An Exploration of the Localization of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGS) in Municipalities: A Case of South African Municipalities

Abstract The slow pace within which the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) targets were achieved necessitated that 193 United Nations (UN) member states develop the Agenda 2030 popularly known as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Whilst many developed countries find it easy to implement the SDGs, underdeveloped and developing countries such as South Africa will inherently find it difficult to implement the SDGs. The ambitious United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have been criticized for being universal, broadly framed, inconsistent and difficult to quantify, implement and monitor. The burden of implementation will be worse when it comes to local governments or municipalities which are faced with service delivery challenges on daily basis. Many proponents of SDGs believe that the success of the implementation of the SDGs lies in successful localization at the municipal level. It is for this reason that this study explored the localization of the SDGs in South African Municipalities. It looked at the theoretical framework of the SDGs. It used qualitative research design and employed semi-structured interviews to gather information from senior managers in local government across South Africa. The study found that some municipalities do have Institutional Frameworks, processes and plans to localize the SDGs however the level of implementation is still very low and needs to be intensified hence an implementation model is recommended by this study. Keywords: Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Localization of the SDGs, Implementation, Sustainability, Leaving no-one behind, Alignment, Leveraging, Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR).