Abstract
It is widely agreed that service provision is the biggest challenge facing South African municipalities and particularly smaller municipalities. This paper analyses the South African municipal government with a focus on how it responds to the vision to build a capable state through developmental government – and the eff ects of political interference and corruption - to fi nd ways to reduce the problem of service delivery. A qualitative approach was used, and data were collected from various jurisdictions through record review and telephone interviews to fi ll data knowledge gaps. Most municipalities have described clean water, work prospects and free basic services as the key service delivery obstacles that hinder the realisation of a developmentally competent local government in South Africa. The discussion fi nds that yet another problem is political interference in municipal administration. Although public engagement in civic aff airs is a legal necessity, much remains to be done to bring about meaningful participation. Sanitation has always been a challenge for service delivery, particularly in rural communities, due primarily to a lack of infrastructure. Lastly, it was found that municipalities must do more to create human resources to provide services reflecting a developmentally competent South African local government.