The Effects and Prospects of Covid-19 in South African Local Government Sphere

Abstract

The advent of Covid-19 pandemic in South African shores brought abrupt changes in the way municipalities functions and has forced them to think outside the box and come up with innovative ways to effectively perform functions assigned to them. Thus, the purpose of this article is to investigate the impact of COVID-19 on South African local government sphere and what copying mechanism were employed by the municipalities around the country. Nonetheless, while many municipalities struggledto perform their duties under Covid-19 restrictions it became important for the purpose of this article to further explore the challenges that municipalities face in thier quest to provide service delivery during  Covid-19 lockdown period in South African local government. By systematically addressing existing empirical research, the paper provides a sound basis for a more evidence-based discussion of this highly debated and politicised issue. Therefore, the analysis suggests for cooperative governance to be reprioritised amongst the three spheres of government in the fight against Covid-19 pandemic while ensuring the provision of services to the people as the primary objective of local government.