decade, and have observed its successes and shortcomings as they unfolded. This report provides the GGLN’s perspective on the local governance environment, of what has been achieved, and the priorities and challenges that lie ahead.