South African Municipalities Research Articles

INTERGOVERNMENTAL RELATIONS AS AN ACCELERATOR FOR THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT PLANNING IN SOUTH AFRICA

The post-apartheid government in South Africa adopted the democratic model of cooperative governance enabled by the Constitution of 1996 in birthing intergovernmental relations (IGRs). The concept of cooperative governance accepts that all government spheres can collaboratively function together to render quality and efficient services to the citizens. Against this background, this study adopted an interpretive paradigm that draws from an explorative qualitative research approach. Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality (BCMM) was identified as a case study, where existing government documents, peer-reviewed articles, and other expansive literature sources were analysed to demonstrate how IGR can be adequately implemented to accelerate local government planning and community service delivery. The analysis of documents unearthed numerous challenges affecting BCMM in implementing IGR to enhance its operational efficiency and public service delivery. The challenges include poor project management and support in integrated development planning. The findings further reflected the absence of hard and soft skills, which triggered poor coordination and implementation of intergovernmental relations in BCMM. The conclusions derived from this study revealed that the leadership of BCMM needs to promote coordination and cooperation among various municipal departments, which is crucial in strengthening intergovernmental relations within the local government planning processes. The study's contribution lies in highlighting the potential of IGR in improving service delivery in South African municipalities and emphasizing the need for improved coordination and project management skills, which are central to advancing local government planning and public service delivery. Keywords: Intergovernmental Relations, Local Government Planning, Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality, South Africa DOI： https://doi.org/10.35741/issn.0258-2724.58.2.71

Solid waste collection efficiency among South African municipalities

Solid waste collection efficiency among South African municipalities

Intervention in South African municipalities: Dangers and remedies

South Africa’s Constitution guarantees municipal autonomy; at the same time it enjoins the different elements of the state to co-ordinate their efforts through ‘co-operative government’ and, in conjunction with legislation, it under some circumstances permits (or even requires) provincial and national government to intervene in local government affairs to secure effective government and oversight. These powers of intervention, justified by reference to s 139 of the Constitution, range from disciplining errant councillors to the forced dissolution of non-performing municipalities. Some welcome such intervention as a counterweight to local-level corruption and inefficiency, but in a partisan environment, especially where different spheres are controlled by different parties or coalitions accountable to distinctive electorates, these powers of intervention are, we argue, open to political abuse. This abuse is likely to become more prevalent as unstable local coalition governments become more common, providing more pretexts for intervention and opportunities for councillors in political minorities to subvert their own councils in the hope of inviting intervention by higher-tier actors associated with their own party. In line with the 2021 Constitutional Court case censuring the dissolution of Tshwane Municipality by the Gauteng government, we argue for restricting grounds for intervention, especially more radical forms of intervention. As far as possible, the task of removing corrupt and inefficient local councils and councillors should be left to local voters.

An Exploration of the Localization of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGS) in Municipalities: A Case of South African Municipalities

An Exploration of the Localization of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGS) in Municipalities: A Case of South African Municipalities

Leaving no one behind in a participative integrated development planning process in South Africa

The purpose of this study is to explore the IDP process for improved public participation and thereafter assess the barriers to the design and implementation of the IDP. The IDP process was developed to improve strategic planning and ensure that no one is left behind at the grassroots. This was done by promoting public participation in municipal affairs. Many South African municipalities have been struggling to use the IDP process to improve public participation. A mixed-methods approach to investigate the participative IDP process and barriers, using the Greater Tzaneen Municipality (GTM) as a case study was adopted. 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 10 respondents were also chosen through a non-probability sampling technique and were face-to-face interviewed using a semi-structured interview guide. The key results revealed that poor public participation exists in the study area due to a lack of encouragement from responsible authorities. Many barriers hinder the effective design and implementation of the participative IDP process, such as protests, working in silos, a lack of institutional resources to address the competing needs of communities, and a lack of transparency, accountability, and consultation. Lastly, the lack of oversight by the municipality in the adoption of e-participation has been discovered as a barrier to the design and implementation of participative IDP process during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study concludes by providing a few recommendations to enhance participative IDP process. The GTM should at all times uphold democratic principles by ensuring active and effective public participation, transparency, and accountability in municipal affairs. South African municipalities, especially GTM, should develop innovative institutional and organizational skills to make better use of their resources, solve socioeconomic barriers, and enhance service delivery.

A clean audit and service delivery comparative study of two municipalities in Mpumalanga province in South Africa

In recent years, most South African (SA) municipalities still need to produce clean audits. In 2018 and 2019, most municipalities in SA needed better-quality financial statements and performance reports. Misrepresentation of financial statements in audit reports is linked to inadequate governance, misappropriation of public funds and poor public service delivery. It is upon this background that this study aimed to: (i) assess perceptions of municipality middle management employees on factors affecting auditing, (ii) evaluate the differences in perceptions among municipality middle management employees on factors affecting auditing, (iii) measure the effect of factors affecting auditing on overall clean audit and (iv) establish the effect of clean audit on service delivery at two municipalities in Mpumalanga province. Using a structured questionnaire, a quantitative descriptive approach methodology was employed to collect data from a minimum sample of 294 employees in the middle management category working within the accounting and finance department at two municipalities in Mpumalanga province, SA. SPSS v28 was used to conduct descriptive and multivariate analyses, including mean, analysis of variance (ANOVA), correlation, and regression analysis. Results indicated that employees from the clean audit municipality had positive perceptions of factors affecting clean audit, while employees from the municipality with an unclean audit had negative perceptions. It was also concluded that factors affecting auditing had a statistically significant positive effect on clean audits. The findings in this study led to significant implications for theory and practice.

Who should we pay more? Exploring the influence of pay for elected officials and bureaucrats on organizational performance in South African local government

AbstractDespite the recurrent focus on pay as an incentive and the myriad reforms of public sector compensation, researchers have generated surprisingly little evidence of the link between pay level and organizational performance. We propose a theoretical model of how pay leads to improvements in organizational performance by enhancing recruitment, motivation, and retention. Given scarce resources and constraints on the ability to financially reward public officials, we engage the top‐down, bottom‐up debate in policy implementation to theorize about whether pay for elected officials or bureaucrats matters more for performance. Our analysis of panel data from South African municipalities reveals increasing pay for bureaucrats—but not for elected officials—can improve delivery of labor‐intensive public services. However, the results also suggest higher pay may embolden bureaucrats to break rules regarding public spending, thereby weakening accountability.

An Analysis of Local Government Financial Statement Audit Outcomes in a Developing Economy Using Machine Learning

Good financial management provides economic stability and sustainability to an organization. It enables an organisation to make good use of its resources and plan effectively. South Africa’s public financial management has deteriorated over time, with only 16% of municipalities receiving a clean audit in the 2020-21 financial period as reported by the Auditor General of South Africa. This work aims to find an appropriate model for analysing and predicting audit outcomes for South African municipalities. The data used in the study include 1560 observations of which 55% were unqualified audit opinions. The features used are 13 financial ratios obtained from financial statements from years 2012 to 2018. Feature selection is performed using random forest, correlation analysis and stepwise regression analysis. The performances of three machine learning algorithms are compared; decision tree, artificial neural network (ANN) and logistic regression models. The findings indicate that ANN is the appropriate model for predicting audit opinions in South African municipalities with overall average area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.6918 and overall average area under the Precision–Recall curve of 0.7074 across all feature selection methods. In addition, debt to operating ratio, current ratio and net operating surplus margin are found to be the common three important financial ratios across the various feature selection techniques.

Black economic empowerment, development and seeking justice at South African municipalities: A closer look at two case studies

Although South African and international research has been enriched by a wide variety of empirical findings regarding supply chain management (SCM) corruption in South Africa, there is a significant gap in the literature, particularly in terms of the direct and indirect connections of black economic empowerment (BEE) entrepreneurs, local government and to processes of SCM at South African municipalities. This study is based on an inductive, qualitative and interpretative methodology aimed at analysing and dissecting relationships in the context of BEE entrepreneurs engaging in corruption. Within this realm of corruption, the article also looks at the role of supply chain and procurement at two South African municipalities. The municipalities selected were situated in both urban and rural areas in KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape. The eight interviewees represented the political, administrative and workers’ sections of the municipalities. The findings pinpoint the realities of aspects of BEE associated with the nature of corruption in public procurement in the municipalities and the influence of BEE entrepreneurs in processes of corruption, particularly in SCM functions and processes.Contribution: Corruption remains a key threat to South Africa’s young democracy. This is particularly true at the local level, the central pivot in our society building exercise. A multidisciplinary journal of this nature will benefit from the focus of this article, particularly in light of the fact that it also hopes to ignite thought around the moral ramifications of rampant corruption in South Africa.

Factors impeding the implementation of oversight mechanisms in South African municipalities

Background: Many developing countries are experiencing many financial management and control challenges such as corruption, fraud and misappropriation of public funds. In South Africa, municipalities are among the most affected public institutions.Aim: This article investigated factors impeding the successful implementation of oversight mechanisms meant to promote accountability, with specific reference to South African municipalities.Methods: A qualitative research methodology approach was used, and an extensive review of literature and key policy documents and reports was conducted.Results: The findings revealed the following factors as impeding the implementation of oversight mechanisms in South African municipalities: ineffective internal control tracking, Auditor General’s limitations to regularly make progress checks on recommendations made, nepotism in municipal appointments, futile audit committees and management’s inability to enforce consequences.Conclusion: In the process, this article recommended that municipalities should adopt a radical metamorphosis through greater accountability measures, strengthened monitoring and evaluation mechanisms and improved leadership and accountability.Contribution: This article proposed options for improving the effectiveness of oversight mechanisms at local spheres of government in developing nations such as South Africa. Furthermore, in general, this article contributed to literature on local government oversight mechanisms and local government performance in South Africa.

Public Works as A Safety Net: Evidence and implementation in South African municipalities

This article analyses the coordination processes, challenges, and outcomes of the South African Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) as the social safety net related to poverty and unemployment, drawing on the Cape Town and Mangaung Metropolitan Municipalities case studies. The article draws from a qualitative desktop approach based on an extensive literature review. The study findings reveal similar institutional challenges as a deterrent to the effectiveness of the EPWP in addressing poverty and unemployment. These include political interference, lack of reporting, human resources training, administrative capacity, adequate funding, and the absence of an EPWP structure. To remedy these challenges, South African municipalities should improve monitoring, evaluation, talent management, and foster public-private partnership synergies.

Exploring the Influence of Supplier Relationship Quality on South African Municipalities’ Service Delivery Performance

Most South African municipalities are yet to perform at the desired level. Service delivery protests have been a permanent feature in the South African media for years. Apprehending the factors influencing relationship quality may help municipalities enhance their performance and reduce service delivery problems. The study adopted a quantitative approach within the South African municipality setting. The respondents were sampled using stratified random sampling and snowball sampling. Data were collected from 205 respondents using a structured 5-point Likert scale questionnaire. The data were coded and analyzed using descriptive statistics, SPSS, and AMOS statistical software. The main finding was that relationship quality influenced service delivery performance from the management’s perspective. The composite relationship quality variables (cooperation, trust, commitment, and satisfaction) significantly influenced the relationship quality. The implication is that the quality of the relational interactions between the municipalities and their suppliers significantly impacted the quality-of-service delivery performance.

The 1998 “‘mini-Constitution’ for local government”: A review of the assumptions of the White Paper on Local Government

Many South African municipalities suffer service-delivery problems that can usually be ascribed to inadequate management, skills, and budgets. The reasons for these, in turn, invariably include weak economic base, unwise spending of available funds, and difficulty in recruiting and retaining skilled staff. The White Paper on Local Government of 1998, to which Valli Moosa, the then Minister for Provincial Affairs and Constitutional Development, referred as “almost [being] regarded as a ‘mini-Constitution’ for local government”, together with the Municipal Demarcation Act of the same year, spelled out the framework in terms of which the local government system would be transformed. Municipalities, covering the entire country “wall-to-wall”, were thereafter established and powers and functions were assigned to them. After more than two decades, there can no longer be any doubt that many municipalities are, to a significant extent, failing in their primary duty of delivering services. The author sought to investigate to what extent this failing is due to flaws in the ‘mini-Constitution’. By examining aspects of the performance of municipalities, the article assesses key assumptions made by the drafters of the White Paper in respect of a number of key attributes for service delivery. These attributes include sufficient skills and funding, prudent budgeting and effective spending, good leadership, adequate systems and data, stability of the senior leadership, and the presence of trust and credibility. The article finds that many of the assumptions were flawed, with severe consequences for service delivery.

An Analysis of Water Indigent Policies in South African Municipalities through the Lenses of Fraser’s Social Justice Theory- A Study of the Amathole District Municipality

The paper ascertains the extent to which the implementation of the water indigent policy within the Amathole District Municipality is meeting the preconditions of social justice as explained in Fraser’s theory of social justice. The theory states that justice can be understood in three separate but interrelated ways. Such are, distributive justice (in terms of a more equitable distribution of resources), the justice of recognition (the equal recognition of different identities/groups within a society) and the justice of representation. The paper employed a qualitative research approach and a case study design. Data was collected using both primary and secondary methods. Thematic analysis was used and the paper revealed that in the context of water service delivery, the Amathole District Municipality’s indigent policies need to be improved in order to effectively address social justice.

Modelling budget management for public service in South African Municipalities: A structural equation modelling approach

Background: For more than two decades, many municipalities have failed to render services effectively because of lack of competency and budget management skills to manage budgets. This has resulted in either over or under expenditure, which ultimately leads to poor service delivery.Aim: This study aimed to develop a budget management model to improve public service in South African municipalities.Setting: Three municipalities in the Western Cape, Eastern Cape and Free State are the areas where data were collected by researchers.Methods: A quantitative research approach was employed and an online questionnaire was used for data collection from 261 participants in three municipalities. A structural equation modelling approach was used to develop the budget management model.Results: The results revealed that risk management (RM), cash flow management (CFM) from employee perceptions have a positive impact on budget management; whereas CFM from general compliance with legislative consideration (LC) have a negative impact, budget planning (BP) and revenue and expenditure management (REM) have low impact on budget management for public service.Conclusion: The study highlights the key factors (i.e. RM, BP, CFM, LC and REM) as a result of which managers at various levels fail to manage budgets effectively. The proposed model adds new insights to respond to budget management challenges. It is recommended that municipalities must improve their budget management skills for an effective public service. Findings from this study contribute to the existing body of knowledge by proposing a budget management model for public service in South Africa.

Pragmatic implementation and promotion of good governance principles in realizing Sustainable Development Goal Six (6) in South Africa

This article intends to uncover the ongoing challenges that South African municipalities are confronted with in realizing SDG 6 (clean water and sanitation) and also explore common good governance principles for sustainable development. To realize SDG 6, good governance principles should be promoted and pragmatically implemented. This is a conceptual article which assesses secondary data covering SDG 6 challenges and good governance principles. Existing literature was systematically reviewed from Google Scholar, online newsletters, and other databases from May–July 2022. Secondary data was analyzed using a Thematic Content Analysis (TCA) approach. The theoretical findings of this article show that there is growing concern about attaining SDG 6 due to the bad or weak governance practices in SA. In SA, progress on good governance has been encouraging, but challenges remain. Thus, this article recommends good and inclusive governance because, without it, SA will not achieve its socio-economic goals, like SDG 6. If SA is to achieve its development goals, it must establish mechanisms that promote constitutionalism, accountability, democracy, and good governance. Weak governance, which is characterized by corruption, bribery, mismanagement, and lack of public involvement, transparency, and accountability, should be addressed. SA should have sound governance that is responsive to community needs and fights toward the achievement of the localized SDGs.

Unpacking the Municipal Demarcation Application in South Africa

The year 2022 marks the sixth democratic local municipal demarcation process in South Africa. The Municipal Demarcation Board has invited the public to put forward their suggestions for the revision of local municipal boundaries based on the Municipal Demarcation Act (27 of 1998) by the end of March. However, the legislative criterion that guides the process remains as complex as it was in 1998 and the public still questions how and why municipal boundaries are demarcated in South Africa. A direct product of the complexity is that many voices remain muffled and their frustrations are displayed in public protests. These protests are to an extent due to municipalities being too large, lacking economic bases, and having poor governance structures to administer efficiently, resulting in many struggling to provide basic services and remain financially viable and sustainable. This article unpacks the application process that needs to be followed by the Municipal Demarcation Board (MDB), the Member of Executive Council (MEC), and the public to motivate for the re-demarcation of local boundaries. The paper argues that the process is complicated and calls for its revision. Furthermore, the paper suggests that smaller and more compact municipalities, at scale and proportional to economic base, might be the solution to the on-going crises of South African Municipalities.

Considerations on bio-hydrogen production from organic waste in South African municipalities: A review

Organic waste disposal contributes to 3.8% of GHG emissions to the atmosphere, yet 68.8% of this putrescible waste fraction is still disposed of, untreated, to landfills in South Africa. The implementation of a ban on disposal of organic waste to landfills at provincial level opens up the need to research best technology pathways and waste minimisation strategies to valorise and promote the circularity of diverted waste streams. The SARChI Chair in Waste and Climate Change has developed the WROSETM (Waste Resource Optimization Scenario Evaluation) model to assist municipalities in selecting the most appropriate waste management solutions. A research gap has been identified in the lack of information on full-scale applications of two-stage anaerobic digestion (2-stage AD) for combined bio-hydrogen and bio-methane production from organic waste. waste. In this review, we explore drivers and barriers to the implementation of 2-stage AD in South Africa and propose possible scenarios using the WROSETM model for its insertion into an Integrated Waste Management System at municipal level. A literature analysis suggests that 2-stage AD is a potentially viable solution to recover the inherent value of organic waste and promote circularity using bio-hydrogen and bio-methane. However, the currently available organic fraction in the municipal solid waste streams is not a suitable feedstock, as it requires high levels of pre-treatment. Suitable scenarios using the WROSETM model are proposed for South African municipalities, paving the way for future research towards the scale-up of this technology.Significance: Organic waste is not managed adequately in South Africa, contributing to greenhouse gas emissions without recovering the intrinsic value of the material. 2-stage AD is a potentially viable solution to recover the inherent value of organic waste and promote circularity using bio-hydrogen and bio-methane. Several barriers must be overcome before carrying out the technology at full-scale. A 2-stage AD scenario can be implemented at full-scale into an Integrated Waste Management System using appropriate decision-making tools such as WROSETM.

Ease of Doing Business in Local Government: Push and Pull Factors for Business Investment in Selected South African Municipalities

Ease of doing business with municipalities and within municipal areas refers to the simplicity, effortlessness, and extent to which private enterprises can establish and conduct their business. It is influenced by multiple factors such as the conduciveness of the statutory and regulatory framework and the effectiveness of municipal structures and processes, in order to reduce bureaucratic red tape for the simplification of administrative processes such as the registration of business property, the issuing of permits, and access to electricity. Municipalities thus play a significant role in attracting and retaining business investment by establishing a conducive climate for business growth and local economic development. The aim of this article was to analyze the findings of a survey that was conducted to pinpoint business investment pull and push factors in selected municipalities in South Africa. By means of semi-structured interviews, a survey was undertaken with seven target groups. The obtained data were then triangulated with a desktop analysis of sampled businesses (i.e., case studies) that had relocated, mainly due to municipal service delivery failures. The survey revealed the underlying factors that lead to ease of doing business weaknesses, uncovered winning strategies to attract business investment, and proposed measures to enhance municipal business retention praxis.

Ethnicity is not public service destiny: The political logic of service distribution in South Africa

Millions of South Africans have protested the unequal allocation of public services in thousands of demonstrations. Despite the African National Congress’s (ANC) promise to reduce the disparities generated by apartheid, the level of public services remains highly uneven across the country. Most studies of service provision in Africa argue that politicians will target their coethnics; others support the “diversity deficit” hypothesis, which predicts that high levels of ethnic diversity undermines service provision. Instead, we argue that explanations of service provision should first examine how political institutions incentivize politicians to choose whether, what, and how to distribute services. Even in an ethnicized polity, ethnic targeting may not be a politician’s best strategy. We seek to explain the variation in service levels across South African municipalities and advance three hypotheses: 1) municipal councilors in more ethnically diverse municipalities will form policy coalitions that produce higher service levels; 2) South African mayors will decrease services when they enjoy electorally safety due to their extensive powers and the possibility of being a residual claimant to municipality resources, and; 3) the strategic interaction between councilors and their mayor helps to account for the variation in service provision across South Africa’s municipalities. We test our hypotheses with data from more than 1.37 million households and aggregated municipality level measures and find strong support for our hypotheses. Political institutions – not just ethnic demography – can influence policy choices and service outcomes.