Public service delivery in South Africa: The political influence at local government level

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mfundo Mandla Masuku ◽  
Nokukhanya Noqiniselo Jili
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Local Government ◽  
Service Delivery ◽  
Public Service ◽  
Political Influence ◽  
The Political ◽  
Public Service Delivery ◽  
Local Government Level ◽  
Government Level

scholarly journals UDC and e-Service Delivery at Local Government Level in Bangladesh: A Framework for e-Government

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Saroar Ahmed Saleheen
Keyword(s):  
Local Government ◽  
Service Delivery ◽  
Public Service ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Governance System ◽  
Public Service Delivery ◽  
The People ◽  
Local Government Level ◽  
Government Level

This is the age of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) which has brought change by being an integral part of governmental service delivery of the twenty-first century. Public service delivery is a great concern for governments. The present government of Bangladesh has realized this fact of ICT and has introduced ICT based Union Digital Centre (UDC), district and upazila web portals to provide quicker and smoother services to the people for creating “Digital Bangladesh”. The main focus of this study is to bring citizens under the whole e-governance system. ICT based UDCs are the main actors for this purpose. The present government has set up 4547 service centres at every Union level (the lowest tier of Local Government) which is known as Union Digital Centre (UDC). ICT based UDCs providetime and cost effective some sorts of off-line and online door step services to the rural people.The broad objective of this study is to make an e-government framework at the local government level in Bangladesh by providing e-services through UDC. The specific objectives are: To find out the role of UDC in public service delivery at the local government level in Bangladesh; and to know the effectiveness of UDC in promoting e-government by delivering e-services to the people. This study has attempted a qualitative research approach to obtain its objectives.

scholarly journals Participatory Democracy in Theory and Practice: A Case Study of Local Government in South Africa

2015 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 31
Author(s):  
Ntsikelelo Breakfast ◽  
Itumeleng Mekoa ◽  
Nondumiso Maphazi
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Local Government ◽  
Public Administration ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
The Political ◽  
Local Government Level ◽  
Political Spectrum ◽  
Scholarly Contribution ◽  
Government Level

The idea of democracy is a curious oneand puzzling. There is reason for this;everyone talks about democracy no matter whether their views are on the left, centreor right of the political spectrum. Various politicians, regimes, whether in Africa, Europe or America claim to be democratic;yet what each says and does is usuallydifferent. Democracy as a practice is supposed to bestow rules, laws and decisions that are justifiable on democraticgrounds. Democracy also has evolved through social struggles. This article examines the practice of democracy withinthe context of local government in South Africa, and is an attempt to explore the concept of democracy without escaping other historical aspects of the idea and practice. From a methodological standpoint, this article is based on a literature assessment. Lastly and most importantly, this paper has made a scholarly contribution to the scholarship of Political Science and Public Administration with regard to the nexus between democracy and public participation at local government level in South Africa.

Influence of Knowledge Management Practices on Public Service Delivery by Municipalities

Mousaion ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 37 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Charleen Musonza ◽  
Ndakasharwa Muchaonyerwa
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Knowledge Management ◽  
Service Delivery ◽  
Public Service ◽  
Qualitative Data ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Integrated System ◽  
Eastern Cape Province ◽  
Eastern Cape ◽  
Public Service Delivery

This study examines the influence of knowledge management (KM) practices on public service delivery by municipalities in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. The study sought to determine the factors that have triggered the implementation of KM practices; the effectiveness of KM practices towards public service delivery; and the extent to which KM practices have influenced public service delivery by municipalities in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. Both quantitative and qualitative methods were employed in this study. Quantitative data were collected through a survey questionnaire administered to a sample of 202 employees at the Raymond Mhlaba Municipality in the Eastern Cape. Qualitative data were collected through observations and interviews of 2 senior managers. The data collected gave a response rate of 72 per cent. The quantitative and qualitative data were analysed descriptively and presented verbatim respectively. The results indicated that the internal and external factors included in this study have contributed to the implementation of KM practices in the municipality. Furthermore, the effective use of KM practices has increased the organisational KM initiative, as well as the provision of services such as electricity, education, transport, and social services by the municipality. The study recommends the establishment of KM awareness and the establishment of an integrated system that will assist in effective knowledge sharing, retention and acquisition across municipalities in the Eastern Cape.

scholarly journals Water security at local government level in South Africa: a qualitative interview-based analysis

2018 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
pp. S17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Meissner ◽  
Nikki Funke ◽  
Karen Nortje ◽  
Inga Jacobs-Mata ◽  
Elliot Moyo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Local Government ◽  
Water Security ◽  
Qualitative Interview ◽  
Local Government Level ◽  
Government Level

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.

scholarly journals The Political-administrative interface in South African municipalities: Assessing the quality of local democracies

2010 ◽  
pp. 86-101 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jaap De Visser
Keyword(s):  
Local Government ◽  
South African ◽  
Separation Of Powers ◽  
Administrative Leadership ◽  
The Political ◽  
Executive Authority ◽  
Political Interference ◽  
Local Government Level ◽  
Government Level

South African municipalities experience serious challenges in dealing wit the interface between politicians and officials. Inappropriate political interference in administrative matters as well as strained relations between key political and administrative officials in the municipalities appear to be the order of the day. Oftentimes, the lack of a separation of powers between legislative and executive authority at local government level is blamed for this. This contribution has attempted to draw the attention away from the conflation of legislative and executive authority in the municipal council while still recognising it as an important background. It is suggested that, instead of spending energy on examining a possible separation of powers in local government, the relevant stakeholders (i.e. national lawmakers, municipalities and supervising provinces) should consider smaller institutional changes to the governance makeup of municipalities. Even more importantly, the political and administrative leadership of municipalities and political structures that surround them should be acutely aware of the consequences that inappropriate political leadership has on the functioning of municipalities and therefore on service delivery.

scholarly journals The emergence of collectively owned self-supply water supply systems in rural South Africa – what can we learn from the Tshakhuma case in Limpopo?

Water SA ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 47 (2 April) ◽  
Author(s):  
Moritz Hofstetter ◽  
Barbara van Koppen ◽  
Alex Bolding
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Service Delivery ◽  
Public Service ◽  
Alternative Pathway ◽  
Governance Structure ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Limpopo Province ◽  
Water Supply Systems ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Public Service Delivery

Despite the rapid extension of public service delivery since the end of Apartheid, many rural citizens in South Africa still rely on their own initiatives and infrastructure to access water. They construct, improve, operate and maintain infrastructure of different complexities, from individual wells to complex collectively owned water schemes. While most of these schemes operate without legal recognition, they provide essential services to many households. In this article we will first provide an overview of the growing international body of literature describing self-supply as an alternative pathway for public service delivery. We then take a historical perspective on the role of communities and self-supply in South Africa and describe the emergence of six collectively owned, gravity-fed, piped schemes in Tshakhuma, Limpopo Province. We describe and compare these systems using key characteristics like resource access, investment, construction, operation, maintenance and institutional governance. We further assess their performance with regard to coverage, service level, reliability, governance structure, accountability and water quality. We do so because we are convinced that lessons learned from studying such schemes as locally adapted prototypes have the potential to improve public approaches to service delivery. The described cases show the willingness of community members to engage with service delivery and their ability to provide services in cases where the state has failed. The assessment also highlights problematic aspects of self-supply related to a lack of accountability, technical expertise and the exclusion of disadvantaged community members. By describing and assessing the performance of rural self-supply schemes, we aim to recognize, study and learn from such schemes. We consequently do not conclude this article by providing answers, but by raising some pertinent, policy-relevant questions.

An analysis of citizen satisfaction with public service delivery in the Sedibeng district municipality of South Africa

2012 ◽  
Vol 39 (3) ◽  
pp. 182-199 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oludele Akinloye Akinboade ◽  
Emilie Chanceline Kinfack ◽  
Mandisa Putuma Mokwena
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Service Delivery ◽  
Public Service ◽  
Public Service Delivery ◽  
Citizen Satisfaction
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