Regime Politics and Service Delivery in the Cape Town Unicity Council Area

Abstract

The study accounts for the local state conflicts between several political parties governing the city of Cape Town in South Africa’s Western Cape Province, and the resulting effect on service delivery. These conflicts take the form of shifting political alliances and differing agendas about governing the city. The emerging conflicts between these political parties, particularly the African National Congress, the Democratic Alliance and the Independent Democrats and the recent local regime changes in the city, have impacted negatively on service delivery. Using urban regime theory, it explores service delivery in the community of Parkwood Estate. In South Africa, while the politics of opposition between political parties has received much attention, especially at the national level, the role of these parties in service delivery at the local level has not received such consideration. With this in mind, this study contributes to an understanding of the association between local state politics and service delivery in Cape Town.