Western Cape Government and KwaZulu-Natal Government embark on benchmarking exercise

South Africa - From 25 to 26 August 2025, the Western Cape Government Cabinet (WCG) hosted the provincial executive of the KwaZulu-Natal Government, led by Premier Thamsanqa Ntuli, for a benchmarking exercise in Cape Town. Held under the theme of “Advancing governance and innovation through interprovincial learning”, the exercise represented an important opportunity for the two provinces to collaborate and share knowledge to enhance service delivery in both regions.

Opening the first session at the Cape Town International Convention Centre, Premier Alan

Winde stressed the importance of cooperative governance and collaboration. “The Western Cape Government has numerous agreements in place with subnational governments from across the world, and we meet regularly with international partners to develop and implement policies and strategies, intending to mutually boost, among others, economic relations. But closer to home, we also prioritise building and fostering relationships with other provincial governments and identifying areas where we can improve services for our residents. As much as we believe that we can confidently showcase some of our strategies, programmes and policies, whether they be in the fields of economic development and job creation or safety and disaster mitigation, we can also learn valuable lessons from other provinces, such as KwaZulu-Natal,” he said.

The benchmarking visit objectives were:

• To learn from the Western Cape’s strategies for coordinating, integrating, and implementing infrastructure projects;
• To understand the province’s approach to digital transformation, monitoring and evaluation systems, as well as data-driven governance;
• To explore effective community policing, public safety, emergency management, and health service delivery models that enhance safety, resilience, and public well-being;
• To benchmark climate change adaptation, disaster risk mitigation, and renewable energy strategies;
• To study fiscal governance and budget efficiency measures;
• To examine tourism development and investment promotion models;
• To gain insights into the Western Cape’s agricultural sector strategies;
• To assess institutional arrangements, legislation, and partnerships supporting agricultural development, food security, and rural transformation;
• To explore integrated, multi-sector approaches that link economic growth, spatial development, health improvement, and social inclusion; and
• To strengthen intergovernmental collaboration and knowledge-sharing between KwaZulu-Natal and the Western Cape for improved governance and service delivery.

On the second day of the initiative, members of the KwaZulu-Natal Government delegation were taken on site visits at several WCG facilities and entities, including the Provincial Disaster Management Centre, Elsenburg Agricultural Training Institute, and the WCG Network Operations Centre.

Premier Ntuli stated, “This exercise was worth it. You can see the interest in the engagements that have taken place. We will continue to engage.” Premier Winde added, “It has been an honour to host Premier Ntuli and his delegation. We deeply value cooperation, especially where it can help to drive economic growth and job creation. We firmly believe that by working together, we stand a better chance of addressing our provinces’ and the country’s most pressing issues. I look forward to further engaging with the KwaZulu-Natal Premier and his team.”