The purpose of the Intergovernmental Relations Framework Act 13 of 2005 is to facilitate co-operation among the three spheres of government. The implementation of this Act has posed many challenges for departments in Provincial Governments. Provinces lack monitoring and support mechanisms for the supervision of local government. In this study intergovernmental relations and co-operative governance are explored as tools to enhance service delivery in the Free State Province. The primary objective of this study was to analyse the views of managers, staff members in public participation units, Speakers and Whips of municipalities in order to determine their level of understanding of intergovernmental relations and cooperative governance, and how these can enhance service delivery in the Free State Province. To attain this primary objective, the concept of intergovernmental relations and co-operative governance are explained. Structures that enhance service delivery in the Free State Provincial Government were analysed. Research on the successes and failures of Provincial Government and Free State Legislature in enhancing service delivery was conducted. Recommendations on how intergovernmental relations and co-operative governance can enhance service delivery are made. The research was conducted in Free State Provincial Government and Municipalities in the Free State Province. The research comprised of literature study and an empirical survey using questionnaires to obtain data from managers, staff members in public participation unit, Speakers and Whips of municipalities. Respondents were tested on their views regarding their understanding of intergovernmental relations, co-operative governance and effective service delivery. The findings of this research demonstrated that there is no frequent engagement of Provincial Government and Municipalities during IDP processes, there is no system of monitoring and oversight over municipalities, and that the Provincial Government does not work together with municipalities during public consultation processes. This, therefore, is an indication that intergovernmental relations and co-operative governance are not implemented effectively to enhance service delivery in the Free State. The study ends with recommendations for political leadership and management to action on intergovernmental relations, co-operative governance and makes recommendations for further research. The findings of the research demonstrate that: •There is no regular or frequent communication among the Provincial Government and Local Municipalities during the process of public consultation on IDPs. •Intergovernmental relations and co-operative governance are not implemented effectively. •Municipal Speakers and Whips do not understand effective service delivery. •There is no frequent monitoring and evaluation of service delivery by Provincial Government. •There is little, if not none, financial, human and technical support from the Free State Legislature to Local Municipalities. •There is no regular communication between the Free State Legislature and Municipalities during the processes of public consultation. •There is no sharing of resources between the Provincial Legislature and Municipalities during the process of public consultation. / M. Development and Management, North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2013

The main legislation governing environmental authorisation in South Africa is the National Environmental Management Act, 107 of 1998 (NEMA). This legislation is administered by the environmental affairs departments at national, provincial and local spheres of government. Besides NEMA, there are other pieces of legislation which govern environmental authorisation and, in some instances, are administered by other organs of state. They, like NEMA, require submission of reports to authorities for decision-making. This may result in cumbersome and duplication of processes; which in turn, may delay the initiation of development activities. NEMA provides for co-operative governance, coordination of activities and alignment of processes to counter the above problems. Section 24L states that activities regulated in another law may be regarded as sufficient for authorisation in terms of NEMA, and vice versa. Furthermore, section 24K provides for consultation and coordination of legislative requirements to avoid duplication. Flowing from these provisions is that competent authorities may exercise their powers by issuing separate or integrated authorisations. All these provisions aim to promote smooth and seamless interactions between all key role-players involved in authorisation processes. However, there are widespread concerns amongst key role-players and the public at large about the lack of application and/or implementation of the foregoing legislative provisions. This study investigates these concerns through a literature review, case study analysis and administration of a questionnaire. The results show that the fruits of these provisions (i.e. coordinated activities, aligned processes and/or integrated authorisations) in the province of KwaZulu-Natal have yet to be realised. This study recommends, therefore, that clear guidance be provided to provinces on how to implement the legislative provisions described above. / Thesis (M. Environmental Management)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013.

The purpose of the Intergovernmental Relations Framework Act 13 of 2005 is to facilitate co-operation among the three spheres of government. The implementation of this Act has posed many challenges for departments in Provincial Governments. Provinces lack monitoring and support mechanisms for the supervision of local government. In this study intergovernmental relations and co-operative governance are explored as tools to enhance service delivery in the Free State Province. The primary objective of this study was to analyse the views of managers, staff members in public participation units, Speakers and Whips of municipalities in order to determine their level of understanding of intergovernmental relations and cooperative governance, and how these can enhance service delivery in the Free State Province. To attain this primary objective, the concept of intergovernmental relations and co-operative governance are explained. Structures that enhance service delivery in the Free State Provincial Government were analysed. Research on the successes and failures of Provincial Government and Free State Legislature in enhancing service delivery was conducted. Recommendations on how intergovernmental relations and co-operative governance can enhance service delivery are made. The research was conducted in Free State Provincial Government and Municipalities in the Free State Province. The research comprised of literature study and an empirical survey using questionnaires to obtain data from managers, staff members in public participation unit, Speakers and Whips of municipalities. Respondents were tested on their views regarding their understanding of intergovernmental relations, co-operative governance and effective service delivery. The findings of this research demonstrated that there is no frequent engagement of Provincial Government and Municipalities during IDP processes, there is no system of monitoring and oversight over municipalities, and that the Provincial Government does not work together with municipalities during public consultation processes. This, therefore, is an indication that intergovernmental relations and co-operative governance are not implemented effectively to enhance service delivery in the Free State. The study ends with recommendations for political leadership and management to action on intergovernmental relations, co-operative governance and makes recommendations for further research. The findings of the research demonstrate that: •There is no regular or frequent communication among the Provincial Government and Local Municipalities during the process of public consultation on IDPs. •Intergovernmental relations and co-operative governance are not implemented effectively. •Municipal Speakers and Whips do not understand effective service delivery. •There is no frequent monitoring and evaluation of service delivery by Provincial Government. •There is little, if not none, financial, human and technical support from the Free State Legislature to Local Municipalities. •There is no regular communication between the Free State Legislature and Municipalities during the processes of public consultation. •There is no sharing of resources between the Provincial Legislature and Municipalities during the process of public consultation. / M. Development and Management, North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2013

The main legislation governing environmental authorisation in South Africa is the National Environmental Management Act, 107 of 1998 (NEMA). This legislation is administered by the environmental affairs departments at national, provincial and local spheres of government. Besides NEMA, there are other pieces of legislation which govern environmental authorisation and, in some instances, are administered by other organs of state. They, like NEMA, require submission of reports to authorities for decision-making. This may result in cumbersome and duplication of processes; which in turn, may delay the initiation of development activities. NEMA provides for co-operative governance, coordination of activities and alignment of processes to counter the above problems. Section 24L states that activities regulated in another law may be regarded as sufficient for authorisation in terms of NEMA, and vice versa. Furthermore, section 24K provides for consultation and coordination of legislative requirements to avoid duplication. Flowing from these provisions is that competent authorities may exercise their powers by issuing separate or integrated authorisations. All these provisions aim to promote smooth and seamless interactions between all key role-players involved in authorisation processes. However, there are widespread concerns amongst key role-players and the public at large about the lack of application and/or implementation of the foregoing legislative provisions. This study investigates these concerns through a literature review, case study analysis and administration of a questionnaire. The results show that the fruits of these provisions (i.e. coordinated activities, aligned processes and/or integrated authorisations) in the province of KwaZulu-Natal have yet to be realised. This study recommends, therefore, that clear guidance be provided to provinces on how to implement the legislative provisions described above. / Thesis (M. Environmental Management)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013.

This study sets out to examine whether the "new'' provincial governments in South Africa are in practice functioning as "quasi-federal" power bases. The study starts with an appraisal of the core constitutional concepts critical to provincial government as a prelude to the enquiry into the practical status of the provincial governments. An enquiry is made into the application of certain provisions of the interim Constitution pertaining to provincial government. Thereafter certain provisions of the final Constitution pertaining to provincial government are compared with the corresponding provisions of the interim Constitution. The issue of provincial powers in practice and the problems experienced by provincial governments are also dealt with. The study concludes that provincial governments are currently not functioning as "quasi-federal" power bases and that it is even doubtful whether that situation will present itself in the foreseeable future. / Law / LL. M.

This study sets out to examine whether the "new'' provincial governments in South Africa are in practice functioning as "quasi-federal" power bases. The study starts with an appraisal of the core constitutional concepts critical to provincial government as a prelude to the enquiry into the practical status of the provincial governments. An enquiry is made into the application of certain provisions of the interim Constitution pertaining to provincial government. Thereafter certain provisions of the final Constitution pertaining to provincial government are compared with the corresponding provisions of the interim Constitution. The issue of provincial powers in practice and the problems experienced by provincial governments are also dealt with. The study concludes that provincial governments are currently not functioning as "quasi-federal" power bases and that it is even doubtful whether that situation will present itself in the foreseeable future. / Law / LL. M.

Bakgrund: Trots sin betydande närvaro i samhället saknar kooperativa företag än idag tydliga ramverk över hur deras organisationer ska styras. Det uppstår därmed utmaningar eftersom kooperativ, det vill säga medlemsägda organisationer, på ett flertal sätt särskiljer sig från andra företagsformer, men ändå tvingas rätta sig efter ramverk och teorier anpassade för andra slags verksamheter. Utmaningar kan uppstå då det visat sig att etablerade styrningsramverk i många fall är otillräckliga och svåra att justera för de mål som kooperativa verksamheter präglas av, vilket starkt argumenterar för behovet av ett kooperativt anpassat styrningsramverk. Sett till tidigare forskning saknas det studier som förklarar hur agentproblematik utspelar sig och hanteras i en kooperativ kontext. I och med den ovan nämnda avsaknaden av styrningsramverk blir det likväl en utmaning för kooperativ att uppnå målkongruens mellan organisationens olika parter, där även organisationens storlek samt struktur spelar en avgörande roll. Syfte: Det huvudsakliga syftet med den här uppsatsen är att tillföra såväl ett empiriskt som teoretiskt bidrag för att öka kunskapen kring den agentproblematik som kan uppstå inom konsumentkooperativ, och ta reda på hur hög målkongruens kan uppnås inom medlemsägda företag utan att förbise medlemmarnas intressen. Genomförande: Studien är en kvalitativ fallstudie på organisationen Kooperativa Förbundet, med en iterativ ansats. Datainsamlingen har skett genom semi-strukturerade intervjuer, där intervjuguiden har utformats efter den teoretiska referensramen. Slutsatser: Den agentproblematik som utspelar sig inom kooperativ verksamhet är främst av förvaltarteoretisk karaktär. Det empiriska bidraget har dock belyst problematik som förvaltarteorin tidigare inte uppmärksammat, som uppstår när hög tillit förringar behovet av uppföljning och utvärdering. Problematiken har resulterat i en implementering av styrsystem, som vanligen förknippas med den kontrasterande agentteorin. Införandet av styrsystem måste dock, enligt förvaltarteorin, göras vaksamt vad gäller de konsekvenser som kan uppstå, vilket negativt kan påverka det för organisationen gynnsamma förvaltarbeteendet. Resultatet av vår analys visar att det råder hög målkongruens inom kooperationen till följd av ett ömsesidigt förvaltarperspektiv mellan styrelse och företagsledning. Det empiriska bidraget åskådliggjorde en samsyn respondenterna emellan vad gäller värdegrund, och en kollektiv vilja att efterleva de kooperativa värderingarna. Vidare uppnås målkongruens genom öppenhet, transparens, väl genomförda förankringsprocesser samt en kontinuerlig dialog mellan organisationens samtliga parter. Därutöver framgick det att hög målkongruens i sig inte leder till en framgångsrik verksamhet, utan det krävs även en stark genomförandekraft för att uppnå de gemensamma målen. Fallstudien har visat på en bristande genomförandekraft, vilket bland annat påverkas av kooperativets storlek, något som utgör en försvårande effekt på verksamheten. Vidare har det framgått att kooperativ enklare skulle kunna dra nytta av den höga målkongruensen om det hade förekommit en större homogenitet medlemsföreningarna emellan, både vad gäller storlek och verksamhet. Kunskapsbidrag: Studien har bidragit med en ökad förståelse kring den agentproblematik som kan utspela sig inom kooperativa organisationer, samt hur målkongruens kan uppnås inom medlemsägda företag. Därutöver avlägger studien två teoretiska bidrag. Det första bidraget är kopplat till förvaltarteorin, och identifierar svagheter inom teorin som tidigare inte belysts samt att dessa bekämpas med åtgärder som vanligen förekommer inom agentteorin. Det andra teoretiska bidraget bestrider den tidigare kooperativa forskningen då vi anser att internt anskaffad expertis ska vara ett alternativ till den externt rekryterade expertisen. / Background: Despite its significant presence in today’s society, co-operative businesses still lack well-defined guidelines on how to manage their organizations. Challenges arise because co-operatives, i.e. member-owned organizations, differ in a number of ways compared to other forms of businesses. Still, however, they have to rely on frameworks and theories adapted to other types of organizations. Challenges may develop since it appears as though established management frameworks in many cases are insufficient and difficult to adjust to the objectives that characterize co-operative businesses, which argues for the need of a co-operatively adapted governance framework. There has been an absence of studies in previous research explaining how agency issues arise, and how the entailing challenges are managed in a co-operative context. At the same time, with the aforementioned lack of governance frameworks, it is nevertheless a challenge for co-operatives to achieve goal congruence between the organization’s various parties, where the size and structure of the organization also play decisive roles. Purpose: The main purpose of this study is to provide an empirical, as well as a theoretical, contribution to raise the awareness in regards to the Principal-agent problem and its entailing challenges in the context of consumer co-operatives. Furthermore, the purpose is also to investigate how high goal congruence can be achieved in member-owned businesses, without overlooking the interests of the members. Method: The study was carried out as a qualitative case study of the organization Kooperativa Förbundet, using an iterative approach. The collection of data has been attained through semi-structured interviews, in which the interviews were designed in accordance with the theoretical reference framework. Conclusions: The Principal-agent problems that arise within co-operatives are primarily of a Stewardship nature. However, our empirical research has highlighted challenges that Stewardship theory previously has not paid any attention to, including those that arise whenhigh levels of trust between the Board of Directors and the Management team lessens the need for follow-ups and evaluations. These challenging issues have resulted in an implementation of control systems, which usually are associated with the contrasting Agency theory, rather than with Stewardship theory. Nevertheless, the introduction of control systems must be done vigilantly, according to Stewardship theory, considering the consequences that may develop, which harmfully may affect the favorable stewardship behavior. The results from our analysis reveal a high level of goal congruence within the co-operation, owing to a mutual stewardship perspective between the Board of Directors and the Management team. Our research identified a consensus among the respondents in terms of values, and a collective willingness to comply with the co-operative principles. Furthermore, goal congruence is achieved through openness, transparency, justifiable decision-making processes, as well as a continuous dialogue between all parties within the organization. In addition, it was made clear that a high level of goal congruence, other things being equal, does not lead to a successful business. A strong implementing power is also required in order to reach the common goals. The case study conducted demonstrated an insufficient implementation power which is influenced, amongst other things, by the size of the co-operative which represents an aggravating effect on the business as a whole. Additionally, the co-operative would more easily benefit from its high levels of goal congruence if there had been a greater homogeneity between the member associations, both in terms of size and business activity. Research contribution: The study has contributed to an increased understanding of the Principal-agent issues that unfold in co-operative organizations, and how goal congruence is achieved in member-owned businesses. In addition, the study presents two theoretical contributions. The first one is linked to Stewardship theory, and identifies weaknesses that the theory has not been able to explain, and that these weaknesses are combated with measures more commonly found within Agency theory. The second theoretical contribution disputes previous research made on co-operatives, since we consider that internally acquired expertise should be an alternative to the externally recruited expertise.

Thesis (Phd. (Education Management )) - Central University of Technology, Free State, 2014 / The dawn of democracy in South Africa resulted in an emphasis on the involvement and participation of stakeholders in decision-making processes. At public higher education institutions, involvement and participation were guaranteed by the enactment of the Higher Education Act 101 of 1997. This Act provides that co-operative governance should be practiced in the governance of public higher education institutions. Students are stakeholders in higher education institutions. This means that according to the Act, students ought to be represented in the governance of public higher education institutions. The representation of students in university governance became a new phenomenon in the democratic South Africa. This thesis explored the involvement and participation of student representative councils in the co-operative governance of South African higher education institutions. It evaluated the role and effect of SRCs in the co-operative governance of public higher education institutions in South Africa. Following the merging of these institutions, universities have multi campuses, all of which need to be represented in the universities Managements through SRCs. This study employed the QUAN-Qual (explanatory) mixed methods design which included the use of a questionnaire and in-depth, open-ended, semi-structured interviews. The sample for the study was made up of hundred and fifty-three respondents and nine interviewees from three types of South African higher education institutions. The quantitative part of this study investigated the nexus between the involvement and participation of SRCs in co-operative governance at public higher education institutions. The correlation between SRCs’ perception of participation and co-operative governance was also examined. The study also explored the SRCs’ perception of the implementation of co-operative governance at different universities types. The qualitative part of the study investigated perception of the nature of co-operative governance the SRCs at different universities. It also examined perceptions regarding whether participatory democracy was practiced at universities, v challenges experienced in the governance of universities and what the SRCs thought should be done to address those challenges. The study found that SRC members feel that they are both involved and also participate in the governance of public higher education institutions in South Africa. This was further enhanced by research hypotheses that revealed that there is a statistically significant relationship between the SRCs’ perception of their involvement and participation in university governance and their perception of the implementation of co-operative governance in the South African higher education institutions. Although SRC members feel that they are involved and that they participate in co-operative governance, interviews have revealed that they experience the following problems:  SRC members have annual budget deficits at their universities and as a result, they fail to fulfill their mandates by the student body.  SRCs find it difficult to deal with the challenges pertaining to multi-campus set-ups in their institutions.  The existence of student political structures contributes to ideological differences amongst SRC members. This affects effective student governance at universities.  The capacity building of SRC members at higher education institutions is not adequately addressed by managements of these institutions. The researcher recommends that it is important that HEIs adhere to the HE Act 101 of 1997, as amended. Adherence to the Act will ensure that there is compliance with the law and will minimise the chances for HEIs to be placed under administration. The managements of universities and SRCs need to co-operate in order to ensure that co-operative governance in HEIs is effectively implemented. Workshops and meetings are held at universities between SRCs and managements regarding issues of co-operative governance. SRCs need to involve themselves in national and international student activities in order for them to gain knowledge and skills about student governance. The researcher designed a multi-campus student governance model that will effectively deal with the challenges mentioned above.

The introduction of school governing bodies provided the communities with an opportunity to play a significant role in the organisation and governance of the schools. This involvement of significant stakeholders is purported to oversee that schools offer education of high quality to the learners. However, school governance is a legal responsibility, which requires skills, knowledge and expertise to ensure that SGB members will be able to fulfil the concomitant legal duties. The aim of the study was to investigate the impact of SGBs' capacity on school governance in three rural schools in the Moretele District. The findings revealed that SGBs' knowledge and understanding of their roles and responsibilities, and the type of training they receive have a marked effect on their functionality. There is also a need to recruit SGB members with a particular level of education, knowledge, understanding and expertise to minimize the chances of failure. / Educational Studies / Thesis (M. Ed.)

Educational authority in a situation where schooling is democratised is explored. The bases of authority such as social order, legal authority, knowledge, moral values and societal structures are established. The role of authority in education relationships and in the realisation of the educational aim is researched in order to attempt formulating criteria for accountable authority. The basic tenets of democracy that included aspects such as involvement, consultation, communication and reflective decision making are explored. Since fundamental human rights is a critical issue and precondition for a democracy, a focus on Chapter Two of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa is related to the research. Attention is also given to the hierarchical school structure and the rights and responsibilities of those involved in this structure. Through an extensive literature study and a qualitative analysis of the responses to a questionnaire, conclusions are reached and recommendations made. / Educational Studies / M. Ed. (Philosophy of education)