Evolving local government in post conflict South Africa: Where to?

2018 ◽  
Vol 33 (7) ◽  
pp. 710-725 ◽  
Author(s):  
PS Reddy
Keyword(s):  
Local Government ◽  
Service Delivery ◽  
South African ◽  
Good Governance ◽  
Local Governance ◽  
African State ◽  
Main Role ◽  
Post Conflict ◽  
Role Players ◽  
Basic Functions

Protracted negotiations between the main role-players steered in the new South African state on 27 April 1994 and final Constitution, 1996 , which constitutionalised local government. A cursory analysis points to some municipalities which are pockets of excellence; however, local government generally is in ‘distress’. Local communities are rapidly losing confidence in the system as the majority of municipalities are unable to discharge even basic functions. Local government has been characterised by violent service delivery protests; abuse of political power and increasing corruption; financial challenges; poor infrastructure planning/maintenance/investment; political strife and factionalism and staff turbulence. Despite governmental interventions to improve local governance, there are still major constraints hampering good governance, namely political posturing and factionalism; corruption; lawlessness and poor service delivery, symptomatic of virtually all post conflict states. Good local governance is an integral part of post conflict reconstruction and development and is key to building a new local government dispensation.

scholarly journals The politics of service delivery in South Africa: The local government sphere in context

2016 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Purshottama S. Reddy
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Local Government ◽  
Service Delivery ◽  
Political Ideology ◽  
Good Governance ◽  
Local Governance ◽  
Local Development ◽  
African State ◽  
Political Management ◽  
The Republic

The post-1994 democratic developmental South African state opted for a strong local government system which has been constitutionalised, in terms of Chapter 7 of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa Act 108 of 1996. The politicisation of the local bureaucracy was inevitable as the ruling party sought to ensure that the executive leadership of municipalities shared the same political ideology and vision to facilitate local development. This raises the question, where does politicisation commence and end, and what is the ideal local political interface for efficient and effective service delivery and, more importantly, to ensure good governance? These questions have to take cognisance of the fact that South Africa is a ‘struggle democracy’ and development has to take place in historically disadvantaged areas, where services have been poor or non-existent. The historically advantaged areas have to also be maintained and upgraded, as they are key to financial sustainability of the municipalities. The increasing service delivery protests is a matter for concern, if one has to take cognisance of the popular adage highlighted in official literature, ‘if local government fails, South Arica fails’. Given that the struggles for a democratic South Africa were fought at the grassroots level, this has to translate to an improved quality of life for local communities. Consequently, sound political management is key to enhanced municipal service delivery and ultimately good local governance. This paper reviews political trends and developments up to 2016, but excludes any discussion on the recent local government elections.

scholarly journals Community development workers (CDWs): a case study of the Bitou Local Municipality

2012 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kishore Raga ◽  
J Derek Taylor ◽  
A Gogi
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Local Government ◽  
Community Development ◽  
Service Delivery ◽  
South African ◽  
Local Governance ◽  
Developmental State ◽  
Local Municipality ◽  
The Government ◽  
Development Workers

Local government in South Africa is no longer simply an extension of the national and provincial spheres of government; it has become an independent sphere in its own right. Steady progress has been made in the delivery of services since the advent of a democratic and developmental state in 1994. The 1996 South African Constitution positions local government as an independent sphere of the government, interrelated to and interdependent with the national and provincial governments. To give it a collective voice, local government speaks from a position of strength through organised local government, as embodied in the South African Local Government Association (hereafter referred to as SALGA). The government is aware of the challenges facing local government service delivery, particularly in the rural areas, where progress in service delivery has been slow. During the former Presidential Izimbizo’s, the gap between the government’s delivery efforts and communities’ ability to benefit from that delivery was repeatedly highlighted. The introduction of community development workers (CDWs) is to assist the three spheres of government to ensure that service delivery reaches the intended recipients effectively and efficiently (IDASA, 2006: On- Line).It was against this background that community development workers (CDWs) were introduced as a link between the government and communities. CDWs are defined as participatory change agents who work in the community in which the live, and to whom they have to answer for their activities. They are required to help members of the community to improve their living standards and change circumstances. To do this, CDWs are expected to make the poor aware of their constitutional rights such as their right to basic service delivery including social grants and assist community members to understand how they can participate in the development plans for their communities. CDWs are expected to facilitate community participation in policy-making, implementation and in service delivery (Republic of South Africa. Grassroots Innovation, 2007). In this article, the role of community development workers in enhancing service delivery within the Bitou Local Municipality is discussed. The article concludes with recommendations based on an empirical survey to establish the extent to which CDWs play a role in improving service delivery and enhancing the accessibility of government services to communities.Keywords: Bitou Local Municipality, local governance, community development workers, participation, ward committeesDisciplines: Public Management and Administration, social science research methodology, development studies

scholarly journals Lack of public participation and good governance, who is fooling who?

2021 ◽  
Vol 26 ◽  
pp. 32-44
Author(s):  
M. Ragolane ◽  
T. L. Malatji
Keyword(s):  
Local Government ◽  
Service Delivery ◽  
Public Participation ◽  
South African ◽  
Good Governance ◽  
Policy Formulation ◽  
The Rule Of Law ◽  
The Public ◽  
Single Side

This empirical paper sought to determine the lack of public participation and good governance, and to understand who is turning the blind eye on the issue. Local government municipalities have the obligation to exercise good governance, this is to ensure that there is quality service delivery and engagements between the municipalities becomes greater. Therefore, the municipalities are therefore responsible to establish the criterion for participation, transparency, adherence to the rule of law, effectiveness, equity, responsibility, accountability, and consistency. However, in the local government all these important aspects of good governance are neglected and avoided. The question of who is fooling who? Is basically an intention to point out that the idea of good governance does not have a single side but the public, the organisations and the state are included? For the good governance and the democracy of participation there must be an increase in the quality of feedback and the processes of policy formulation, and most importantly with the prevalence of participation. In the south African local government, municipalities have diluted the importance of public participation and that has caused the growing corruption scandals, protests, low service delivery and failing governments.

Exploring the Uncharted Territory of Devolution in Zimbabwe

2019 ◽  
Vol 49 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jephias Mapuva ◽  
George P Miti
Keyword(s):  
Local Government ◽  
Service Delivery ◽  
Citizen Participation ◽  
Local Governance ◽  
Public Affairs ◽  
Participatory Governance ◽  
Enabling Environment ◽  
Efficiency And Effectiveness ◽  
Local Levels

Devolution, which was incorporated into the Constitution of Zimbabwe through section 264, is a new phenomenon in Zimbabwe. This incorporation came about because of the need for participatory governance and the devolution of power away from the centre. Over the years, local governance has been informed by a plethora of pieces of legislation that do not provide an enabling environment for citizen participation, giving Zimbabwe’s local government a chequered history that excludes citizens from participating in public affairs that affect their lives. An analysis of section 264 of the Constitution revealed that devolution has the propensity to enhance transparency, efficiency and effectiveness as well as the fulfilment of central government’s responsibilities at provincial and local levels. This article argues that the belated implementation of the devolution of power has delayed improved service delivery, effectiveness, efficiency and accountability within local governance. This article further seeks to explain how the implementation of section 264 of the Constitution can bring about good local governance.

Community Asset Management A Good Practice in Participatory Local Governance

2005 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 19-24
Author(s):  
Wendy Taylor
Keyword(s):  
Service Delivery ◽  
Community Participation ◽  
Asset Management ◽  
Poverty Reduction ◽  
Good Governance ◽  
Local Governance ◽  
Local Development ◽  
Good Practice ◽  
Governance Process ◽  
Development Service

This article places the concept of community asset management (CAM), the focus of a DFID Knowledge and Research (KAR) project which has been described elsewhere, in the context of the broader concepts of participatory local governance and good practice, themselves the subjects of other recent KAR projects. It is contended herein that it is imperative to local development, service delivery and poverty reduction that these concepts are fully operationalised by the stakeholders involved in the governance process. The article argues that, not only is CAM as a community participation approach a good practice in good governance ‘in its own right‘, but the very practice of the CAM approach involves the operationalisation of other participatory local governance principles.

Local Government as a Democracy Actor or a Service Delivery Actor

2014 ◽  
pp. 127-147 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Demediuk ◽  
Stephen Burgess ◽  
Rolf Solli
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Local Government ◽  
Service Delivery ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Local Governance ◽  
Governance Practice

Local governance occurs where a local government gives citizens a say in things that really matter to them, and e-governance initiatives provide electronic means to enable citizens to participate in this shared governing of the community. The clearer a local government is about the nature and degree to which it needs to act as a democracy actor (better citizens and better government) and/or a service delivery actor (better decision making), the greater the prospect that it can choose appropriate electronic means through an e-governance approach to meet those ends. In order to guide an e-governance practice and inform further research, this chapter: provides models that articulate the elements that constitute better decision making, better citizens, and better government, and presents examples from five local governments of how electronic means can satisfy particular ends.

Political-Administrative Interface at the Local Sphere of Government with Particular Reference to South Africa

2017 ◽  
pp. 242-255
Author(s):  
Purshottama Sivanarain Reddy
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Local Government ◽  
Service Delivery ◽  
Local Governance ◽  
National Development ◽  
Critical Issue ◽  
The Political ◽  
Political Transformation ◽  
Large Numbers ◽  
Government Legislation

The ongoing political-administrative dichotomy discourse, which is steeped in public administration history, manifests in uncertainty about how the relationship between politicians and administrative officials should be structured. South Africa was democratized in 1994 and local government has subsequently undergone a fundamental socio-political transformation. “World class” local government legislation, with an entrenched constitutional development mandate, was introduced; however, the large numbers of public protests bear ample testimony to major challenges in basic service delivery. A critical issue impacting negatively on the functionality of the post-1994 local government dispensation is the political-administrative interface. The National Development Plan has mapped out a socio-economic vision to 2030, with stabilization of the political-administrative interface a priority. Consequently, the political-administrative interface has to be critically reviewed relative to the quality of local democracy, impact on efficient and effective service delivery, and good local governance.

Towards Building Direct Democratic Governance Through the Ward Committee System in South African Local Government

2022 ◽  
pp. 222-241
Author(s):  
Ndwakhulu Stephen Tshishonga
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Local Government ◽  
Community Participation ◽  
South African ◽  
Local Governance ◽  
Structuration Theory ◽  
Participatory Governance ◽  
Community Governance ◽  
Local Government Level ◽  
Government Level

This chapter interrogates the ward committee system as an instrument in an institutionalised local government level to advance direct participatory governance. The ward committee has a constitutional mandate upon which accountability, democratization, community governance, and inclusive participation in the municipal decision-making is enhanced. The ward committee system was legislated to create a platform for community participation and enhance accountable local governance. Structuration theory has been used to engage with elements of representativity, powers, skills, functionality, access to information, influence in decision-making, and relationship with others structures as developed by Smith and de Visser. The chapter made use of various case studies to interrogate the role, potential, and challenges of the ward committee system in forging direct participatory governance.

scholarly journals Assessing the Effectiveness of Human Resource Management in Creating Organisational Competitiveness in a South African State-Owned Enterprise

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 13
Author(s):  
Bongani Innocent Dlamini ◽  
Luther-King Junior Zogli ◽  
Arvid Muzanenhamo
Keyword(s):  
Resource Management ◽  
Service Delivery ◽  
Human Resource Management ◽  
South African ◽  
Human Resource ◽  
African State ◽  
Employee Motivation ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
African Government

South African state-owned enterprises (SOEs) have been underperforming for the past decade riddled with poor service delivery, employee retrenchments, lack of employee motivation and inability to embrace innovative approaches in management of business. There has been a call from the South African government for SOEs to self-renew and become effective in service delivery. As a result the role of human resource management (HRM) assist organisations to become effective through the use of innovative human resource practices. This paper is an investigation carried out at a selected South African SOE to determine the effectiveness of HRM in creating organisational competitiveness.  A qualitative research approach was adopted where interviews were used to gather data from the company’s human resource practitioners and departmental heads. Non-probability sampling was used and 24 participants were purposively selected. The study revealed that HR practitioners do not participate in policy reviews whereas their skills are underutilised, they lack latest technology and it was noted that there is excessive control from high authorities.   Received: 11 February 2021 / Accepted: 16 March 2021 / Published: 17 May 2021

scholarly journals The illusion of ethics for good local governance in South Africa

2010 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ernest Ababio ◽  
Shikha Vyas-Doorgapersad
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Local Government ◽  
Public Service ◽  
Good Governance ◽  
Local Governance ◽  
Code Of Conduct ◽  
Essential Element ◽  
Ethical Framework ◽  
Ethical Guidelines ◽  
The Public

Ethics, the legislation and upholding of good conduct by public officials is a sine qua non for sustenance of good governance and service delivery. The White Paper on the Transformation of the Public Service 1994 identified the need for a code of conduct in South Africa as an essential element to enhance high standards of ethics and professionalism. In 1996, the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa prescribed the values and principles of Public Administration. Subsequently, the Public Service Commission developed a Code of Conduct in 1997. The legitimacy of local government is based on the same principles of ethics and professionalism as that of the national government. It is imperative to implement an ethical framework for social and economic development at the grass-root level. This article examines the theoretical terrain of ethics in public management and posits that, whereas there exist some state-of-the-art legis lation that regulate the conduct of public functionaries at the local government sphere, outcomes of ethics in practice are rather unethical and illusive. There is therefore an advocacy for the need to intensify implementation of ethical guidelines for councillors and municipal employees. The fiduciary, management, operational and accountabil ity framework is further upheld through the implementation of a code of conduct for local officials. Theoretically, the framework should be scientifically accountable and practically feasible in implementation.The article recommends the need to strategise measurable implementation plans, conduct the on-going fraud risk assessments and sensitise the community through education and training regarding good governance and the code of ethics. The approach used is descriptive, though analytical.

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