When a catastrophic accident cuts the first manned mission to Jupiter’s moons short in the Astronaut: The Last Push, a 2012 US science-fiction film, Michael Forrest, the sole remaining astronaut, must endure the three-year return trip to Earth alone. Similarly, how will the next five-year journey of local governance in SA manifest itself? Again, I believe the responses from citizens will vary widely — from widespread cynicism to hope for a better future and from distrust of a dysfunctional system to the belief that service delivery will improve...