Strengthening accountability and consequence management in South African local government for improved service delivery
Hlengiwe Mabizela ORCID ↗ · Nhlanhla Malinga ORCID ↗
International Journal of Business Ecosystem & Strategy · 2025 · Vol. 7 / Issue 5 · 41-50
Publication metrics
External links open provider records or DOI searches. Provider counts are not combined. Mendeley readership measures saves, not citations.
Dimensions
Live provider badge. If unavailable, use the Dimensions link above.
Observed 21 Oct 2026, 00:14 UTC
Observed 22 Oct 2026 01:53 UTC
Observed 22 Oct 2026 01:53 UTC
OpenAlex and Mendeley observations refresh on article visits, at most once per 24 hours. Unavailable data is not zero. Google Scholar opens a DOI search.
Citations received by this article, grouped by the year of the citing work. Crossref and OpenAlex lifetime totals remain separate in Publication metrics.
2017–2026 Annual history last updated:
Citations received
OpenAlex · year of the citing work
Hover over a year or focus the chart and use arrow keys to inspect values.
2017–2026 annual-history window. 2026 is year to date. Unknown years have gaps.
View data & coverage
2026 is incomplete. Within a successfully fetched ten-year window, omitted years mean zero. Years beyond a saved observation’s window remain unknown (—). Older citations are excluded, so this chart’s sum may differ from the OpenAlex lifetime total. The date above belongs to this annual history; an unsuccessful refresh keeps the previous observation.
Abstract
Developing countries are experiencing significant governance challenges in the form of corruption, fraud, and mismanagement of public funds. These issues are most pronounced at the local government level, where municipalities are particularly affected. In South Africa, the persistent failure of mechanisms intended to hold public servants accountable for maladministration and unethical conduct has been evident. This has contributed to weakened governance structures and compromised service delivery. Numerous instances of unethical behaviour have gone unpunished, highlighting the absence of effective consequence management and posing ongoing threats to sustainability in local governance. The purpose of this research paper is to examine and evaluate the role of effective oversight mechanisms in strengthening accountability and promoting appropriate consequences for misconduct within local government systems, with an emphasis on improving public service delivery. A qualitative desktop research methodology was employed, relying on existing literature and data to explore the topic under investigation. The findings revealed that, despite the introduction of several accountability initiatives, these have not succeeded in holding local government officials responsible for their actions. Significant gaps in monitoring, enforcement, and the application of sanctions for unethical conduct have undermined progress. As a result, essential services continue to suffer. The review recommends the implementation of robust and participatory oversight mechanisms to foster a more enforceable and inclusive accountability model that supports improved governance and service delivery outcomes at the local level. This research provides insight into the persistent weaknesses of local government oversight systems and emphasizes the need for more effective accountability frameworks to achieve sustainable service delivery and governance in South Africa.
Keywords: {'name': 'Consequence Management, Institutional Reform, Municipal Governance, Oversight Mechanisms, Unethical Conduct'}
Authors & affiliations
Hlengiwe Mabizela
Durban University of Technology
Nhlanhla Malinga
Durban University of Technology
Deposited references
Supplied references, not a list of publications citing this article.
No reference list supplied.