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Theses and dissertations (Management Sciences)

Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://ir-dev.dut.ac.za/handle/10321/14

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Subject: search.filters.subject.Municipal government--South Africa

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Now showing 1 - 9 of 9
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    Monitoring and evaluation on the performance of local government in South Africa: insight from selected district municipalities in KwaZulu-Natal
    (2023) Mabizela, Hlengiwe Nomzamo; Zwane, Zwelithini Mangethe
    The poor quality of service delivery in South African municipalities has been documented in numerous studies. The lack of appropriate monitoring and evaluation and complete disregard of adherence to processes and procedures in terms the provisions of legislations such as the Municipal Systems Act 32 of 2000 are two of the main causes of poor service delivery. Poor performance as a result, has been noted in municipalities across South Africa. UThukela, Amajuba, and uMgungundlovu district municipalities in KwaZulu-Natal were used as case studies in this research to examine the effect of monitoring and evaluation (M&E) on the performance of municipalities in South Africa. Municipal employees within Performance Management Systems unit (PMS) and Corporate Services unit made up the target population of the research study. The sample consisted of 20 participants, with 10 from the uThukela district municipality, 2 from the Amajuba district municipality, and 8 from the uMgungundlovu district municipality. The research adopted a qualitative approach and followed a purposive sampling method to identify key respondents based on their expertise and understanding of the research issue. Data collection involved conducting focus group discussions with the selected participants. The collected data were analysed using the NVivo software programme, wherein data was categorised into themes and coded for the presentation of findings and discussion of the results. Consent was obtained from participants through the gatekeeper letters and the signing of consent forms. The main goal of the research was to contribute to the body of knowledge while identifying alternate M&E methods that the municipalities can adopt in their key functions to improve performance and service delivery. The study analysed the effects of M&E on the performance of local government, and the models and systems utilised by municipalities to conduct M&E. It further interrogated challenges associated with M&E within the identified municipalities and the contributions of M&E towards improving performance and effective service delivery. According to the findings, M&E in local government have been challenging as a result of the absence of comprehensive M&E systems, capacity and resources. This is one of the factors that contribute to lack of service delivery and poor performance. Weak M&E systems and practices add to municipal failure to achieve their constitutional mandate of service delivery and enhanced performance. Thus, the research reveals that M&E is essential to ensure that local government responds to the needs and demands of the people and enhances municipal performance. Admittedly, there is no single approach to resolve these challenges contronting municipalities, however, M&E can provide the conditions for increased and sustained performance. To realise the goal of improving M&E within local government, the research suggests that municipalities should institutionalise M&E through prioritising and embracing M&E as a crucial instrument for facilitating results-based progressive local government. Municipalities should encourage mandatory compliance with the systems and procedures, adopt information technology systems to advance and strengthen the application of M&E, and adopt approaches such as participatory M&E to evaluate the impact of its functions and development initiatives.
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    Enhancing service delivery : the role and capacity of Municipal Ward committees, in KwaDukuza
    (2021-05) Mnqayi, Sibongayena Khethokuhle Xolani; Lekhanya, Lawrence Mpele
    Ward committees were introduced as a representative structure of communities within a municipal structure, in terms of the Municipal Structures Act, 117 of 1998, section 72– 78. The ward committee serves and forms a bridge between the municipal council and its residents, by coordinating and facilitating effective communication. The ward committee operates as a watchdog of the community and forms a link by effectively strengthening communication between the municipal council and the citizens it represents. The study has, therefore, assess the role of ward committees in ensuring services are delivered and whether they have capacity to support their mandate, within selected wards of the KwaDukuza municipality, in the province of KwaZulu-Natal (KZN). Ward Committees have been the emphasis of significant attention by government, as well as civil society. While the challenges facing ward committees impact their effectiveness in preventing any effective operation, they also lack sufficient capacity to deal with community concerns that emerge. The study used one research method and applied an interview schedule to collect data from which to obtain the best desirable results. A qualitative method is trusted to gather in-depth information from people, allowing them their own opinion and ideas about being ward committee members, since inductive, holistic results can be interpreted, as a result. The sample size was drawn from six selected ward committees of the municipalities, with each committee consisting of ten members, therefore the study used two members from each ward; in total, 12 participants were considered for interviews. A random probability sample was used to target ward committee members. The findings of the study reveal few mechanisms in place to elevate ward committees, or act as a conduit for support, leaving them to operate unsupervised or monitored, with low stipends that do not cover monthly schedules, sometimes contributing to the boycotting of meetings. The study will benefit the policy makers and the relevant stakeholders.This study did not cover large sample therefore generalisation of findings should be used with care. This study recommends further research on the expansion of research area.
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    Exploring corporate governance practices on state entities : a case study of Umgungundlovu District Municipality
    (2022-04) Nyalungu, Jey Difference; Agbenyegah, Albert Tchey; Dlamini, Bongani Innocent
    Municipalities across the country continue to face growing criticisms due to lack of performance and providing services to communities. In South Africa, the district and local municipalities are no exception to the lack of performance. The perception to establish a working climate within the structures of the South African municipalities call for the municipal authorities to do more to increase the level of performance across the existing structures. Given this backdrop, this empirical study explored corporate governance practices of state entities with specific reference to three selected local municipalities in the uMgungundlovu district municipality. This empirical study aims to understand corporate governance practices towards performance in selected municipalities. Empirical datasets were sourced during semi-structured interviews aided by FGDs. The researcher applied semi-structured interviews to gather primary data from 106 participants and three FGDs to triangulate the research findings. Interview schedule and questionnaire were employed to collect quantitative and qualitative datasets. Quantitative data was analysed through the Social Package for the Social Science (SPSS) with several techniques including t-test, Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), Chi-square as well as regression. These tools were used to test the null and alternate hypotheses. In terms of qualitative data, thematic analysis was employed to conduct the analysis for interpretations. Empirical data was supported by outcomes based on secondary datasets. The findings revealed lack of corporate governance knowledge that makes it impossible for municipalities to perform to their optimum. One of the key findings that emerged was that “fairness” contributes to the overall municipalities’ performances. Based on all the seven principles of corporate “fairness” was the only concept that needs serious applications in the municipalities to stimulate performance, this empirical study recommends the need to provide adequate education and training to all employees of the municipalities with information on corporate knowledge. More knowledge regarding the practical applications of the corporate governance principles to increase performance in municipalities. Furthermore, education is required to explain the governance practices with the municipalities. Municipal authorities such as the ward councillors and Municipal managers must be advised to pay regular visits to communities to ascertain the needs of community members. The researcher suggests ongoing educational and training programs to provide employees with knowledge in corporate governance.
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    Ethical leadership and service delivery : a case of Msunduzi Municipality, KwaZulu-Natal Province
    (2021-03) Mbandlwa, Zamokuhle; Dorasamy, Nirmala; Fagbadebo, Omololu M.
    Leadership ethics in the South African government has been a challenge, especially in a democratic government. South African government leaders have paid less attention to leadership ethics but mainly focused on reducing corruption, which is the result of poor leadership ethics. Poor public service delivery by various government institutions shows that there is a lack of leadership ethics by those entrusted with a responsibility to lead government institutions. Good leadership ethics are important for all spheres of government. The overall aim of the study was to explore and examine the challenges of ethics in leadership at a local government level and the impact of ethics on public service delivery using the case study of Msunduzi local government. The study examined the extent to which ethical leadership affected public service delivery at Msunduzi Municipality. It also investigated the perceptions of employees and executive managers of the Municipality regarding the disposition of the leadership towards ethical behaviours. The study used both qualitative and quantitative methods for data collection and analysis. The study obtained its data from interviews, questionnaires, public documents, and existing literature. The study found that a lack of leadership ethics affected the public service delivery in the Municipality, and its attendant effects on the economic and social services. Leaders who do not have regard for ethical conduct have no passion for public service delivery. Lack of leadership ethics in government institutions affected the operation. The study discovered further that the lack of leadership ethics at the local government institutions disrupted national and provincial government plans to provide effective public services. Msunduzi municipality has experienced several challenges, which include the mismanagement of public funds, corruption, and poor administration. This municipality had qualified audits for more than three consecutive years, and it was placed under administration. The researcher developed an ethical behavior model that can be used to improve leadership ethics in government institutions.
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    Public participation in municipal service delivery in the eThekwini Municipality
    (2021-11) Manqele, Fikile; Murwirapachena, Genius
    Most South African municipalities in South Africa struggle to efficiently provide adequate public services. One of the main reasons for slow and inadequate public service delivery across South African municipalities is ineffective public participation. The consequences of poor public service delivery include the prevalence of violent service delivery protests. Addressing these challenges requires active citizen participation in service delivery matters. The aim of this study is to explore the nature and role of public participation in the delivery of municipal services using a case study of the eThekwini Municipality. To achieve this aim, four main objectives were identified. The first objective focuses on identifying the participation platforms available for the public to effectively contribute to improved municipal service delivery in the eThekwini Municipality. The second objective seeks to establish the challenges experienced in promoting effective public participation in the eThekwini Municipality. The third objective seeks to establish the impact of public participation on service delivery in the eThekwini Municipality. Finally, the fourth objective is to recommend possible ways in which the municipality can implement public participation policies for improved public service delivery. The study uses a qualitative methodological approach which is executed in two parts. The first part analyses survey data collected using semi-structured interviews from 10 municipal employees working in the Community Participation and Action Unit of the municipality. Secondly, the study analyses data collected through semi-structured focus group discussions with community leaders from three different wards of the municipality. The data collected was analysed using the thematic approach. Three major findings are reported in the study. Firstly, the study reports on four main public participation platforms used in the municipality. Secondly, the study reports on five common challenges experienced in promoting public participation in the municipality. Lastly, the study reports on five benefits of public participation towards improved service delivery. Overall, the study reveals the existence of a strong link between effective public participation and optimum service delivery. Effective engagement was understood to be the fundamental issue and a gateway to efficient service delivery. The study recommends that public participation platforms be used frequently as a tool to regain community trust, account for budgets on community projects, disseminate information and allow community engagement on public policies and service delivery matters. The municipality should attend to the drivers of poor attendance in public participation meetings and communities should take a centre stage in identifying service based on their priority need analysis.
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    The impact of leadership and management capacity on municipal service delivery in Bushbuckridge Local Municipality
    (2018-04) Mhlaba, Joseph Qhinaphi; Wallis, Malcolm
    This thesis is about an investigation of the impact of leadership and on service delivery in Bushbuckridge local municipality in Mpumalanga province. This study looked at the internal and external factors that affect service delivery in Bushbuckridge Local municipality (BLM). Bushbuckridge local municipality has had some service delivery challenges over the years which affected its ability to deliver services. In 2013, BLM was placed under administration in terms of section 139 (5) (a) of the constitution of the republic of South Africa due to the collapse of service delivery. Local government is one of the arms of government located closest to the citizens and constitutionally tasked with the responsibility of delivering basic services to the citizens. Failure to deliver these services has a direct impact on the day to day lives of citizens. Poor service delivery or the lack of it thereof has often triggered service delivery protests. This study is therefore an effort to look at how municipal officials, councillors and ward committee members’ leadership and management capacity contribute to poor service delivery in Bushbuckridge local municipality. To explore the challenges affecting service in BLM the following research questions were used: • Do ward councillors; proportional councillors; and municipal officials; have the appropriate skills to execute their work effectively? • Do the municipal officials have an understanding of the underlying factors affecting service delivery in Bushbuckridge local municipality? • What organizational/institutional factors affect service delivery in Bushbuckridge local municipality? • How do environmental factors affect the delivery of services in Bushbuckridge local municipality? vii • How effective are the ward committees as a platform for public participation in the affairs of local government? • How does the leadership capacity of ward committees impact on their contribution to service delivery? • What is the link between leadership, management capacity and service delivery? This study was conducted using mixed research methods where qualitative and quantitative data was collected. Data was collected using a face to face method by the researcher using a paper based data collection tool. A total of 67 Participants from the Bushbuckridge local municipality were enrolled into the study. The qualitative data was analysed used Stata, while the qualitative data was analysed using Atlas.ti. The quantitative results have been presented in the form of graphs, pie charts and tables while qualitative results have been presented according to themes where similar responses have been grouped together. The findings are discussed in chapter six to establish the relationship with the research questions of this study. A number of conclusions based on findings are drawn in chapter seven which is the final chapter of this thesis.
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    Assessing the ward councillors' leadership characteristics and their impact on service delivery in eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality
    (2018) Mbandlwa, Zamokuhle; Mishi, Syden
    The local government level is considered as the first level of government that is closer to the people and expected to deliver the needs of the people. The ward councillors are entrusted with the responsibility of delivering the public services at local government level and also entrusted with control of the government resources of local government. The individual leadership characteristics of ward councillors contribute to how decisions are made at local government level and eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality as a big metropolitan in the country is viewed as a very important municipality, which is expected to produce effective leaders who will protect the image of the municipality and at the same time attract more investors from other countries to invest in the municipality and create employment opportunities for the people. The leadership characteristics of ward councillors have certain elements that can easily satisfy the needs of the people if they are applied effectively. The majority of ward councillors who participated in this study had a positive attitude towards the assessments of their leadership characteristics, but some individuals did not find it useful to participate in some of the questions due to personal reasons. Most of the ward councillors indicated that they found it difficult to fully participate in the making of by-laws, primarily because they lack the understanding of the local government policies; while others have lost interest in participating because the majority always make decisions against their wishes or views. The mixed methods approach for this particular study was used because the study seeks to discover human actions, institutions, events and customs with the aim of constructing what is being studied in sufficient depth and detail. This approach is more relevant to investigate service delivery issues in the municipality. A sampling size table developed by Krejcie and Morgan (2011:607-610) was used to determine that 86 participants formed an appropriate sample size for this study. Simple random sampling was used for this study because the whole population and sampling frame were available. The primary data was collected through self-administered questionnaires that were personally administered by the researcher to the ward councillors.
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    The role of line managers in the implementation of skills development at a local municipality and its impact on service delivery
    (2017) Govender, Murthie Moonusamy; Govender, S.
    Skills Development is one of the key priorities of the National Development Plan Vision for 2030, which views it (skills development) as a catalyst for the unemployment reduction in South Africa. Skills Development is a key National Priority in South Africa and requires a new approach to training and development, one that calls for positive interventions. However, a challenge has been identified, namely the lack of commitment and support to skills development by line managers at municipal level. The problem was not confined to the institutional capacity of the Municipality but included the individual capacity of the line managers who is responsible for managing employees. The challenge was ensuring that they have the relevant capacity and skills to undertake their functions. Managers are accountable for the development of their subordinates but tend to neglect their role in the area of skills development. Existing research focuses on the role of line managers in training and development and the significance of managerial support in training and development. However, there is a gap because managers understand training and development but do not understand their role in supporting and developing their subordinates, which impacts negatively on the performance of the organisation which in turn impacts negatively on the delivery of services. Human Resource Development (HRD) literature remains largely theoretical and rhetorical in encouraging line managers to take responsibility for training and development. The overall aim of the study was to identify the role of line managers in the implementation of skills development at a local municipality and the impact thereof on service delivery. A quantitative research study was undertaken to achieve the objectives of the study. One hundred and ten managers on Patterson Grades D1 to E2 were targeted for the study. They were required to complete self-administered questionnaires. The findings of the study will assist line managers to understand the positive impact that training and development has on the performance of employees, which ultimately impacts on the achievement of business goals and objectives. The findings are; • Managers understand the training and development practices of the municipality but do not know how to support the training and development of their subordinates. • Managers believe that the organisation supports training and development but do not know if the organisation has an approved Workplace Skills Plan (WSP) that is being implemented; whether the organisation has a training and development strategy which is related to the overall strategy of the organisation; and whether the training of employees is given adequate importance in the organisation and is being managed in a proactive way. • A majority of the managers believe that training and development of employees has an impact on service delivery, but cannot agree whether training and development has helped improve the performance of employees in the organisation. • In terms of what can be used to encourage managers’ buy-in to training and development within the organisation, the overall average level of agreement was 88.0% .The scores for this section demonstrated that managers lack the necessary skills and competencies when it comes to the identification of training needs and training gaps. The findings of this research has identified that although managers are experienced in local government and have an understanding of the training and development practices of the municipality, they tend to get stuck in the authoritative managerial role and cannot switch into the facilitator role, which impacts on the way that they perform their skills development function as a manager. This therefore impacts negatively on the development of employees and on the delivery of services by the municipality. Without skilled, competent employees, no services can be rendered to communities.