The article aims to establish the link between political will and performance in selected municipalities in South Africa. It is based on a study the authors conducted on this subject, against the backdrop of continued service delivery lapses in the country. The review of literature revealed that there was a paucity of substantial research linking political will and performance in local government in South Africa, as well as globally. The study, of which the results are now presented in this article, sought to fill this gap. The findings and results reveal that there is a connection between political will and municipal performance. However, this is based on the analysis limited to two provinces in South Africa: Gauteng and North West. Because of this limitation, a further broad study, inter alia , perhaps longitudinal, in all provinces in South Africa, could be undertaken for validation of the findings and generalisation.