This article is a presentation of research findings on the manifested strengths and weaknesses in organisational culture within the selected municipalities in the Eastern Cape. Diagnostic reports on local government such as the Auditor-General's reports and the Local Government Turnaround Strategy, have focused on broad assessments of financial management, leadership and governance. However, there is limited focus on institutional level mechanisms, in particular, examining embedded cultures unique in individual municipalities with their implications on performance. Literature shows that although organisational culture tends to be a taken-for-granted, a tactical way of thinking or acting, it is one of the most powerful and stable forces in organisations. The research used a tested model in organisational culture adapted to the South African municipal government context for measurement. The reliability co-efficient was at least 0.7