Professionalisation: Building skills for Impact through Capacity Development, Partnerships, and Knowledge Networks

The webinar, hosted as part of the Local Government Conversations series (now in its fifth year in 2026), focused on professionalizing local government in South Africa.
It emphasized shifting from diagnosing persistent problems (e.g., poor audits, service delivery failures, weak leadership pipelines) to implementing practical, collaborative solutions centered on ethics, competence, accountability, and capacity building.

Opening and Context

• Dr. Emmanuel Ngcobo (Past President, CIGFARO) opened by highlighting the platform's growth over five years and its aim for constructive dialogue to drive real change in municipalities rather than dwelling on negatives.
• Moderator Mr. Zolani SS Zonyane (The Municipal Edge) introduced the session, noting 16 webinars planned for 2026, CPD accreditation for attendees (2 points for this session), and the importance of joining professional bodies.

Key Panelist Contributions

Ms. Alinah Motloung (CIGFARO Membership Coordinator)
Presented CIGFARO's role as a SAQA-recognized professional body for public sector finance, audit, risk, and performance management practitioners.

• Vision/Mission - Advance ethical leadership, excellence, and capacitation in public financial management for community benefit.
• Membership Benefits - Professional recognition (designations like Public Sector Executive/Professional/Technician/Practitioner), ethics enforcement, advocacy on policy/legislation, CPD, networking, technology support, discounted rates.
• Categories & Requirements where explained
• Group/corporate packages offer discounts and perks (e.g., event tickets, advertising).
• Application: Online form, submit docs (ID, qualifications, CV, employment proof), pay fees.
• Drive: Aim for 5,000 members by 2027. Events and CPD listed on website.

Mr. Attie Butler (CEO, Ignite Advisory Services)
Delivered the core baseline presentation, arguing professionalization is now essential for institutional survival.

• Why it matters now - Only 41 municipalities with clean audits (16% success rate), intense public scrutiny via social media, service delivery crises (water, electricity, sewage), weak leadership pipeline, intensifying enforcement of Municipal Staff Regulations (MSR) (introduced ~2021, with Regulation 890 on staffing), and SALGA/COGTA professionalization frameworks.
• High employee costs exceed 40% threshold in many municipalities, limiting service investment. Training often fails to build real capability due to absent competency assessments.
• Framework elements - Institutional (legislation, governance, norms, competency/curriculum development); Organizational (workforce planning, attraction/selection, onboarding, performance management, career pathing); Individual (occupational roles, professional standards, competencies, continuous education).
• Proposed solutions - Standardized competency-based recruitment (with accredited tools), institutionalized performance management + consequence management (positive/negative), national ethical tracking, coordinated capacity initiatives via dashboards, and crucially professional accreditation (similar to doctors/engineers/chartered accountants).
• Ignite's Municipal Professionalization Model (MPM) - Competency frameworks accreditation per job function (minimum quals/experience/internships/exams) CPD. Suggested national accreditation board.
• Business cases - Municipalities implementing mandatory competency assessments saw reduced turnover (~30%), fewer disciplinary cases, better audits, aligned performance contracts, faster service delivery, improved public confidence.
• Five accelerators - Institutionalize ethics (linked to outcomes), enforce competency recruitment, monitor CPD, build succession via mentoring/networks/secondments, national coordination forum.
• Blockers: Monitoring gaps, capacity constraints, political dynamics (e.g., upcoming elections). Next 5 years critical.

Mr. Trevor Francis (CEO, Institute of Municipal People Practitioners of South Africa - IMPSA)
Contextualized professionalization (not new - SALGA/COGTA framework from 2013, driven by Auditor-General findings and protests).

• Core aspects: Enabling environment, institutional capacity, individual capacity.
• IMPSA repositioned in 2024/2025; signed MOU with COGTA for collaboration on HR professionalization, ethical leadership.
• Minister's emphasis (late 2025): Professionalization is foundational, not tick-box; merit over patronage.
• Resolutions (e.g., from prior conference): Unwavering integrity, merit-based appointments, competence over compliance, innovation/continuous learning.
• Stressed collaboration among bodies (IMPSA, CIGFARO, others) to avoid silos and drive impact.

Prof. Zwelinzima Ndevu (Director, School of Public Leadership, Stellenbosch University)
Focused on academia's role in professionalizing personnel, institutions, and processes.

• Universities as centers of excellence must understand local government needs and co-create knowledge with practitioners/professional bodies.
• Key: Partnerships for curriculum development (fit-for-purpose, evidence-based, standardized, aligned to competencies/NQF).
• Blend short/medium/long-term interventions; allow diagonal articulation (short courses - formal qualifications).
• Specialization (e.g., local government-specific finance/policy); quality assurance via accreditation bodies.
• Address current workforce via upskilling; build ethical, competent pipeline via research/practice integration and revolving door between academia/practice.

Mr. Evans Mulera (Head of Secretariat & CEO, African Professionalisation Initiative - API)
Provided continental perspective; API (partnership of AFROSAI-E, PAFA, CREFIA, AAAG) focuses on professionalizing public finance actors (accountants/auditors/non-finance officers).

• Vision: Competent, ethical, influential African public sector professionals for accountability/transparency/good governance.
• Gap example: Often ~95% of public finance role-holders unprofessionalized.
• Active in 12 countries (MOUs); in South Africa, partners include CIGFARO, SAICA, IRBA, universities, provinces, National Treasury/ASB.
• Recent: Meetings with academics for collaborative pathways; first graduates; upcoming public sector designations.
• Open to partnerships (e.g., with risk/fraud bodies); emphasized complementarity across disciplines/institutes.

Panel Discussion & Q&A Highlights

• Multiple memberships? Not required for all; belong to relevant body(ies) for accountability (e.g., revocation impacts career). MSR/competency focus helps.
• Performance management - Needs training for managers; move beyond compliance to development/consequence management.
• Framework convergence - Collaboration exists (SALGA, COGTA, PSC, IMPSA); implementation plan ready but funding/political will challenges remain.
• Capacity models - Shift to workplace-relevant, co-created, problem-solving interventions (not one-off workshops); link to real issues/articulation.
• Continental openness - API thrives on partnerships; welcomes outreach.

Closing Reflections

• Attie - Next 5 years critical; leadership from top (councillors/senior managers) essential; ethics, accreditation, partnerships key.
• Trevor - Consensus exists; need funding/rollout; pre-election narrative for councillor minimum competencies.
• Prof. Ndevu - Continuous, articulated learning via partnerships.
• Evans - Commit to learning/partnerships; API event (March 2026) opportunity for municipal voices.

Overall, the webinar reinforced professionalization as non-optional, requiring enforced frameworks (MSR, competency recruitment, accreditation), cross-institutional collaboration, continuous/ethical development, and strong leadership to rebuild capable, trusted municipalities for better community services.