Community Participation in the South African Local Government Dispensation: A Public Administration Scholastic Misnomer

2015 ◽  
Vol 13 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 185-199 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ntwanano Mathebula
Keyword(s):  
Local Government ◽  
Public Participation ◽  
Public Administration ◽  
Community Participation ◽  
South African ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
Analytical Techniques ◽  
Scientific Discipline ◽  
The South

The interpretation, application and understanding of community participation in the South African local government discourse in particular, is ambiguous, thus, creating a more simplistic and superficial meaning for operationalization. This paper seeks to challenge the notion that community participation is a substitute in its ontological and epistemological form and connotation for public participation. Many scholars in public administration have jumped on the bandwagon of dispensation, thus creating a misnomer in relation to a distinct nature of community participation and public participation which clearly undermines the authenticity of conception within the discipline and scholarship in general. Using a variety of qualitative secondary data collection and analytical techniques, this paper interrogates the misnomer in public administration scholarship in relation to the use andapplication of community participation specifically in local government. To successfully demonstrate this misnomer regarding the use, application and understanding of the concepts and their impact on scholarship, five selected articles on community participation and five others on public participation on local government published in the Journal of Public Administration (JOPA) were reviewed. The paper therefore concludes that the influential role of public administration as a scientific discipline is to forge relations with public administration as a practice for the purposes of conceptualizing and operationalising concepts and terminologies. This will ensure conciseness and bypass the contradictions which have potency of denting both scholarship and practice.

scholarly journals CHALLENGES OF THE INDONESIAN REPUBLIC GENERAL ELECTION COMMISSION (KPU RI) TO INCREASE VOTER PARTICIPATION

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Andina Elok Puri Maharani ◽  
Rizma Dwi Nidia
Keyword(s):  
Public Participation ◽  
Community Participation ◽  
Empirical Research ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
General Election ◽  
Voter Participation ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
General Elections ◽  
Election Commission

<p>This research examines problems that arise and become obstacles in the process of organizing general elections and the challenges of the General Election Commission (KPU) in increasing voter participation in general elections.</p><p>The purpose of this study is to find out what obstacles arise in the implementation of the General Election related to the role of the KPU to increase public participation in general elections. This type of research is empirical research and the data used are primary data by conducting interviews with KPU commissioners accompanied by an analysis of secondary data in the form of legislation. The results of this study indicate that barriers that can interfere with the process of holding elections, arise from news hoaxes and some obstacles that are classified based on the group of voters. Every segment of society has different needs, so the method used to increase community participation is tailored to the needs of the community in each segment.</p>

scholarly journals Re-engineering imperatives to enhance the effectiveness of municipal public accounts committees in South African municipalities

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Malefetsane A. Mofolo ◽  
Vuyo Adonis
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Local Government ◽  
South African ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
The State ◽  
Political Influences

Background: After 26 years into democracy and 20 years of the new local government operations, the state of the majority of municipalities in South Africa still leaves much to be desired, as they are plagued with maleficence. What is concerning is that these negative tendencies that are troubling local government occur even under the watchful eye of the municipal public accounts committees (MPACs).Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the composition and the role of MPACs, which have experienced a number of challenges since they were introduced in response to the widely held perception of the culture of lack of accountability in South African municipalities.Methods: This article is theoretical in nature, and it draws its arguments from secondary data in order to understand the composition and the role of MPACs, including its challenges.Results: This study regards the composition of the MPAC as lacking the necessary vigour to be efficient and effective in executing its duties, particularly when considering the challenges and political influences that it tends to face in its operations.Conclusion: The study concludes that there is a need for re-engineering of the composition and the role of the MPAC in order to ensure that it executes its functions efficiently and effectively. Consequently, the study recommends three cardinal pillars that must be given attention in re-engineering the MPAC: policy, authority and power.

scholarly journals Increasing Public Participation in Local Government by Means of Mobile Phones: What do South African Youth Think?

2013 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jean-Paul Van Belle ◽  
Kevin Cupido
Keyword(s):  
Local Government ◽  
Political Participation ◽  
Public Participation ◽  
South African ◽  
Mobile Phones ◽  
Mobile Service ◽  
Mixed Method Research ◽  
The South ◽  
The World ◽  
Fixed Line

Apathy towards political participation is of concern for many countries throughout the world, and for many people political participation means no more than voting in an election. The South African Constitution makes several provisions for public participation but E-government solutions are not suited to the South African context, where fixed-line internet penetration is dramatically lower than that of mobile phones. Mobile phones cut across socio-economic barriers and have changed the way we communicate. They have been used to mobilise people in different parts of the world, more notably those who were passive politically, into action.  This research set out to investigate whether using mobile phones to increase participation in local government would be acceptable or not. A mixed-method research was conducted in Cape Town, South Africa, amongst youths between the ages of 18 and 35 who had no access to fixed-line internet from either home or work. Constructs from a modified UTAUT model and Social Capital Theory were used to determine the individual intention to use government mobile service if they were made available. It was found that there is not only great interest in using mobile phones to interact with government mobile services, but also to interact with other members of the community. The ability to report on corruption and service delivery problems was particularly welcome.

scholarly journals Citizen participation as a contributor to sustainable democracy in South Africa

2014 ◽  
Vol 80 (4) ◽  
pp. 789-807 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liezel Lues
Keyword(s):  
Public Administration ◽  
South African ◽  
Citizen Participation ◽  
Background Information ◽  
The South ◽  
Role Of Government ◽  
Perceptions Of Students ◽  
The Government ◽  
Role Of The Government

Academe has argued that democracy cannot be effective on its own, but is reliant on the government and citizens to sustain it. For the South African democracy to be sustained, the roles of the government and the citizens need to be integrated to ensure accountability, transparency, effectiveness and good quality provision of public services to the citizens. The aim of this study is to establish what students view as the role of the government, and of citizens, in strengthening South African democracy. To this effect, information was collected by means of a survey targeting students enrolled for modules in Public Administration and Management at a South African university. It emerged that the respondents deemed it important to educate themselves about democracy as well as the monitoring of politicians' behaviour. The findings further indicated that the respondents considered issues such as education, health, public order and safety, and job creation to a lesser extent, to be key roles of government. The article concludes by contemplating the importance of educating citizens in strengthening the South African democracy with special reference to the South African Medium Term Strategic Framework, and its 12 outcomes. Points for practitioners This article evaluates current South African democracy with reference to the different roles of both government and citizens, respectively. The study revealed the perceptions of students enrolled for modules in Public Administration and Management at a South African university regarding the role of government and citizens in the creation of a sustainable democracy. Furthermore, background information is given on the South African growth path towards democracy and equality.

scholarly journals The impact of corruption on service delivery: a topical matter in the South African Municipalities

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (01) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mabeba SJ ◽  
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Local Government ◽  
Service Delivery ◽  
South African ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
The South ◽  
Basic Services ◽  
The Republic ◽  
The Impact

One of the topical challenges facing South African municipalities recently is corruption. From time-to-time citizens learn about and witness the corrupt practices of public officials in the Local Government sphere. Arguably, the phenomenon of corruption has both direct and indirect impact on service delivery with specific focus to municipalities. Section 152(1) of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa (1996) states that the Local Government sphere has the mandate to ensure the provision of services to communities in a sustainable manner. Subsequently, some of the communities across the country still wish to have access to basic services namely: water, electricity, community halls and proper tar roads to name a few. As a result, at times it seems impossible for municipalities to smoothly render such services due to corrupt practices emanating in the South African Local Government sphere. This article aimed to explore the impact of corruption on service delivery in the South African municipalities. The article fully relied on secondary data as it collects information from newspapers, books, journal articles, conference proceedings, officials report and academic dissertations. In pursuit of all this, Afrocentricity: a theory of social change has been placed in context with a view that the needs of the society should be placed at the center of the local government sphere. To be specific, these needs are but not limited to water and electricity. Looking at the findings of the study, indeed literature can confirm that corruptions have negative impact on the ability of the municipalities in South Africa to provide basic services. Because the interests of the public are competing with those of the municipal officials. Therefore, at the end of the day service delivery is compromised due unlawful practices.

The Role of Public Participation viewed in the Context of adjudicating Socio-Economic Rights

2018 ◽  
Vol 32 (1&2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Itumeleng Clarence Tshoose
Keyword(s):  
Public Participation ◽  
South African ◽  
The South ◽  
Economic Rights

This article examines how the courts have applied and interpreted the principles of public participation in the context of adjudicating socio-economic rights. In this light, this article adds to the contribution in tribute to Justice Ngcobo in the following ways. First, it examines the role of public participation viewed in the context of adjudicating socio-economic rights. Secondly, it reflects on the jurisprudence of the South African courts with regard to the application and interpretation of the principles of public participation in the course of adjudicating socio-economic rights. Thirdly, it examines the dynamics of public participation, and then revisits the strategies of achieving public participation.

scholarly journals Truth and reconciliation in South Africa: Hindu experiences and concerns

2004 ◽  
Vol 60 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
P.G.J. Meiring
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Truth And Reconciliation Commission ◽  
Faith Communities ◽  
The South ◽  
Reconciliation Commission ◽  
Truth And Reconciliation ◽  
Hindu Community ◽  
The Way

The author who served on the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), focuses on the Hindu experience in South Africa during the apartheid years. At a special TRC Hearing for Faith Communities (East London, 17-19 November 1997) two submissions by local Hindu leaders were tabled. Taking his cues from those submissions, the author discusses four issues: the way the Hindu community suffered during these years, the way in which some members of the Hindu community supported the system of apartheid, the role of Hindus in the struggle against apartheid, and finally the contribution of the Hindu community towards reconciliation in South Africa. In conclusion some notes on how Hindus and Christians may work together in th

Training Administrators To Use Microcomputers

1985 ◽  
Vol 44 ◽  
pp. 1-4
Author(s):  
Robert H. Rittle
Keyword(s):  
Local Government ◽  
Public Administration ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Computer Literacy ◽  
City Management ◽  
Public Administrators ◽  
Public Administration Review ◽  
Management Association ◽  
University Training

Some are born to computer literacy, while others have literacy thrust upon them! Students who comprise the next generation of political scientists and public administrators will, in many cases, fall into the latter category. This article concerns the role of university training programs in meeting the increasing demands for microcomputer skills.The January, 1984 issue of Public Administration Review included five articles concerning microcomputers in local government. These articles anticipate “major changes in the way local governments organize and the means by which they carry out operations,” as a result of microcomputer technology. Predicting a significant impact of microcomputers in local government, the International City Management Association has also published a major monograph on microcomputer use (Griesemer, 1984).

scholarly journals UNFIT TO OWN A FIREARM? The role of the police in firearm control

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anthony Minnaar ◽  
Duxita Mistry
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
The South ◽  
Police Service ◽  
South African Police Service ◽  
Firearm Control ◽  
South African Police ◽  
Lack Of Knowledge

This article draws on a study that examined aspects of the implementation by the South African Police Service (SAPS) of section 11 of the old Arms and Ammunition Act. This section refers to the declaration by the police of a person to be unfit to possess a licensed firearm.Although the police are more vigilant than ever about declaring people unfit, their lack of knowledge about the process needs to be addressed, as does the tendency of police and prosecutors to blame each other for problems that arise. Unless these deficiencies are ironed out soon, they will obstruct the execution of the new Firearms Control Act.

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