Local Government: Municipal Systems Act 32 of 2000

The Local Government: Municipal Systems Act 32 of 2000 intends:

to provide for the core principles, mechanisms and processes that are necessary to enable municipalities to move progressively towards the social and economic upliftment of local communities, and ensure universal access to essential services that are affordable to all;
to define the legal nature of a municipality as including the local community within the municipal area, working in partnership with the municipality's political and administrative structures;
to provide for the manner in which municipal powers and functions are exercised and performed;
to provide for community participation;
to establish a simple and enabling framework for the core processes of planning, performance management, resource mobilisation and organisational change which underpin the notion of developmental local government;
to provide a framework for local public administration and human resource development;
to empower the poor and ensure that municipalities put in place service tariffs and credit control policies that take their needs into account by providing a framework for the provision of services, service delivery agreements and municipal service districts;
to provide for credit control and debt collection;
to establish a framework for support, monitoring and standard setting by other spheres of government in order to progressively build local government into an efficient, frontline development agency capable of integrating the activities of all spheres of government for the overall social and economic upliftment of communities in harmony with their local natural environment;
to provide for legal matters pertaining to local government; and
to provide for matters incidental thereto.

Amends

Local Government: Municipal Structures Act 117 of 1998
Public Finance Management Act 1 of 1999

Commencement

1 March 2001, Chapters 1-4, 7 and 12 (Gazette 22091 of 23 February 2001)
1 July 2001, Chapters 5-6 (Gazette 22091 of 23 February 2001)

Amendments

Amended by Local Government: Municipal Systems Amendment Act 3 of 2022
Amended by Local Government: Municipal Systems Amendment Act 7 of 2011
Amended by Local Government Laws Amendment Act 19 of 2008
Amended by Municipal Fiscal Powers and Functions Act 12 of 2007
Amended by Local Government: Municipal Property Rates Act 6 of 2004
Amended by Local Government: Municipal Systems Amendment Act 44 of 2003
Amended by Local Government Laws Amendment Act 51 of 2002
Amended by Institution of Legal Proceedings against Certain Organs of State Act 40 of 2002