The meeting was also attended by Director Generals included, Carl Wright, Secretary General, CLGF, Premiers and Provincial Government Members of Executive Council (MECs) and local government leaders. Representatives from Local Government Associations from the African continent notably Botswana and Rwanda also attended.

The meeting whose theme was “Together serving our people with integrity and Dedication to speed up service delivery” addressed SALGA’s performance 2009-2010, considered its 2010-2011 business plan and budget. It also addressed the topical issues of service delivery, SALGA governance, Labour relations, local capacity building, intergovernmental fiscal relations, community development and the Local Government Turn around Strategy among others.

In his key note address to the delegates the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Minister Sicelo Shiceka, unveiled a number of anticipated reforms in local government one of which was changes to the intergovernmental fiscal relations. He also informed the 1000 delegates that he had signed his performance agreement with the President in which local government is expected to deliver basic services to all by 2014, create 4,5 million jobs through community works projects, transform administrative and finance systems of Local Authorities, building municipal capacity to raise 90% of their revenue. The Minister also reiterated the need for local governments to do things differently.

Carl Wright, the Secretary General of the Commonwealth Local Government Forum who also attended the meeting gave a message of support to SALGA in which he reiterated CLGF’s continued partnership with SALGA. He acknowledged CLGF’s long standing relationship with SALGA and hoped SALGA would continue working with CLGF in the Southern Africa region. He also took the opportunity to invite South African Local Government Practitioners to Cardiff.