Abstract
This article comprises four important parts: first, the two important components of democracy, namely participatory and non-participatory or representative democracy will be discussed with special reference to the distribution of powers. Second, it will address the roles and responsibilities of ward committees within the democratic society. Third, the ethical question of the basis of the committee members’ capacity to serve on the ward committees in relation to coercive leadership (tyranny of the majority) will be investigated. Fourth, the theological standpoint on the distribution of powers or participatory democracy and the role of the church to improve participatory democracy will be discussed. The research question is the following: What can be done by the country to improve participatory democracy in South Africa, through engagement with ward committees?
Highlights
Participatory democracy is a great challenge for democratic South Africa due to the lack of adequate knowledge of citizens about political operation locally and internationally
Throughout the article the focus will be on the following notions: democracy with special reference to the distribution of powers; the capacity of ward committee members to carry out their roles and responsibilities; and the theological standpoint on the distribution of powers
Horizontal communication would involve all the members of a local community and vertical communication would be from the bottom up
Summary
Participatory democracy is a great challenge for democratic South Africa due to the lack of adequate knowledge of citizens about political operation locally and internationally. The provincial and national government need to offer supervision, support, mentorship and assistance where necessary The people, through their ward committees, need to inform the local government and politicians about their needs. Democratic South Africa, by virtue of its constitution, is a mixture of participatory and representative democracy where the people elect their representatives at different circles of government – local, provincial and national. The problem arises when greed, ego-centrism, favouritism and nepotism occur When these unethical behaviours take over, these representatives forget about the people on the grass-root and, as a result, participatory democracy disappears. The active participation of the people of South Africa in their governance was maximised during the election period and minimised after the elections This means that after the election the parliamentary democracy took over the participatory democracy. What qualities are needed for ward committee members to perform their roles effectively?
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