Oversight and the separation of powers in governments all over the world is a contested issue. Who does what and who should do what is often not clear. The purpose of this article is to refer to the notion of oversight and the separation of powers in their pure theoretical sense and then attempt to describe their application, particularly the oversight and separation of powers prescribed by legislation and internal policy, as they relate to the City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality (CTMM). The separation of powers and oversight in the local sphere of government has largely been ignored in the literature. Reference is made to legislation and other official documents to attempt to understand the application of oversight mechanisms and where the problematic issues lie. Suggestions for improvements are made.