Mainstreaming HIV/AIDS in Gauteng urban municipalities: A bridge too far?

Abstract

Local government in South Africa, or ‘developmental local government’ as the lowest tier of government is often called (RSA 1998), carries the mandate of executing national development priorities of the country, as empowered by the constitution (RSA 1996), and by local government policy and legislation such as the White Paper on Local Government (RSA 1998) and the Municipal Systems Act (RSA 2000), that spell out the roles and responsibilities of local government. In terms of this mandate, local government is categorized into metropolitan, district and local municipalities, and has the responsibility of providing basic services such as water and sanitation, housing, and roads within those municipal jurisdictions, based on local integrated development plans (IDPs).