Thesis (M.Dev. (Planning and Management)) -- University of Limpopo, 2023 / The study aimed at investigating the efficacy of the Integrated Development Plan (IDP)‟s implementation to enhance basic service delivery at Mpakeni Village in the Mpumalanga Province. The South African government constitutionally mandates local municipalities, which are the spheres closer to societies, to provide basic services to their constituencies. The South African government has been attempting to address service delivery challenges and existing backlogs bequeathed by the apartheid regime. For this reason, instruments such as the IDP have been formulated to enhance basic service delivery, especially in previously disadvantaged communities. However, in many South African municipalities, such as Mbombela Local Municipality, the IDP is used only as a blue-print rather than a tool to enhance basic service delivery. The study was guided by the Humanistic Paradigm and Systems Theory. It employed both qualitative and quantitative research approaches to investigate the institutional factors that lead to effective IDP implementation. Assisted questionnaires and interviews were used to collect data from the respondents in the Mpakeni Village. The sample of the study was used to select different household respondents and municipal officials. The study involved a total of 70 household respondents and 4 key informants from the municipality. The research findings indicated the lack of capabilities in the municipality, high corruption rate and maladministration, as factors which hindered the improvement of basic service delivery. It was found that many of the residents do not understand what an IDP is all about. This means that many local citizens have little or no knowledge about how basic services are delivered to their communities. It was also found that there is lack of public participation during the IDP process and its implementation. Therefore, the study concluded that IDP implementation does not enhance basic service delivery because of the inexperience of municipal officers, among other things. Consequently, the study recommended that only experienced candidates should be employed to implement the IDP whilst the existing ones should be trained.

Thesis (MPAM.) -- University of Limpopo, 2022 / The study sought to assess the effectiveness of Integrated Development Planning as a tool to promote community participation in Fetakgomo Tubatse Municipality, Limpopo Province. A qualitative approach was used for data collection from a sample size of 20 municipal officials. An interview schedule was the chosen research instrument. Data was analyzed through thematic analysis. Measures were taken to ensure that the study results were credible, transferable, dependable, and confirmable. The study findings revealed that the effectiveness of the IDP as a tool for enhancing community participation was being hampered by loss of confidence in the IDP by the community; the COVID-19 pandemic; poor participation and lack of leadership commitment. In addition to the fact that community participation within the municipality was affected by challenges such as low literacy levels in the community the municipality also failed to deliver on past promises and logistical challenges. It was recommended that the municipality put plans into action to regain public confidence; introduce ward-level participation; use social media to reach wider audience and form an oversight committee to oversee the municipality’s financial accountability issues.

In South Africa, democracy has brought transformative improvement in the system of governance. The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa (1996) implemented in the post-apartheid era, has raised the status of the lowest sphere of government, by granting these authorities delegated responsibilities. This sphere of governance is known as local government (municipal government) and in the present context developmental local government is both democratically elected and decentralized. The restructuring of local governance requires municipalities to serve the communities within their areas of jurisdiction. This has brought capacity challenges for the municipalities. They are charged with delivering acceptable standards of services to the residents. The current lack of deliverance is evident in the widespread protests, with community members showing their dissatisfaction with sub-standard service delivery and backlogs. Furthermore, municipalities are required to formulate their own by-laws improve the lives of community members, and to implement their legislative mandates satisfactorily. In order for the municipalities to perform more effectively, a transformative model is necessary. The quality of services currently delivered at municipal level must be reviewed. Monitoring and evaluation are the key elements of assessment which must be undertaken. The rationale behind this monitoring and evaluation is to make the system of governance more effective through an even-handed assessment of policies, programmes, projects, strategies, performance of personnel, and the organization as a whole. For the purpose of this study, the researcher explored the challenges regarding monitoring and evaluation and its impact on sustainable development in Sedibeng District Municipality utilizing the quantitative research approach. A model is proposed for improvement called as Monitoring and Evaluation for Sustainable Development (MESD). / PhD (Public Management and Governance), North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2014

In South Africa, democracy has brought transformative improvement in the system of governance. The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa (1996) implemented in the post-apartheid era, has raised the status of the lowest sphere of government, by granting these authorities delegated responsibilities. This sphere of governance is known as local government (municipal government) and in the present context developmental local government is both democratically elected and decentralized. The restructuring of local governance requires municipalities to serve the communities within their areas of jurisdiction. This has brought capacity challenges for the municipalities. They are charged with delivering acceptable standards of services to the residents. The current lack of deliverance is evident in the widespread protests, with community members showing their dissatisfaction with sub-standard service delivery and backlogs. Furthermore, municipalities are required to formulate their own by-laws improve the lives of community members, and to implement their legislative mandates satisfactorily. In order for the municipalities to perform more effectively, a transformative model is necessary. The quality of services currently delivered at municipal level must be reviewed. Monitoring and evaluation are the key elements of assessment which must be undertaken. The rationale behind this monitoring and evaluation is to make the system of governance more effective through an even-handed assessment of policies, programmes, projects, strategies, performance of personnel, and the organization as a whole. For the purpose of this study, the researcher explored the challenges regarding monitoring and evaluation and its impact on sustainable development in Sedibeng District Municipality utilizing the quantitative research approach. A model is proposed for improvement called as Monitoring and Evaluation for Sustainable Development (MESD). / PhD (Public Management and Governance), North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2014

This study examines the relationship, or lack thereof, between cultural policy and development at the local government sphere in South Africa and, ascertains the extent to which the City of Tswane Metropolitan Municipality (CTMM), as the focus of the case study, involves culture in its development framework. The research is informed by an observation from internationa best- practices that local government, as a sphere of governance closect to the people, is one of the best platforms on which the centrality of culture in the development matrix of any country is located and upheld. The research was arranged in three sections or phases, namely: exploration, discovery and the consolidation. / African Languages / D. Litt. et Phil.

Thesis (MPhil (Sustainable Development Planning and Management))--University of Stellenbosch, 2009. / Despite our best planning and Environmental Impact Assessment (“EIA”) efforts we seem to be failing in our pursuit of Sustainable Development. In South Africa we find ourselves confronted with the harsh reality that after 14 years of democracy, more than a decade of compulsory EIA, and 12 years of legislated Integrated Development Planning (“IDP”), poverty remains widespread and persists alongside affluence, while inequalities are also growing. In addition South Africa’s life-supporting ecosystems continue to deteriorate at an alarming rate. Critically reflecting on what is going wrong, it is clear that there is an emergent consensus in the discourse that points towards the inadequate consideration of alternatives. A literature review of the historical development and social construction of the concept of “sustainable development”; a theoretical analysis of sustainable development, planning and EIA; as well as an analysis of the legislative and policy framework for EIA and IDP in South Africa, shows that the consideration of alternatives is the “heart” and “soul” of EIA and IDP, and therefore of the pursuit of sustainable development in South Africa. A content analysis of a sample of EIAs and IDPs undertaken and produced in the Western Cape Province of South Africa, however, indicates that alternatives are not being adequately considered during the current practice of EIA and IDP in South Africa – resulting in only slightly less unsustainable development and a perpetuation of the unsustainable and unjust “business-as-usual” development types and patterns of the past. EIA and IDP can never be, and were never supposed to be completely separate processes. EIAs must be considered within the context to be provided by the sustainable development vision, goals and objectives to be formulated in, and the desired spatial form and pattern of land use to be reflected in an area’s IDP and Spatial Development Frameworks (“SDF”). Properly informed Strategic Environmental Assessment based IDPs and SDFs, refined by Environmental Management Frameworks, should therefore provide the strategic context and decision-making framework for the consideration of need, desirability and alternatives; with the actual and potential socio-economic and ecological impacts of a specific proposal to be considered during the project-level EIA. Project-level EIAs in turn providing “feedback” to the planning processes to ensure reflexivity and continued improvement. The improved integration and convergence of IDP and EIA decision-making methodologies and practice are therefore paramount to the adequate consideration of alternatives and the pursuit of sustainable development in South Africa. While the challenges to be addressed by EIA and IDP in South Africa are complex and ‘wicked’, and the pursuit of sustainable development solutions is therefore also a complex and ongoing process, the need for fundamental alternatives that will lead to drastic and urgent change for the better are, however, just as real. The urgency and importance of the sustainable development challenge for South Africa calls for bold decisions and the search for sustainable alternatives that will deliver urgent and fundamental change for all South Africans. The practice of EIA and IDP should be driven by these realities and reflect the need for urgent and fundamental change.

The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa (Act 108 of 1996), section 152(1)(e) encourages the involvement of communities and community organisations in local government matters. The Municipal Systems Act (Act 32 of 2000) requires the municipality to develop a culture of municipal governance that complements formal representative government with a system of participatory democracy. The communities play a vital role in the preparation, implementation and review of the Integrated Development Plan (IDP). The aim of this study was to determine the role of community participation in the IDP process of Lepelle-Nkumpi Local Municipality. This study also assessed participation in integrated development planning in the Lepelle-Nkumpi Local Municipality. The conclusion of the study focused on the process, procedures, legislations and guidelines on community participation in the Integrated Development Plan (IDP) of Lepelle-Nkumpi Local Municipality. It was recommended that Lepelle-Nkumpi Local Municipality must establish appropriate mechanisms, processes and procedures to enable the local community to participate in the affairs of the municipality. / Public Administration and Management / M.A. (Public Administration)

This study examines the relationship, or lack thereof, between cultural policy and development at the local government sphere in South Africa and, ascertains the extent to which the City of Tswane Metropolitan Municipality (CTMM), as the focus of the case study, involves culture in its development framework. The research is informed by an observation from internationa best- practices that local government, as a sphere of governance closect to the people, is one of the best platforms on which the centrality of culture in the development matrix of any country is located and upheld. The research was arranged in three sections or phases, namely: exploration, discovery and the consolidation. / African Languages / D. Litt. et Phil.

MAdmin / Department of Public and Development Administration / The study focusses on the challenges militating against community participation on the Integrated Development Plan (IDP) process in Thulamela Local Municipality (TLM) and to find strategies to be used to enhance community participation on Integrated Development Plan. The study is based on matters of community participation and IDP in order to find out how community participation in the municipalities can influence the planning process in an integrated manner. The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996 (Act No. 108 of 1996) mandates local government to encourage the involvement of communities and community organisations in the matters of local government. IDP is the rightful platform to fulfil the aforementioned mandate in the local government. In this study, the researcher made use of a mixed research method where both qualitative and quantitative research methods are used. The research is qualitative in nature, but the quantitative method is also used in data interpretation, because data collected was based on the views and opinions of a large number of respondents and the analysis of results based on statistical significance. The researcher used the non-probability sampling and its subtype purposive sampling method to select the participants in this study. Questionnaires, interviews as well as literature were used to gather data in this research. Two types of data analysis were used when analysing the data. For data collected through interview, the researcher used thematic analysis (Narrative form) and for data collected through questionnaire, the researcher used International Business Machinery (IBM)- Statistical Product in Service Solutions (SPSS) Statistics V25. The researcher followed research ethics before conducting the study. The major findings of the study are: • The study found out that 38 (76%) of the respondents agreed that community members actively participate in IDP process. This is an indication that community members of Thulamela Local Municipality actively participate in IDP process. • The researcher found out that the majority of the respondents at 45 which constitutes 90% agreed that active community participation in IDP process plays an important role in the improvement of the basic service delivery. • The researcher found out that majority of the respondents at 35 which constitutes 70% of the respondents in the study agreed that community members are well informed about different types of participation in IDP process. • The researcher found out that majority of the respondents at 38 which constitutes 76% of the respondents in the study disagreed that there are enough resources to capacitate community members in order to participate actively in IDP process. v The main recommendations are: • The researcher recommends that community members should take a share of responsibility to actively participate in IDP process. Thus, the community members should consider it necessary that they strive to make community participation on IDP process fashionable. • The researcher recommends that there should be active community participation in IDP process because it plays an important role in the improvement of basic service delivery. Community participation in IDP process needs to be active for the basic service delivery to be improved. • The researcher recommends that community members should be well informed about different types of participation on IDP process. It is the responsibility of the municipality to inform community members about different types of community participation that they can use to participate in IDP process. • The researcher recommends that the municipality should make enough resources to capacitate community members in order to participate actively in IDP process available. The municipality should embark on a journey to raise funds either from other government sectors and/or private sectors. / NRF

Thesis (MPAM.) -- University of Limpopo, 2022 / The study presents findings that examined the nature and extent of community participation in the Integrated Development Planning (IDP) processes as a means of improving local governance at the Polokwane Local Municipality. The study argues for a need to empower communities with knowledge on the available mechanism as a way of fulfilling the dream of a culture of participation. This is to increase unified perception about the value of community participation in improving local governance. However, local governance accountability can be gauged by the extent to which they practise community participation in decision-making in facing up to the challenges of the day. This is done by putting or encouraging community participation in the processes that would help face up to the challenges of the day, including the IDP processes. The study applied a mixed-methods design and a combination of thematic data analysis and Microsoft Excel (spreadsheet) to analyse data gathered. Structured questionnaires were distributed to respective community members in the selected communities: two villages of Potse and Mahlohlokwe; two townships Mankweng Unit D and Mankweng Zone 1; two suburbs - Flora Park and Ivy Park. Furthermore, faceto- face interviews were conducted with the Polokwane municipal officials responsible for IDP, municipal manager, IDP manager and councillors of selected communities. Findings of the study showed that community participation in the IDP processes was viewed as one of the ways of enabling interaction between local government and citizens. However, citizens faced challenges in the process of community participation and that impacted on the level of community participation. It should, therefore, be borne in mind that to improve local governance, it is necessary to look at the extent to which communities are engaged in the processes of improving local governance. Participation of communities in the development planning of their communities can thus help improve local governance. Therefore, community participation should be widely applied in the local government field to enable good governance and sustainable development.