The evolution of South African local governments: The politics of memory

The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996 (Act 108 of 1996), Section 151 provides for the establishment of the local government sphere as a distinctive sphere of government closest to the people it democratically governs, a sphere of government which is interdependent and interrelated with the provincial and national spheres of government. The Local Government: Municipal Structures Act, 1998 (Act 117 of 1998), as amended, provides for the establish-ment of local government in accordance with the requirements relating to categories and types of municipalities to be in line with the vision of democratic and developmental local government.