Crispian Olver is a public policy expert and social activist with a particular interest in local government and urban governance. He spent a decade in government under Nelson Mandela and Thabo Mbeki (1994–2005), ending up as director-general of the department of environmental affairs and tourism. He crafted most of the current local-government legislation in South Africa and was responsible for the process of setting up the post-’94 local government system. For the last few years, he has been working on turning around distressed municipalities, which has brought him up close to the mechanics by which municipalities are governed and how good governance can be eroded.