Abstract
Focusing on the case of South Africa, this study examines how decentralisation policies and inter‐party politics have affected urban service‐delivery responsibilities and resources. Service delivery does not appear to be worse off in Cape Town than in Johannesburg, even though the former is controlled by the opposition Democratic Alliance. While there have been political attempts to undermine the authority of its officials, the fiscal elements are protected by a relatively strong and well‐managed department of finance. Consequently, both donors and the national government steer money towards Cape Town because they know it can deliver on its obligations.
Highlights
UNIVERSITY OF CAPE TOWN Robert.Cameron@uct.ac.za Paper presented at seminar on Urban Governance and Service Delivery in South Africa, African Centre for Cities and the United Nations University-World Institute for Development Economics Research, University of Cape Town
Compared to most African cities South African local government has a strong decentralisation framework with entrenched powers and functions
This study asks whether politics, and vertically-divided authority matters for urban service delivery in South Africa
Summary
Compared to most African cities South African local government has a strong decentralisation framework with entrenched powers and functions. This study asks whether politics, and vertically-divided authority matters for urban service delivery in South Africa. Looks at African National Congress (ANC)-controlled Johannesburg and Democratic Alliance (DA)-controlled Cape Town. Unlike most African cities, opposition-controlled municipalities are not necessarily less capable of delivering services than those under ANC control. Opposition-controlled Cape Town has been rated the best-run municipality in the country by a number of bodies. Complex Intergovernmental relations system means cities do not have full responsibility for delivering major services-have created space for political manipulation by national government eg housing. Interviews with local government stakeholders in Cape Town and Johannesburg and national government departments (May-August 2011) and analysis of documents and data
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