Explore publications.

This integrative review examines the persistent governance challenge between meritocracy and cadre deployment within public administration in the Global South. Meritocracy focuses on the selection and advancement of individuals based on their qualifications, skills, and performance, while cadre deployment pertains to politically motivated appointments within the civil service, often rationalized in post-liberation or dominant-party environments. The review integrates empirical research, policy analyses, and comparative case studies to evaluate the effects of these competing approaches on state capacity, public service delivery, institutional integrity, and governance outcomes. The findings suggest that meritocratic systems, as demonstrated by countries such as Botswana and Rwanda, are positively correlated with administrative efficiency, professional ethics, and developmental progress. Conversely, cadre deployment, prevalent in contexts like South Africa and Zimbabwe, is typically associated with diminished institutional autonomy, corruption, and state capture. Grounded in the Developmental State Theory, this review highlights the significance of capable, independent, and professional bureaucracies for sustainable development. The study concludes that incorporating meritocratic principles into governance frameworks is vital for fostering long-term institutional resilience and public trust in the Global South.

Capacity-building is a multifaceted strategy for developing competencies within entities, crucial for enhancing current skill sets.  Moreover, capacity-building is the intervention that all organisations must consolidate necessary resources to enhance effectiveness and productivity.  Consequently, South African towns must enhance their capabilities to implement superior public service delivery models.  The paper intends to examine the importance of capacity-building interventions in South African municipalities.  The primary inquiry posed in the study is, 'What factors impede the efficient implementation of service delivery in South African municipalities?'  The research is qualitative and collects data from secondary sources.  The literature indicates that capacity-building is successful only when all forms of capacity—institutional, network, and organizational—receive equal consideration, akin to the approach traditional organisations take with individual employee performance.  It is essential to recognise the connection between capacity-building and service delivery, with the former deemed a critical necessity for municipalities in the Republic.  Consequently, the study underscored the significant necessity for capacity-building within municipalities.  The data was evaluated by content analysis.  The findings indicate that potential exist in adopting 4IR-based service delivery within the broader context and specifically in municipal governance.  This is essential as the capacity-building activities for enhanced smart governance depend on the many tools and practices defining the Fourth Industrial Revolution.  

This paper seeks to evaluate the progress that has been made towards achieving the NDP in post COVID-19 era. By bringing South Africans together, unleashing their energies, developing an inclusive economy, and strengthening the state's and leaders' capacity to collaborate on solving complex issues, the National Development Plan (NDP) aims to eradicate poverty and reduce inequality by 2030. The Plan's strategy centers on citizens taking an active role in their own development, a strong leadership across society that collaborates to solve issues, and a capable and developing state that can step in to address historical injustices. The Plan tackles the need to improve the state's capacity to grow more quickly, attract more workers, and boost living standards for everyone, especially the poor, as well as to improve the people's capacity to live the lifestyles they want. The COVID-19 epidemic has severely damaged an already damaged economy, which has impacted the NDP 2030's implementation. Both quantitative and qualitative research methods were employed in this study's mixed research technique. The mixed approach was chosen because it may be blended in a way that preserves the original procedures and structures of both quantitative and qualitative methodologies. Purposive sampling, a kind of non-probability sampling, was employed to obtain a suitable sample to accomplish the study's goal. Questionnaires and interviews were the two methods of data collecting that the researcher employed. The International Business Machinery (IBM): Statistical Product and Service Solution (SPSS) version 28.0 computer program was used to perform statistical analysis on the data gathered from the questionnaires. The results were displayed using graphical tabular form, frequencies, and percentages. The data collected through interviews were analysed through thematic analysis and presented in narrative form.

This study aimed to analyze the challenge of consultocracy in the administration of local government in South Africa, and to further identify its triggering factors and related consequences. Data collection was guided by qualitative research approach whereby 20 officials responsible for the management of different municipal internal units were interviewed. The data were thematically analysed. Among other things, the study identified skills deficit, corruption and absolute or geographical impossibility as key triggering factors behind consultocracy in municipal governments. Firstly, the study raises alarm to the emerging practices of consultocratic managerialism in the administration of local government. Secondly, it adds to the body of literature ways in which consultocracy manifests and the municipal vulnerabilities, as well as practical ways to overcome this problem.   

The purpose of this paper is to call for an intensified research practices and institutionalisation within municipal governments in South Africa, and the contextual focus includes typical municipalities in the Ngaka-Moridi Molema district of the North-West province. Research as a public management tool has been largely negated in municipal governance decision-making processes and this is linkable to the general deterioration of municipal governance systems in the local sphere. This paper found that the majority of municipalities in South Africa, including the ones in NMMD do not have a full appreciation of research in that very few to none have established research components to support municipal decision-making processes.  Insights were further drawn from certain theories of governance to complement the suggestions made in the paper pertaining to ways in which municipalities can inculcate not only the spirit of research but its embedding with the governance [council] system.

Recent trends on local government points to a growing public discontent concerning the performance and the capability of municipalities as the service delivery agents and contact points between citizens and government. Greater-Taung Municipality, which is contextual setting in the current study, is one municipality in the North West province that has a demonstrable record of service delivery failures. Despite record service provision falures, Greater-Taung Municipality has previously returned grants allocations, reasons to which remain unknown. To find out, this study employed qualitative methods to investigate the impediments to effective service provision, with the purpose being to suggest workable and practical solutions to improve service provision. Data collection was chieved through key informants purposively selected from the municipality and documentary analysis. Although the study confirmed some of the findings from literature, especially on skills shortages and political inference in administrative work, other key findings pointed to the constant misalignments between service delivery plans and budget allocations. This problem is affecting organisational performance and service provision. Meanwhile political interference ought to be discouraged, a strong performance management system is needed as this will give effect to service provision and improved accountability culture in the municipality. More recommendations are provided towards the end of the article.

Reports indicate that the South African government is failing to maintain its infrastructure adequately. This has been a persistent issue, especially considering the state of the roads in regions like King Sabata Dalindyebo Local Municipality (KSDLM). The study aimed to elucidate the challenges of road infrastructure in KSDLM and propose strategies for the Municipality to address the identified issues. The research utilised a mixed methods technique to examine the obstacles related to road infrastructure in Mqanduli hamlet. The primary findings indicate that (i) the roads in Mganduli village have deteriorated due to a lack of maintenance, leading to an escalation of community protests, (ii) neglecting road maintenance poses a danger to public safety, as many individuals have been adversely affected by the substandard road conditions, and (iii) KSDLM is failing to adhere to the principles of open system theory in utilising public-private partnerships to address pressing service delivery requirements that the Municipality cannot fulfil effectively and efficiently due to financial limitations.

This study's objective was to investigate the relationship amongst the local government employees and their performances towards the distribution of services. Many employees face different challenges in their workplaces, however in a situation like service delivery it’s important for employees to be able to work well together and have a positive relationship amongst each other and avoid political conflict that may end up affecting the citizens as they are their priority. The researcher acknowledges that there are many challenges faced by local government which affect the effective service delivery, these include toxic work relationships among employees, corruption and mismanagement of funds, red tape etc. The study was based on the current legal, theoretical and conceptual perspective that applies to the protocol of the working relationship amongst employees and service provision. Diverse perspectives were used to determine whether the employees of UMhlathuze Local Municipality have the positive relationship amongst each other without the interference of the political conflict, also for the community members under UMhlathuze Local Municipality to have a voice on whether the employees are distributing services rightfully or not. This study has adopted qualitative methods for getting in-depth and interactive information from the participants. The recommendations are also made for UMhlathuze Municipality, including the theoretical framework of service delivery and the working protocol of employees within an organization.

South Africa's governance structure follows a three-tier system, emphasizing co-operative governance among the national, provincial, and local authorities. The responsibility for crucial service delivery lies primarily with local governments, specifically municipalities. This research delves into the problems and deficiencies associated with service delivery in the Big 5 Hlabisa Local Municipality, exploring the perspectives of stakeholders impacted by and responsible for service delivery at strategic, political, and administrative levels. The study employs qualitative methods, utilizing questionnaires and interviews to gather diverse insights. The research reveals a pervasive sense of apathy towards government service delivery, with a majority of local residents perceiving the municipality as unresponsive to community needs. This contributes to a trust deficit, hindering effective collaboration between residents and local authorities. Divergent perspectives on the reasons for inadequate service provision highlight the complexity of the issue. While municipal officials acknowledge their limitations, some residents resort to extreme measures, such as vandalism and criminal activities, to express their frustrations. The findings emphasize the necessity of a mediating factor to foster understanding and cooperation between local authorities and residents. Motivated by the recurrent violent confrontations and protests stemming from service delivery disputes, this research underscores the significance of addressing these issues for the well-being of citizens and the overall quality of life. Effective communication, responsiveness, accountability, and transparency emerge as essential elements to tackle the challenges identified in the study.

The aim of this article was to explore the role of Municipal Public Accounts Committee (MPAC) in promoting good governance, with the contextual setting being Blouberg Local Municipality. There is general consensus among academics, practitioners and policy makers alike in South Africa that the allocation of functions and responsibilities of municipal council and that of executives are often not clear, thus creating confusion in the officialdom and weakening oversight structures including MPAC. Hence the qualified audit reports in four consecutive years in Blouberg Municipality (see Auditor General, 2016-2021), signals internal failure not only to improve the municipal financial health status but to promote good governance generally. Methodologically, the study adopted qualitative designs and used interviews as instrument to collect data from key members of the committee. Consequently, the study revealed many underlying weaknesses, but the critical one was the demonstrable poor capacity within the committee which is twofold; (1) lack of expertise to facilitate oversight and (2) insufficient budget to enable performance of the Committee. Essentially, these challenges affect the proper functioning of MPAC which is constitutionally bestowed the responsibility of holding the executive accountable and guard against any misappropriation of municipal funds. The study recommended a number of solutions to improve the state of MPAC in the municipality, amongst them were that, council should develop an integrated reporting mechanism framework to conduct an oversight role which can be done with the assistance from experts in governance. The committee’s programme of action must also be funded, sufficiently. 

This study investigates the impact of communication modes on enhancing public participation in Laikipia County, Kenya. The objective of the study was to examine how different communication channels affect citizen involvement in government-led development processes. Public participation is crucial for fostering democratic governance and equitable development. However, in Kenya, achieving substantial public engagement has been challenging, partly due to the use of ineffective communication channels. This study hypothesizes that such channels hinder meaningful public participation. To explore this, a hybrid analytics method was employed, combining quantitative and qualitative approaches, to assess how various communication modes influence public engagement. The research utilized a dataset comprising 384 respondents collected between June and July 2024. Data analysis, completed in July 2024, revealed several that different modes of communication significantly affect the level of public participation, influencing how well citizens receive and comprehend information about development initiatives. Channels that facilitate clearer, more direct communication leads to higher levels of understanding and engagement among the public. Effective communication channels are essential for fostering meaningful public involvement, as they impact citizens' responses and behaviours towards development activities. These findings underscore the importance of utilizing effective communication strategies to enhance public participation in development processes. The study contributes to a better understanding of how communication methods can be optimized to support democratic engagement and improve development outcomes in Kenya.

The aim of this paper is to assess intergovernmental relations in the implementation of social housing policy in Gauteng Province, South Africa. Despite all mechanisms, efforts and resources, the pace of social housing delivery is not at a point where it is measurably satisfactory across all spheres of government. The performance of government shows a lack of institutionalised arrangements, coordination, and alignment in implementing social housing policy. A mixed-methods research approach was implemented. Interviews were conducted with senior managers and research questionnaires were administered with operational staff within the national, provincial government and the three metropolitan municipalities in Gauteng Province which included City of Tshwane, City of Johannesburg and Ekurhuleni, state agencies involved in the delivery of social housing units and municipal social housing institutions, private and non-governmental social housing entities. The data were complemented by documentary content analysis pertaining to the provision of human settlements and social housing. The paper acknowledges the role played by government in implementing social housing policy, however, it proposes a model to fast track social housing delivery in Gauteng Province.

The Jakarta City Government organization as a service instrument in order to meet the needs of the organization is currently considered no longer in accordance with the demands of the growing and increasing needs of the community. The overlapping main tasks of several organizational units and the long span of control became the reason for conducting research so that an efficient organizational format of the Jakarta City Government was found in serving the needs of Jakarta citizens The research method used was qualitative descriptive with 16 informants taken by purposive sampling. Data was taken by interviews, observations, focus group discussions and documentation which was then analyzed using NVIVO software. The novelty of this research is the majority of previous research examining organizational redesign in business enterprises, although some studies have also discussed the redesign of government organizations but not specific to the problems of the City of Jakarta. From the results of research that has been carried out with reference to five organizational points including strategic apex, operating core, middle line, technostructure, support staff, it was found that several changes need to be made starting at the strategic apex stage, it is necessary to restructure through the abolition of positions at the City Level such as the position of Vice Mayor. The operating core stage found that there are still overlapping authorities, uneven workloads, lack of facilities, lack of human resources and the need for service acceleration. The middel line stage found that the lack of sub-district role was proposed to be removed and needed to strengthen the authority of the sub-district. The stage of staff support was found that the official tribe had inappropriate duties and functions so that it was more effective and efficient when it was under the coordination and responsibility of the mayor. Keywords: Redesign of Government Organization, Adaptation and Innovation, Sustainable City

The erosion of the South African state and its public services can be understood through various social, political and economic factors. These issues are complex and multifaceted, often intertwined and mutually reinforcing. Several theories and patterns can help explain the erosion of the state and public services in the country. The core objective of this paper is to elucidate the foregoing factors, using purposely selected theories as philosophical lenses through which to understand why service delivery dilemmas prevail, and why state institutions are eroding. This paper is located within a qualitative paradigm, in particular narrative reviews, where secondary sources of information was consulted. This paper makes a conceptual contribution to the notion of the erosion of South African public sector institutions in general, and the field of Public Administration in particular. The paper recognises that addressing the erosion of the South African state and public services requires comprehensive strategies and reforms, including tackling corruption, improving the education and healthcare systems, creating jobs, and addressing economic inequalities. It also necessitates strengthening institutions and promoting good governance to restore public trust and to ensure sustainable development.

This study performed an analysis of the outcomes of the audit of predetermined objectives for municipalities in the North-West province of South Africa. A qualitative research approach with an inductive approach was used. Data collected from twenty-two municipalities in the North-West province over a period of five years was thematically analysed. Three themes were identified for this study, and the results revealed that, at an overall level, the performance information reported by the municipalities was neither useful nor reliable and, at times, had material instances of non-compliance. Some findings were prevalent for all three themes identified, which were raised by over half of the municipalities, which is concerning, and all pointed to not having a fully functioning performance management system as the main root cause. The results also revealed common repeat findings in each of the three themes, which indicate that there were insufficient action plans implemented to address the findings raised in the prior year(s). The study recommended that management and those charged with governance should put appropriate measures in place and strengthen their internal control environment to ensure that election promises are appropriately accounted for and repeat findings such as those indicated above do not reoccur in the future. Furthermore, management should work closely with the Auditor-General of South Africa (AGSA), internal audit, and other relevant stakeholders, such as the South African Local Government Association, to ensure that repeat findings do not reoccur in the future by developing appropriate audit action plans that will be continuously monitored and reviewed.

The delivery of public services in South Africa is dependent on good governance and decisive leadership. Furthermore, the success of government programmes depends on the size of the budget that has been allocated to a given government department or entity. When the Minister of Finance delivers the budget speech in the National Assembly, there is a clear indication on how much is going to be allocated to each government department over the next financial year. It is up to the government departments to ensure that the allocated budget is used as efficiently and effectively as possible. Each government department is guided by the Public Financial Management Act (PFMA), 1999. The PFMA seeks to regulate financial management in the national government and provincial governments; to ensure that all revenue, expenditure, assets and liabilities of those governments are managed efficiently and effectively; to provide for the responsibilities of persons entrusted with financial management in those governments; and to provide for matters connected therewith. Given the objectives of the PFMA, accounting officers are tasked with the responsibility of enforcing the PFMA in all procurement processes. According to Section 36 of the PFMA, an accounting officer is the head of a department. These accounting officers play an important role in ensuring that services are delivered, while they must ensure that public funds are spent responsibly and in accordance with the relevant government policies and the PFMA. This paper analyses the role that accounting officers need to play in ensuring responsible public financial management, especially because of the limited resources available to our government. By employing a qualitative study, this paper looks at instances where accounting officers did not act in accordance with the PFMA and the implications of this failure.

The South African municipalities have continued to demonstrate weaknesses or inadequacies in monitoring and evaluation (M&E). A possible barrier in South African municipalities is a lack of M&E expertise. While M&E can provide valuable insights into the effectiveness and efficiency of a programme, some potential pitfalls and gaps were discovered during coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). A case study design was employed to conduct in-depth and detailed examination within two metropolitan municipalities in the Eastern Cape. A mixed methods approach was adopted in a convergent manner for data collection and analysis. In-depth interviews were utilised to collect data from 13 senior municipal managers at the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality (NMBM) and the Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality (BCMM). A total of 191 questionnaires were despatched to municipal employees and 186 were returned, giving a 97% response rate. The findings reflect the weaknesses of M&E policies in the municipalities and paints a picture of M&E not being prioritised in the municipality.  The findings also reflect the current situation at the municipalities concerned, which is that there are pitfalls and gaps when it comes to evaluation measures. Thus, the study concludes that accountability for financial and performance management is non-existent. This study attempts to make a valuable contribution by providing technical assistance, capacity building to ensure that municipalities have effective M&E systems in place to monitor and evaluate service delivery and improve the lives of communities.

This study investigates the effectiveness of Presidential Directives in comparison to the traditional policy process in Botswana. More precisely, the study determines whether the use of Presidential Directives is a more efficient and effective means of achieving policy outputs, as compared to the traditional policy process. To achieve this, the study conducted a comprehensive analysis of policies and Presidential Directives in Botswana, examining the processes through which they were formulated, implemented, and evaluated. The methodological approach adopted includes an intrepretivist research paradigm as well as a qualitative research approach for both data collection and analysis. Results reveals that Presidential directives achieve outputs faster and more effectively than the traditional policy process, Presidential Directives may have some advantages in terms of speed and flexibility, but they are not necessarily more effective than the traditional policy process in achieving their planned outcomes, policy process, which involves stakeholder consultation, evidence-based decision-making and comprehensive analysis of the policy context, is a more reliable and effective means of policy-making in the long term. However, the study also found that there are some areas where Presidential Directives may be more appropriate, such as in emergency situations or when quick decisions are required. Overall, this research provides valuable insights into the effectiveness of different approaches to policy-making in Botswana, and its findings have important implications for policymakers, practitioners, and researchers in the field of public policy. The study recommends transparency and accountability; stakeholder engagement; evidence-based policy-making and comprehensive policy evaluation.

Scholars and policymakers widely acknowledge the critical role of good governance in rural development and poverty reduction. Unfortunately, decades of good governance reforms have not reduced poverty in Nigeria. But what is good governance? The problem is that the working definition and popularized principles of good governance do not actually emanate from the poor. Moreover, there is a lack of contextualization of the concept of good governance within the Nigerian context. Rather, donors’ institutional understanding is universalized through the imposition of a good governance agenda. This study aims to bridge this gap by examining the concept of good governance through the lens of rural communities in south-west Nigeria. Understanding good governance from the viewpoint of local citizens, who are the recipients of governance reforms, is vital for effective targeted reform. The study is based on the premise that communities possess a deep understanding of their own social circumstances and possess the capacity to express their unique insights. Employing Participatory Action Research (PAR) and qualitative methods like semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions, the research engaged a purposively selected sample from three rural communities in south-west Nigeria. The findings revealed that, for these communities, good governance primarily involves the government's ability to meet basic needs and provide welfare-enhancing infrastructure. Conversely, bad governance is characterized by declining welfare, economic hardship, and inadequate infrastructure. Interestingly, participants did not prioritize reforms like regular elections or anti-corruption measures as core attributes of good governance, although they did not oppose these aspects. This study underscores the need to incorporate the perspectives of local citizens in defining good governance, allowing for homegrown solutions that might offer quicker and cost-effective strategies for development.

The Office of the Auditor-General in South Africa conducts audits of local government institutions, among other public-sector entities, to assess the current financial condition of municipalities and provide audit opinions for a certain fiscal year. Municipalities are obligated to maintain clean audits to avoid financial fines. However, the significance of clean audit outcomes lies in their ability to ensure successful service provision to the citizens. The Auditor-General's municipal audit findings reveal that several municipalities obtain clean audits, notwithstanding their inadequate performance in terms of service delivery. South Africa has a few municipalities that have successfully achieved desirable audit outcomes, with Midvaal Local Municipality being a notable example of consecutive clean audits. This study aims to evaluate whether the clean audit outcomes of Midvaal Local Municipality may serve as reliable indicators of effective service delivery within the municipality. The article utilizes a literature review and an online qualitative questionnaire survey with open-ended questions as approaches for collecting data. The article's findings highlight that the municipality has implemented effective management processes, also known as internal controls, which enable Midvaal to deliver services to its citizens in an effective and efficient manner. This management techniques may effectively determine the quality of service delivery within the municipality. They have a favorable impact on the municipality's financial viability, which directly results in clean audit conclusions.