Protesting for Improved Public Service Delivery in South Africa’s Sedibeng District

Abstract

Studies that provide insight into citizen participation in public services delivery protests in Africa are very few. The paper discusses Citizens participation in public service delivery protests in the Sedibeng district municipality of South Africa. The municipality consists of three local municipalities namely Lesedi, Emfuleni and Midvaal. The sampling procedure was carefully designed, taking into account the spatial distribution of the population in the Sedibeng District Municipality and the three local municipalities. A structured sample of 1,000 respondents was used for the study. Descriptive and inferential statistics approaches were used in the analysis. Overall, the average level of satisfaction with public service delivery is quite low. There are highly significant differences in the mean ranking of satisfaction with public service delivery by age of protesters in respect of water supply, electricity provision and solid waste removal. Also, there are highly significant differences in the mean ranking of satisfaction with public service delivery by district for all service categories. There is a clear link between perception of municipal governance and participation in street protests. It is important for public service delivery in Sedibeng Municipality to improve so that citizens public confidence could rise. Municipal authorities need to explore more avenues for public consultation especially given the cultural impediment that citizens have regarding challenging leaders in public. Prompt action needs to be taken to address development challenges identified by residents as envisioned in the objectives of civic engagement in municipal planning. It is important to improve municipal governance which the protesters are particularly concerned about. Service delivery suggestions made at ward meetings should be provided by the municipality. These include those of improved roads, crime fighting and job creation are also essential to any effort to improve service delivery in Sedibeng municipality. It is also important for politicians to refrain from making empty promises or creating unrealistic expectations. Public services are a key determinant of quality of life that is not measured in per capita income. They are also an important element of any poverty reduction strategy. Improving public service delivery is one of the biggest challenges confronting local administration in Africa. Studies that provide link citizens satisfaction with public services delivery with participation in street protests in Africa are very few. This study hence makes an important contribution to our understanding of this important field.