South Africa's ยฎrst local government elections held in November 1995 and June 1996 cemented the transition from apartheid to democratic local government. The focus at that time was on the deracialization and democratization of local governance, which was successfully achieved. Local government since then, however, has failed to fulยฎl its mandate as the delivery arm of government, nor has the hoped-for rapid transformation of the local sphere of government materialized. In seeking an explanation for this perceived inadequacy, attention has tended to focus on the limited ยฎnancial and administrative capacity of newly elected councillors and council sta. Although the lack of capacity does present a barrier to the achievement of eective local government, the constraints municipalities encounter in their geographic composition and administrative formation provide the structural dimension of municipal constraint. The White Paper on Local Government published in March 1998 seeks to address these structural constraints and, through an ambitious legislative process, chart a path to `developmental' local government. This article identiยฎes the constraints experienced by nonmetropolitan municipalities and analyses the likely impact of the government's restructuring programme for the achievement of viable and sustainable local government in South Africa.