“…However, the performance of many municipalities in South Africa has exposed significant deficiencies in fulfilling their constitutional and legislative obligations. Various reports and studies, such as the one presented by the Institute for Democracy in South Africa (IDASA) to the portfolio committee on Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA), have highlighted the persistent issues of poor service delivery and governance in most municipalities (Hutete & Sibanda, (2022). These issues include corruption, limited institutional capacity and skills among staff, lack of transparency, dysfunctional ward committees, lack of accountability by councillors and municipal officials, insufficient public participation in governance matters, noncompliance with municipal legislation and by-laws, failure to prioritize community needs, misalignment of Integrated Development Plans (IDPs) and budgeting processes, tensions between political and administrative sections of municipalities, and fragile financial viability (Hope Sr, 2021).…”