Ekurhuleni visits Cape Town to strengthen governance and services
18 March 2026
This week, a delegation from the City of Ekurhuleni’s Corporate and Shared Services Oversight Committee conducted a two-day benchmarking visit to the City of Cape Town, aimed at strengthening governance systems and improving service delivery. The delegation was hosted by Alderman Theresa Uys, Mayoral Committee Member for Corporate Services, who welcomed the opportunity for intergovernmental collaboration and knowledge sharing.
‘The City of Cape Town was identified as a key metropolitan municipality from which we can learn best practices. Our goal is to replicate effective systems that will strengthen governance, improve accountability and enhance service delivery in Ekurhuleni. We are confident that with the right political will and systems in place, we can achieve the standards we aspire to,’ said Councillor Dineo Matsi, Chairperson of the Corporate and Shared Services Oversight Committee at Ekurhuleni.
During the benchmarking visit, the Ekurhuleni delegation shared that despite similarities in municipal size and budgets with the City of Cape Town, they intend to strengthen their internal systems, particularly in the context of coalition governance and a workforce of over 15 817 employees serving its communities.
The engagement focused on four critical pillars:
Overtime Management: Exploring effective measures to control and optimise overtime expenditure
Tourism and Brand Marketing Strategy: Insights into tourism development, destination marketing and strategic partnerships
Litigation Management: Mechanisms to reduce legal costs and improve case resolution timelines
Service Delivery Standards: Enhancing turnaround times and improving customer enquiry management
The delegation also conducted a site visit to the City of Cape Town’s call centre and various Civic Centre offices, gaining practical insights into operational efficiencies and customer service systems.
‘Over the past two days, we observed that the City of Cape Town’s offices have strong security systems, better infrastructure maintenance and lower levels of vandalism particularly where traffic lights are concerned. Cape Town’s overall scenery and atmosphere offer a distinctly more tranquil and calming experience too. There is also clear institutional stability, with long-serving officials and experienced councillors contributing to continuity and effective governance,’ said Ekurhuleni’s Oversight Committee Whip, Councillor Thabani Goje.
Going forward, the City of Ekurhuleni will assess the insights gained during the visit to Cape Town and explore how best to implement key learnings to improve internal systems, enhance accountability and deliver better services to their residents.
‘These exchanges allow us to reflect on our own systems while contributing to the broader goal of building capable, responsive municipalities. Collaborations like these strengthen local government across South Africa and supports our vision of being a City of Hope,’ said the City of Cape Town’s Mayoral Committee Member for Corporate Services, Alderman Theresa Uys.
Caption 1: Cllr Ashley Mabaso (Ekurhuleni), Mr Thembinkosi Zulu (Ekurhuleni Researcher), Cllr Dineo Matsi (Ekurhuleni Chairperson: Corporate & Shared Services Oversight Committee), Alderman Theresa Uys (City of Cape Town), Cllr Thabani Goje (Ekurhuleni), Cllr Alistair Chair (Ekurhuleni) and Cllr Tracey Laurenco (Ekurhuleni) during the benchmarking visit to the City of Cape Town.
Caption 2: Helourine Seyffert (City’s Customer Relations Manager) welcomes Ekurhuleni delegation to the City of Cape Town’s Call Centre at the Civic Centre.
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Published by:
City of Cape Town, Media Office
