Integrated Development Plan Research Articles

Understanding Strategy Implementation: Progress along Performance of Meru County Government in Kenya

Below-average performance is a characteristic that has been synonymous with many county governments in Kenya. The counties, formulate a County Integrated Development Plan as a guiding roadmap for five years. Besides the well-formulated strategies in Meru County, performance and effective service delivery have not been satisfactorily achieved. This study was designed to investigate strategy implementation and performance of the Meru County Government. The study’s specific objectives were; to determine the effects of resource allocation, organizational culture, leadership, and organizational structure on strategy implementation and performance of Meru County Government. The study targeted 291 employees of Meru County Government and a descriptive research design was used. Multiple regression analysis was used to analyze data. Findings indicated that resource allocation, organizational culture, leadership, and organizational structure had a positive and significant influence on the county government’s performance. The study recommends that; on resource allocation, the county government prioritize sufficient resource allocation on matters of strategy implementation, and create a wide and growing resource base to properly finance its activities. In organizational culture; mission and goals should be made clear at every level, and the culture should uphold goal attainment and promote easy communication during strategy implementation. In organizational leadership, the study recommends that the management should have more employees contribute to decision-making. Periodic workshops and/or training should be held for all employees. On the organizational structure; the county government can enhance its structure through participative decision-making, creating a simple and short chain of command for strategy implementation and promoting interdepartmental learning.

Leveraging Governance Performance to Enhance Climate Resilience

AbstractEnhancing the resilience of complex social‐ecological systems (SES) to climate change requires transformative changes. Yet, there are knowledge gaps on how best to achieve transformation. In this study, we present an approach for assessing governance performance in SES and identifying leverage points to ultimately enhance climate resilience. The approach combines three different methods including a capital approach framework, fuzzy cognitive mapping, and a leverage points analysis. Using a coastal case‐study in Algoa Bay, South Africa, the performance of governance processes contributing to different forms of capital is assessed. Subsequently, leverage points ‐ where a small shift may lead to transformative changes in the system as a whole ‐ are identified based on measures of centrality and performance. Results suggest that a range of leverage points can improve governance performance and therefore climate resilience in the case‐study. Leverage points include improving (a) support from the provincial government; (b) priority given to climate change in the integrated development plan; (c) frequency of collaborations; (d) participation in the implementation of climate action plans; (e) allocation of funding to climate change actions; (f) the overall level of preparedness in terms of staff with relevant expertise; (g) public awareness and understanding of climate change. The approach can also be used to analyze and model the relations and interactions between capitals. The study advances methodological and theoretical knowledge on the identification of leverage points for enabling transformations toward climate resilience and broader sustainability goals in SES.

A Review of Mechanisms Used to Improve Community Participation in the Integrated Development Planning Process in South Africa: An Empirical Review

In 1996, the government of South Africa introduced the Integrated Development Plan (IDP) policy process to transform municipal administration, integrated planning and service delivery. One of the IDP policy’s key aspects is community participation in the planning process. South Africa is still struggling to achieve their duty of delivering basic services due to ineffective community participation. The article primarily appraises the mechanisms for improved community participation in the IDP process. It is underpinned by the New Public Management (NPM) theory, which promotes management reforms, participatory planning, and decentralising power among municipalities and communities. This study adopted a mixed-methods research approach. It is conducted in the Tzaneen municipal area in Limpopo Province. It is also found that some of the mechanisms to facilitate community participation are no longer relevant and effective in the COVID-19 pandemic era. Public meetings are no longer seen as an effective and safe means of public discussion due to the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Disaster Management Act: Amendment of Regulation (Act 57 of 2002) that restricts the physical contact of large groups of people, which has implications for public meeting attendance. The study concludes by recommending that the Tzaneen municipal area should design mechanisms that make it easier for marginalised and previously disadvantaged people to participate in municipal planning and decision-making processes freely and without prejudice. Lastly, the study recommends that the municipality adopt the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) and E-participation to facilitate effective community participation in the IDP process.

Mainstreaming Ecosystem-Based Disaster Risk Reduction: Towards a Sustainable and Just Transition in Local Development Planning in Rural South Africa

Ecosystem-based disaster risk reduction (Eco-DRR) is gaining momentum globally and is also considered to enhance climate change adaptation and sustainable transition to a low-carbon economy in South Africa. However, there is little evidence regarding how the approach is applied at the local level. It also remains unclear to what extent the approach is integrated into local development planning and what opportunities exist for further integration in rural areas. Therefore, our study examined opportunities for mainstreaming Eco-DRR into local development planning in South Africa. Fourteen integrated development plans from ‘mostly rural’ local municipalities in Limpopo Province were systematically assessed to understand the process of mainstreaming Eco-DRR into their current development plans under the following aspects: localized climate trends, hydroclimatic risks considered, risk and vulnerability assessments, disaster risk reduction (DRR) actions, early-warning systems, financing mechanisms, integration of traditional and technical knowledge, stakeholder engagement, and alignment with district, provincial, and national priorities. Although all plans address DRR, none explicitly addresses Eco-DRR, despite a few similar actions. DRR actions are not aligned to any hydroclimatic risks, and most plans lack localized climate trends and/or vulnerability assessments to indicate the severity of hazards and/or identify populations and areas at risk. Several measures in the plans address disaster preparedness, but none includes early-warning systems. Public participation features prominently in all plans, but the process is marred by challenges and lacks genuineness, e.g., prioritized actions are not reflective of community needs. Based on the findings, we discuss measures to enhance the mainstreaming of ecosystem-based approaches into DRR. We conclude that a huge opportunity exists to institutionalize and mainstream Eco-DRR into local development planning in South Africa’s rural areas. If carefully seized, such an opportunity can also help attract external finance to complement the currently constrained budgets related to addressing hydroclimatic risks.

Improving early childhood development in the context of the nurturing care framework in Kenya: A policy review and qualitative exploration of emerging issues with policy makers.

IntroductionThe Nurturing Care Framework (NCF) describes “nurturing care” as the ability of nations and communities to support caregivers and provide an environment that ensures children's good health and nutrition, protects them from threats, and provides opportunities for early learning through responsive and emotionally supportive interaction. We assessed the extent to which Kenyan government policies address the components of the NCF and explored policy/decision makers' views on policy gaps and emerging issues.MethodsA search strategy was formulated to identify policy documents focusing on early childhood development (ECD), health and nutrition, responsive caregiving, opportunities for early learning and security and safety, which are key components of the NCF. We limited the search to policy documents published since 2010 when the Kenya constitution was promulgated and ECD functions devolved to county governments. Policy/decision-maker interviews were also conducted to clarify emerging gaps from policy data. Data was extracted, coded and analyzed based on the components of the NCF. Framework analysis was used for interview data with NCF being the main framework of analysis. The Jaccard's similarity coefficient was used to assess similarities between the themes being compared to further understand the challenges, successes and future plans of policy and implementation under each of the NCF domains.Results127 policy documents were retrieved from government e-repository and county websites. Of these, n = 91 were assessed against the inclusion criteria, and n = 66 were included in final analysis. The 66 documents included 47 County Integrated Development Plans (CIDPs) and 19 national policy documents. Twenty policy/decision-maker interviews were conducted. Analysis of both policy and interview data reveal that, while areas of health and nutrition have been considered in policies and county level plans (coefficients >0.5), the domains of early learning, responsive caregiving and safety and security face significant policy and implementation gaps (coefficients ≤ 0.5), particularly for the 0–3 year age group. Inconsistencies were noted between county level implementation plans and national policies in areas such as support for children with disabilities and allocation of budget to early learning and nutrition domains.ConclusionFindings indicate a strong focus on nutrition and health with limited coverage of responsive caregiving and opportunities for early learning domains. Therefore, if nurturing care goals are to be achieved in Kenya, policies are needed to support current gaps identified with urgent need for policies of minimum standards that provide support for improvements across all Nurturing Care Framework domains.

Understanding Strategy Implementation: Progress along Performance of Meru County Government in Kenya

Below-average performance is a characteristic that has been synonymous with many county governments in Kenya. The counties, formulate a County Integrated Development Plan as a guiding roadmap for five years. Besides the well-formulated strategies in Meru County, performance and effective service delivery have not been satisfactorily achieved. This study was designed to investigate strategy implementation and performance of the Meru County Government. The study’s specific objectives were; to determine the effects of resource allocation, organizational culture, leadership, and organizational structure on strategy implementation and performance of Meru County Government. The study targeted 291 employees of Meru County Government and a descriptive research design was used. Multiple regression analysis was used to analyze data. Findings indicated that resource allocation, organizational culture, leadership, and organizational structure had a positive and significant influence on the county government’s performance. The study recommends that; on resource allocation, the county government prioritize sufficient resource allocation on matters of strategy implementation, and create a wide and growing resource base to properly finance its activities. In organizational culture; mission and goals should be made clear at every level, and the culture should uphold goal attainment and promote easy communication during strategy implementation. In organizational leadership, the study recommends that the management should have more employees contribute to decision-making. Periodic workshops and/or training should be held for all employees. On the organizational structure; the county government can enhance its structure through participative decision-making, creating a simple and short chain of command for strategy implementation and promoting interdepartmental learning.

Nature-Based Resilience: Experiences of Five Cities from South Asia.

As in many other parts of the world, the urban areas of the South Asian region are increasingly expanding. While cities today are the heart of commercial, technological and social development, they are also vulnerable to a variety of natural and anthropogenic threats. The complex urban infrastructure, and the ever-expanding population in cities, exacerbate the impacts of climate change and increase the risk of natural hazards. Throughout history, various hydrological disasters including floods, tidal surges, and droughts, and non-hydrological disasters such as earthquakes, landslides, and storms have led to catastrophic social, economic and environmental impacts in numerous South Asian cities. Disaster risk reduction is therefore central to ensure sustainability in urban areas. Although Nature-based Solutions (NbS) are identified as a promising strategy to reduce risk and increase resilience, there appears to be a lack of evidence-based approaches. NbS are measures that can be practiced to obtain benefits of nature for the environmental and community development through conserving, managing, and restoring ecosystems. Against this backdrop, the South Asian cities provide opportunities to evaluate capacities for achieving Nature-based Resilience (NbR) through NbS. This study documents insights from five cities of five different countries of the South Asian region which are subjected to a wide array of disasters: Barishal (Bangladesh), Phuentsholing (Bhutan), Gurugram (India), Kathmandu (Nepal), and Colombo (Sri Lanka). The primary objective of this study is to provide evidence on how NbS are being practiced. Thus, some success stories in cities under consideration are highlighted: restoration of natural canals through integrated development plans and community participation (Barishal), concepts of Gross National Happiness (GNH) and minimal nature interventions (Phuentsholing), “Greening cities’’ including eco-corridors, vegetation belts, biodiversity parks (Gurugram), proper land use planning aims at different disasters (Kathmandu), and wetland restoration and management with multiple benefits (Colombo). These cases could therefore, act as a “proxy” for learning from each other to prepare for and recover from future disasters while building NbR.

Institutional Voids: An Impediment to Social Enterprises in the Achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals in South Africa

This paper examines institutional voids as a possible impediment to harnessing and articulating the contributions of social enterprises towards the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in South Africa. It focuses on municipalities as sites for the implementation of development goals and the services of social enterprises. The findings show that institutional voids in the Integrated Development Plan which stem from the Constrained Development Focus of municipalities manifest in a Deficient Sector Engagement and Deficient Accountability for social entrepreneurship. These run counter to the policy and institutional coherence that is needed to successfully implement the SDGs. There is, therefore, a need to rethink the IDP process and incorporate the services of social enterprises.

Legal and policy frameworks to harmonise and mainstream climate and disaster resilience options into municipality integrated development plans: A case of Zambia

Climate change adaptation, mitigation (CCA-M), and climate-related disaster risk reduction (DRR) have more synergies than discords that needs harnessing and mainstreaming into developmental practice. Municipalities are considered best-equipped extension of governments to harmonise and mainstream these two developmental interventions. However, municipalities require harmonised legal, policy and other enablers to effectively streamline and mainstream these two developmental options into development planning. This paper uses summative content analysis and exclusive use of secondary data to review the extent to which the Zambian government in the Global South has tried to undertake three significant modifications, namely: (1) harmonise newly formulated legislation, policy frameworks and enablers post year 2015, that relate to CCA-M, DRR and municipality Integrated Development Plans (IDPs), (2) promote the streamlining of CCA-M and climate-related DRR conceptually and (3) promote the mainstreaming of these two harmonised concepts and practices into municipality IDP through the revised legal, policy frameworks and enablers. The results shows that, there is little activity to harmonise legislation, policy frameworks, enablers that relate to CCA-M, DRR and municipality IDPs. There is equally little activity to encourage conceptual harmonisation of CCA-M and DRR at practice level. Finally, there is little activity by government to conceptually promote the mainstreaming of these two concepts in unison into municipality IDPs. Nevertheless, there is good political will and international donor support for this mainstreaming agenda, in general, for CCA and CCM as singular developmental options into the public sectors. This is not the case regarding harmonisation with DRR.

Comprehending stakeholders’ involvement in the integrated development planning process as a tool for improved community participation

This study is primarily aimed at comprehending the key stakeholders, involved in applying the Integrated Development Planning (IDP) process for improved community participation in the Tzaneen municipal area. It is argued in this study, that the IDP is centred on the priorities and desires of the communities. Communities have the opportunity to engage in identifying their most desired needs. The IDP process requires all stakeholders who live and do business within a municipal jurisdiction to partake in the design and execution of the municipal development plan, also known as the IDP. This study is grounded in the ladder of citizen participation theory, pioneered by Arnstein Sherry in 1969. Arnstein (1969)'s ladder of citizen participation theory talks about community involvement in the planning process in the United States. This empirical study was conducted in the Tzaneen municipal area, South Africa, and four hundred and ten (410) participants were sampled in the area through probability and non-probability sampling techniques. The study adopted a mixed-method research approach. The data was collected and analysed until saturation was reached. Data were collected using surveys, semi-structured interviews, and a review of existing literature. This study revealed that more than half (56 %) of participants indicated that they were not consulted and encouraged to participate in the IDP process as relevant stakeholders. Consultation of stakeholders is often inadequate. Most of the participants are dissatisfied with their representatives' manner and level of involvement, and they do not feel well represented. This study concludes by recommending that municipalities adhere to the Municipal Systems Act (2000) and the Republic of South Africa (1996) Constitution, both of which require municipalities to actively involve stakeholders in the planning process to provide services sustainably and satisfactory. The Batho Pele principles should be followed to guarantee a harmonious relationship between the municipality and its stakeholders. Stakeholders will have reasonable expectations regarding service delivery due to effective consultation.

A six-step framework for participatory communication and institutionalised participation in South Africa’s municipal IDP processes

ABSTRACT Institutionalised participation in South Africa’s local government is a process that compels municipal officials to fulfil specific legislative imperatives, such as the coordination of all resources and the development of Integrated Development Plans (IDPs) and budgets, to ensure effective service delivery. However, for participation to be genuine and active, should it not be approached as an end in itself and not a means to achieve pre-defined imperatives? As an answer to this question, this article proposes a participatory communication framework to facilitate institutionalised participation, thereby theoretically reconceptualising participation, dialogue, and empowerment from Freirean and Habermasian perspectives.

Understanding knowledge needs for Scotland to become a resilient Hydro Nation: Water stakeholder perspectives

Freshwater resources provide ecosystem services that support human prosperity and development. Future changes in climate, land-use, and population could lead to detrimental impacts on freshwater quality and quantity, threatening drinking water, irrigation and energy production. To increase resilience there is the need to better understand the possible impacts of future changes on freshwaters. We use Scotland – and its legislative agenda ‘Scotland: The Hydro Nation’ – to understand the knowledge needs of water stakeholders as a first step in building freshwater resilience. By interviewing water stakeholders across Scotland, we found an overarching ‘knowledge need’ for a greater understanding of the cumulative impacts on freshwaters associated with the interactions between multiple climatic and socio-economic drivers and their associated pressures. Stakeholders also identified five specific ‘knowledge need’ themes; large-scale land-use change, future water demands, water value, integrated development planning and water asset conditions. We identify a willingness of stakeholders to participate in systems-thinking approaches to address these ‘knowledge need’ themes. The ‘knowledge needs’ can be used to inform research priorities to support water-related policy in Scotland. We propose that participatory methods should be applied following the Driver Pressure State Impact Response (DPSIR) framework to address ‘knowledge need themes’ to identify and appraise adaptive management and policy options. Our methods used to identify stakeholder knowledge needs are a time, cost and environmentally effective way for collecting rich data. Methods can be replicated in other regions and water policy contexts to understand where increased knowledge is required to help build future resilience.

Including the excluded in the integrated development planning process for improved community participation

This article aims to assess the Integrated Development Planning (IDP) process for improved community participation. The IDP process was developed to improve strategic planning and community participation at the municipal level. Many South African municipalities have been struggling to use the IDP process to improve community participation. The methodology included 400 respondents who were chosen through a probability sampling technique and probed to complete the online survey using a closed-ended questionnaire guide, and ten respondents were also chosen through a non-probability sampling technique and were face-to-face interviewed using a semi-structured interview guide. The key findings revealed that poor community participation exists in the study area due to a lack of encouragement from responsible authorities. The Tzaneen municipality does not provide adequate feedback to the communities, and the inputs of the communities are not considered. There is a continuous lack of community consultation during the annual review of the IDP. The ineffective IDP process for improved community participation presents several challenges. Thus, this article concluded by providing a few recommendations to enhance the application of the IDP process and community participation. The Tzaneen municipal area should at all times uphold democratic principles by ensuring active public participation, transparency, and openness in municipal affairs. It also recommends making it easier for marginalised and previously disadvantaged people to participate in municipal policy and decision-making without prejudice. South African municipalities, including Tzaneen municipality, should develop and innovate institutional, and organisational capabilities to better utilise their resources, mitigate socio-economic challenges and enhance service delivery.

Urban Climate Justice, Human Health, and Citizen Science in Nairobi’s Informal Settlements

Urban informal settlements or slums are among the most vulnerable places to climate-change-related health risks. Yet, little data exist documenting environmental and human health vulnerabilities in slums or how to move research to action. Citizen science, where residents co-define research objectives with professionals, collect and analyze data, and help translate findings into ameliorative actions, can help fill data gaps and contribute to more locally relevant climate justice interventions. This paper highlights a citizen-science, climate justice planning process in the Mukuru informal settlement of Nairobi, Kenya. We describe how residents, non-governmental organizations and academics partnered to co-create data-gathering processes and generated evidence to inform an integrated, climate justice strategy called the Mukuru Special Planning Area, Integrated Development Plan. The citizen science processes revealed that <1% of residents had access to a private in-home toilet, and 37% lacked regular access to safe and affordable drinking water. We found that 42% of households were subject to regular flooding, 39% reported fair or poor health, and 40% reported a child in the household was stunted. These and other data were used in a community planning process where thousands of residents co-designed improvement and climate change adaptation strategies, such as flood mitigation, formalizing roads and pathways with drainage, and a water and sanitation infrastructure plan for all. We describe the participatory processes used by citizen scientists to generate data and move evidence into immediate actions to protect human health and a draft a long-range, climate justice strategy. The processes used to create the Mukuru Special Planning Area redevelopment plan suggest that participatory, citizen-led urban science can inform local efforts for health equity and global goals of climate justice.

The dynamics of implementing climate change adaptation at the local municipal level

The purpose of the paper is to evaluate the dynamics of implementing climate change objectives within the South African local government. Climate change has been intensifying over the years and cities are recognised to be vulnerable. The promulgation of various acts and plans, such as the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa (1996), Spatial Planning and Land Use and Management Act (SPLUMA), National Urban Development Framework and Integrated Development Plan (IDP), is to ensure environmental protection inclusive of climate change mitigation and adaptation. However, the multiplicity of challenges, such as budgetary constraints, lack of political will, capacitated personnel, coupled with service delivery backlogs, deter the commitment by the municipality to implement measures to adapt and mitigate climate change. The persistence of climate change effects around the city has reduced the resilience of South African cities. The resilient theory asserts that cities must have the ability to operate post any perturbation. The adaptation to climate change around the city is important to ensure the system’s ability to be resilient. The study found that the multiplicity of factors, interplaying within the City of Polokwane, demonstrates difficulties to adapt and mitigating climate change. The study concludes that the employment of solar systems, maintenance of drainage systems and proper planning are key determinants of affective planning in an attempt to mitigate and adapt to climate change

Balancing infrastructure, ecosystem conservation, and community approaches on integrated development planning of Citarum Watershed

The condition of several watersheds in Indonesia at this time has experienced a lot of decline in functions in maintaining water availability and environmental health. The number of critical watersheds in Indonesia continues to grow and is getting worse even though there have been many rehabilitation programmes for several watersheds in Indonesia, including the Citarum Watershed in West Java. Changes in the characteristics of the Citarum Watershed that can be seen include an increase in the overflow point of flood inundation, erosion of agricultural land, and sedimentation in rivers. The method used in this research is a qualitative approach through analysis based on a literature review of planning documents, regulations, books, journals, and expert judgment analysis. This study aims to assess the extent to which cross-sectoral, cross-regional and inter-disciplinary problems affect regional development and analyze problems that occur at the watershed scale. The Citarum Watershed Strategic Plan is a set of activities with steps to implement the planned strategies. The Strategic Plan reveals some activities, involvement of stakeholders, and also goals for the future which are to be achieved through the identified implementation steps. All of the activities have a main vision: "All stakeholders working together to enhance the quality of watershed carrying capacity by balancing infrastructure, ecosystem conservation, and community approaches".

Impact of Community Based Natural Resource Management on Household Livelihoods in Samburu: Case of Nkoteiya Community Conservancy Project

Effective management of community based conservancies (CBCs) is one of the common challenges affecting conservation projects in Kenya especially in arid and semi-arid regions. Currently, biodiversity conservation matters have been connected to Millennium Development Goals. This falls under Long and Medium Term plan as outlined in vision 2030 under Integrated Development Plans for community levels. However, mismanagement of conservation projects, lack of prior knowledge, politics, conflicts over natural resources have been a hindrance towards full achievement of conservation goals. The study focused on impact of community based natural resource management on household livelihoods in Samburu; case of Nkoteiya Community conservancy project. The research was guided by three objectives; to assess factors that has contributed to the establishment of community- based conservancies in Nkoteiya conservancy project, to examine the extent of community involvement in Nkoteiya community conservancy project and to assess the benefits of community from socio-economic activities of Nkoteiya conservancy project in Samburu County. The study adopted use of participatory theory on theoretical framework and Social capital model in approach to explain the variables on involvement of stakeholders particularly for participants of the community based projects. The study adopted descriptive research design. The target population was 1200 drawn from the conservancy management team and households from the region. Using Cohran sample size formulae, a sample size of 300 respondents were included in the study. Data analysis was done using (SPSS version 25).The study found that, 75 % of the livelihoods of the people involved in the projects have been impacted positively. The study identified that factors that were researched on establishment of CBNRM projects have contributed to 84.1% (r-0.841, p~.012). Successively, the level of involvement showed that the community have been well involved in the affairs of the conservancy evident from 24.8% (r-0.248, p~value 0.00) and the socio-economic benefits accrued had varied responses evident from means comparison (298) = -3.925, p = 0.001 and t (52.047) = -6.913, p = 0.001. Therefore, the study recommends that the management of the conservancy to embrace the aspects of community conservancy through total involvement in the operations of the conservancy. The study also recommends coordination from all stakeholders’ involved in the utilization and benefits of natural resources in the region.

The quest for service delivery: The case of a rural district municipality in the Mpumalanga province of South Africa

Background: In South Africa, poor service delivery has been a major problem in many municipalities, partly because of corruption, political patronage and skills deficits at local administrative levels.Aim: This study aimed to critically assess the extent of service delivery deficit and find ways to improve service delivery in the study area and beyond.Setting: This study is framed on the ideals of theory of social contract that states the relationship between the state and society. In this line, this study highlights Weber’s theory of bureaucracy and the new public management (NPM) that gets its theoretical foundations from public choice and principal–agent theories.Methods: The study used primary data collected from 120 respondents. A descriptive quantitative method was used using questionnaire and content analysis of official documentations.Results: The study finds that residents in the study area are not satisfied with the level of current municipal services provided. In addition, the study reveals that the municipality does not generate enough funds because of non-payment for the services rendered that will substantially reduce basic municipal services provision. Furthermore, contrary to the common belief that rural municipal residents demand free services, this study finds that residents are willing to pay modest fees for the quality services rendered.Conclusion: The residents in the Dr JS Moroka Local Municipality (DR JSMLM) value essential services such as water and electricity more than other services. The status of service delivery in the municipality is rated poor. However, the residents still believe that there are possibilities for the improvements in the service delivery if the municipality adheres to its Integrated Development Plan (IDP) for the years ahead.

FACTORS IMPEDING SERVICE DELIVERY IN SOUTH AFRICAN MUNICIPALITIES: THE CASE OF CITY OF JOHANNESBURG

Ponte Academic JournalAug 2022, Volume 78, Issue 8 FACTORS IMPEDING SERVICE DELIVERY IN SOUTH AFRICAN MUNICIPALITIES: THE CASE OF CITY OF JOHANNESBURGAuthor(s): Shikha Vyas-Doorgapersad ,Itebogeng MasibigiriJ. Ponte - Aug 2022 - Volume 78 - Issue 8 doi: 10.21506/j.ponte.2022.8.9 Abstract:Municipal government faces a number of difficulties in providing improved services, which occasionally sparks protests from the local communities. The study’s objective was to look at the institutional factors that affect how services are delivered by the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality (CoJ). The research approach used is a qualitative one. Document analysis was utilised to gather secondary data, while interviews with CoJ employees were used to get primary data. The article's main emphasis is on Integrated Development Plan (IDP) and Local Economic Development (LED) policy considerations. The effective service delivery theory was chosen as the study's theoretical framework.The findings show that the statutory framework for service delivery in South Africa is appropriate and offers clear recommendations for local municipalities. Furthermore, municipalities may find a solution in the theoretical framework of effective service delivery. This theory places a strong focus on the concepts of effectiveness and appropriateness in service delivery. Despite the theoretical, legal, and conceptual frameworks for service delivery, there is little indication that they are being utilised and valued in South African municipalities. In the context of CoJ, it is evident that the city's designation as ‘The City of Gold’, the discovery of minerals like gold and copper in Johannesburg, as well as vacant land and the city's name, have all contributed to the significant influx of migrants looking for a better life. There is no question that the CoJ has a well-run administrative structure, but a chain reaction has rendered the intended service delivery insufficient. Additionally, there are concerns about the dedication of individuals who have been given the responsibility of providing services. In light of the findings, political and policy proposals have been made that might help the CoJ and other South African municipalities provide better services to their citizens. Download full text:Check if you have access through your login credentials or your institution Username Password

Sediment Load Concentration and Resultant Channel Planform in the Lower Gandak Plain

Erosion, transportation and deposition by running water are closely related and these works are performed in association and not in isolation. One cannot be performed without others. These works are determined on other factors like topography, geology, structure and composition of rocks, slope, amount of water availability and its characteristics, climate etc. Huge catchment area of the Gandak River is lying in the Himalayan mountainous region. This region is receiving good amount of rainfall concentrated in four months of monsoonal period June to September (JJAS). This period has also high temperatures leading to large amount of glacial ice melt. Hence, enormous water is drained off the mountain steep slope. The Himalaya is very young and has fragile rocks and ecosystem. Anthropogenic activities in those areas are primary cause, apart from natural weathering, for generation of more and more shattered materials which are brought by running water downstream much easily. Therefore, highly sediment concentrated water brings large quantity of loads. It is deposited in suitable conditions along its paths in the plain and with flood water. It results the formation of flood plain. According to the erosion and deposition, different types of major and minor features are formed. In other words, water and sediment determine the layout of the plain appearance. In this background, it is attempted to (i) study sediment concentration in discharged water and (ii) illustrate the channel planform of the Gandak River in the plain. To achieve these aims, secondary data has been collected and analyzed. It is expected that this study will help in executing an integrated development plan for the flood affected area of Lower Gandak River Plain. Keywords: sediment load, channel bars, channel planform, meandering, braiding, slope/gradient and channel cutoff.