Abstract
Since the inception of the democratically elected post-apartheid government, South Africa has experienced growing numbers of protests about inadequate provision of basic municipal services. Recent studies have revealed that the poor performance of municipal officials contributes towards poor municipal service delivery. This article is based on a study which used qualitative key stakeholder interviews to analyse the performance of South African municipal officials, specifically in the delivery of services. It found that the following inter-related factors were responsible for the lack of performance: an unsupportive institutional environment, negative power struggles, over-regulation, political interference, a tense and bureaucratic environment, lack of coherent management systems, absence of a culture of excellence, poor skill utilisation, poor oversight mechanisms, weak capacity to engage in collaborations, and lack of trust between councillors from different political parties. The study concludes that for South African municipalities to meet their constitutional obligations to deliver optimal basic services to the people, the government must, inter alia, invest in building the capacity of municipal officials through the development of skills and other crucial local government interventions and transformations. The municipalities should also depoliticise local government and promote non-partisan appointment of municipal officials.
Highlights
Municipalities in South Africa are mandated to deliver services that meet basic communal needs such as housing, water and sanitation, land, electricity and infrastructure (Dassah 2012; Reddy 2016)
The study results suggest that municipal officials often work in an unsupportive institutional environment characterised by onerous institutional and bureaucratic rules and regulations which impact negatively on their performance and job satisfaction
Overall, the key stakeholder interviews revealed that there is a lack of coherent management systems in South African local governments, which can make it impossible to make good decisions
Summary
Municipalities in South Africa are mandated to deliver services that meet basic communal needs such as housing, water and sanitation, land, electricity and infrastructure (Dassah 2012; Reddy 2016). Developmental local government means that a local government should be committed to work with citizens and groups within the community to find sustainable ways to meet their social, economic and material needs and improve the quality of their lives. Municipalities must promote the social and economic development of the communities they service. The Bill of Rights provides those communities with the fundamental right of access to social services
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