Local government is a complex sphere of government that was established on the principles of deepening democracy and advancing developmental local government. This is premised on the fact that local government is highly legislated; furthermore it is the sphere that is the closest to the people. Local government has endured a lot of criticism ranging from lack of leadership, inexperienced and unqualified managers, lack of service delivery and the poor quality of the services provided. The critical question being asked in this research study is whether the current calibre of leadership is achieving the principles of local government. Councillors, by virtue of their establishment, were meant to be the voice of communities. Councillors have a supervisory role to play in the council, but the skills, capacities and experience of councillors are often lacking. The media reports daily on problems and crises called “challenges” facing municipalities. Government has acknowledged that there are challenges in local government. This raises the issue of cadre deployment, whether it assists government in achieving its developmental objectives. Cadre deployment is a strategy of the ruling party which was meant to bring the previously disadvantaged groups to a position of power. This was meant to try to balance the imbalances of the past. This research study argues that the high volume of dissatisfaction by communities may be aggravated by the non-effectiveness of the political bearers in the municipal councils. This study identifies a number of contributing factors to the challenge at hand, such as the deployment of people to council structures; requirement in terms of academic qualification; and lack of leadership. Furthermore, this study investigates what could be the problem with the cadre deployment strategy of the ruling party; asking whether the problem is with the strategy itself or with its implementation. This research study therefore seeks to evaluate the impact the political leaders have on local government, focusing on service delivery. The study will first outline the state of local government in South Africa; compare the design of SA local government to international and African countries as well as looking at the key variables that result in the lack of service delivery. The issue of woman empowerment will also be discussed, evaluating the role that the country up to local government has played in ensuring that the 50/50 representation is achieved. The conclusion from this research is that a framework for the selection of council candidates should be developed. The framework will outline the basic skills and qualification requirements. The recommendations include improvements in the processes of interacting with communities; enforcing the code of conduct; developing ways that the municipality can educate communities on government operations; improved community participation and increased accountability. The impact of the lack of leadership in councillors undermines the democratic principles of developmental local government.

The research presented in this thesis investigates challenges faced by principals in historically disadvantaged schools in terms of their role as instructional leaders facilitating the implementation of curriculum policies. The study consists of two parts. The first study sampled 25 school principals, 80 teachers and 11 department of education officials from the Uitenhage and Port Elizabeth education districts in the Eastern Cape. Data obtained in the first study were generated by administering a pen-and-paper questionnaire and individual interviews to selected participants. The second study employed an online questionnaire that was open to principals, teachers and departmental officials in all provinces of South Africa in order to generate data over as wide a geographic range as possible. Mixed methods were used to analyse the qualitative and quantitative data from the two studies. Thematic analysis techniques were employed to categorise qualitative data and the quantitative data were subjected to analytical techniques to provide descriptive and inferential statistics. The data revealed that school principals view themselves as change agents who should be in the forefront of change and curriculum implementation, and that they believe that they know what is expected of them in this regard. However, they recognise that they are not adequately prepared for the task of instructional leadership. The data also suggest that teachers have expectations that principals should be trained in instructional leadership and work closely with departmental officials in order to provide guidance and leadership at school level to address their professional needs. Problems related to capacity and skills of subject advisors and other district officials were revealed by the study. These issues are generally and informally recognised, but have not been formally raised within the Department of Education. The findings of the study also highlight the fact that, after nearly two decades in the new political dispensation, there are still vast differences within the South African schooling system between school types. These differences are most evident between ex-Model C schools and historically disadvantaged ex-DET schools, and it is recognised that principals in ex-DET schools need support tailored to their particular circumstances and context. The findings in this study support the notion that much needs to be done in South Africa in terms of empowering school principals; especially those from historically disadvantaged schools. The data provide insights into some of the constraints of local context, which enables better understandings of the challenges of instructional leadership in historically disadvantaged schools. These understandings should be of value when considering strategies to support principals in their role of instructional leaders.

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, University of the Witwatersrand, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Management in Business and Executive Coaching Wits Business School November, 2016 / Despite the substantial investment in leadership development made by corporates around the world, limited research has focussed on the lived experience of leadership development, with the research available typically focussed on specific leadership development interventions. In South Africa effective leadership development is particularly critical given both the emigration of experienced leaders in the past twenty years, and the need to have a diversity of leadership which is representative of the population as a whole. The study explored executive development in South Africa through the lived experience of a sample of senior executives, all of whom had reached “C” suite positions in either a Group or business line capacity. The interview process was inductive in approach, so the narrative was not restricted by assumptions as to what development interventions would be described by the research participants. Eighteen senior executives were invited to participate in the research, and twelve were interviewed, at which point saturation was reached. Whilst no quota was established for racial diversity, the racial mix was representative of senior executives in South Africa corporates. A significant theme in the research findings was the importance of childhood experiences in developing the drive, resilience and ambition that would enable the foundations to be built for adult leadership development. Another key theme was that formal leadership development should be supplemented by experiential learning if it is to have significant impact. Despite mixed feedback on formal leadership development programmes, international executive programmes were seen to provide the participants with the opportunity both to network with others and learn from reflection, developing their life purpose and philosophy. The research participants found that coaching and mentoring were important in supporting the development of their leadership skills, as such interventions could focus on their specific development needs. The power of childhood influencers, workplace informal coaches and mentors and other influential counsellors also appears to have been significant. There was a view that successful leaders “breed” other successful leaders. Another key theme was that of self-confidence leading to self-determination. The self-confidence of the research participants appears to have been balanced by humility and a willingness to listen to and learn from others. All the executives had a strong sense of purpose, often developed initially in childhood, and strong values underpinned their leadership identity. The executives also stressed the importance of work-life balance in developing as effective leaders. A crucial finding of this research was that leaders face unique challenges of diversity and empowerment in South Africa, but that transformational leaders with a South African identity and Anglo-US educational and work experience can be highly successful. The challenge of international leadership development and work experience was found to be particularly beneficial in developing leadership skills which were appropriate for the South African corporate culture. The findings from this research therefore suggest that leadership development is a complex process based on some innate attributes, enhanced through critical childhood influences and trigger events, and developed to full potential through a combination of formal and informal leadership development interventions. Achieving full potential relies on readiness to learn and the opportunities to gain valuable experience, particularly in adversity. In the context of South Africa it appears that “western” leadership development experiences can be adapted by executives to enhance their effectiveness in a South African corporate culture. / MT2017

Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of philosophy in the Faculty of Arts, department of Anthropology and Development Studies at the University Of Zululand, South Africa, 2013. / This contribution considers the role of a father’s senior sister (makhadzi) in traditional leadership among the Venda speaking people in the present South Africa. It also considers their place in the new democratic South Africa against the backdrop that the legislations enacted to give effect to traditional leadership did not recognise them explicitly. While reviewing gender based propositions the study demonstrates that even though in most African societies, women are insubordinate to men there exists a special class of women who play critical role in the public sphere and whom the society highly regards. In the case of Venda people these are the makhadzi. It used a qualitative approach to study the role of makhadzi and how people act towards them despite that they are explicitly recognised in the legislations because as an anthropological study, it examines human behaviour with a view to understanding society. Based on primary data collected using participant observation and interviews, the role of makhadzi in society was unearthed. The study found that among the Venda the makhadzi has different roles which are important in traditional leadership and that such women can be traced in other societies in Africa. It establishes that among others, the makhadzi play critical roles in succession, resolution of disputes, regency, initiation of girls and spiritual roles. While some of the cultural practises are repugnant to the notion of justice and morality and would be of dubious legality given the constitution essentialisation of human rights and dignity, the study has shown that the makhadzi has a place and role in the new democratic society.

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, University of the Witwatersrand, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Management (Business Executive Coaching). / The business environment faces constant change due to the dynamic socio-economic, political and technological landscape. With these changes, there is a demand for organisations to adapt and have the right skills to remain competitive. Organisations have not developed their learning capabilities to adequately cope with change (Senge, 2014). Creating an organization that learns and adapts speedily and continuously is a challenge that faces business. While learning takes place both informally and formally in the workplace, formal learning is seen as less effective in transferring training (Saks, 2002). This study explored the role of peer coaching on the learning process. Fifteen participants‘ experiences were explored using a qualitative approach by means of in-depth unstructured interviews. The qualitative approach enabled the researcher to gain full appreciation of the participants‘ experience by allowing them to share freely and openly. The fifteen participants attended a self-leadership course that included a peer coaching component that involved seven of the fifteen participants. The research revealed minimal differences between the learning experiences of those who were in a peer coach relationship and those that were not. The themes of self-reflection, learning from others and support from others emerged the strongest in terms of its impact on the learning process. While the extensive learning theories were developed to understand how people learn, it was evident in this study that while adult learning is self-directed to a large extent, the structural characteristics of organizations provide the framework of the situations in which experience dictates the expediency of change and learning. The value of the peer coach relationship in facilitating the process of learning was also evident as one of the enablers of learning. This study provides insights on the value of peer coaching as an additional enabler of learning and adds to the body of limited literature on the role of peer coaching within business environments. / MT2016

Wits School of Governance Master of Management (in the field of Public and Development Management) (50%) / The challenge of not collecting enough revenue has its origin from the apartheid regime. Today municipalities still face the same challenges without any solution. Unemployment, poverty, inaccurate billing and illegal electricity connections all pose a challenge in the local government of South Africa. The issue is that the municipalities have been following the same pattern of doing things without solving any of the problems that affect its performance. Perhaps it’s time for change? Leadership and Management are two separate concepts but they complement each other. The research suggests that for any organization to succeed there must be equal contribution from leadership and management. Municipalities operate in a dynamic environment where demand of services is high. Municipality therefore cannot adapt the same processes and expect different results. There is a need for change and balancing leadership and management will initiate that change. The balance of leadership and management begins within the municipality, where management works hand-in-hand with leadership. The municipality is dependent on the municipal revenue it receives from taxpayers. The research reveals that the ratepayers are dissatisfied with the quality of service they receive. The municipality is not motivating the communities to continue paying. Public confidence in the municipality has declined. This calls for a need for leadership to motivate communities to continue paying. The main purpose of the study is to therefore investigate the impact of balancing leadership and management in City of Tshwane. The theoretical and empirical data was analyzed to answer the questions that this study asks. The results show that there is imbalance of leadership and management in City of Tshwane. Within the municipality management is over-managing and under-leading. This demotivates the employees at City of Tshwane and ultimately production will decrease. The research suggests that in order for production to increase and municipality to improve its performance, there needs to be leadership that goes beyond managerial position. / MT 2017

The poor matric results currently in the Soweto Township Secondary Schools are a cause for concern. This study aims to explore and understand the role of the principal on learner achievement. It transpired from the reviewed literature that the instructional leadership theory was helpful in providing insights into understanding issues of principals leading or supporting learner achievement efforts within the school context. This study relied on in-depth taped interviews with school principals, curriculum deputy principals and focus group discussions with the Representative Council of Learners (RCL), together with the documentary analysis to answer the research question and sub–questions. The sample schools were selected purely on the previous, “academic excellence.” This study also investigated what students, teachers and deputy principals perceive principals to do to influence learner achievement. The study discovered that the scope of principals‟ influence on learner achievement varies from one school to the next. The influence was both direct and at times mediated. The findings were that instructional leadership was a dominant style of leadership in the schools studied, as students identified direct and highly influential instructional leadership behaviours. It also transpired that the critical role of the principal to influence and enhance learner achievement was to manage teaching and learning, which is the core business of the school.

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment, University of the Witwatersrand, in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Masters in Engineering/Doctor of Philosophy in Engineering. September 2018 / Leadership, even though very difficult to define, is a process by which an individual tries to influence others to achieve a holistic organisational goal. Literature categorises leadership into three common styles namely, transactional, transformational and laissez-faire leadership, with transformational leadership and transactional leadership being the most domineering. Literature also proposes that leadership styles influence job satisfaction. The first objective of this study was to determine the leadership style within FNB Business: Projects and Operations and thereafter to investigate the effect of that leadership style on job satisfaction within the business. A descriptive research study using qualitative and quantitative methods was done. Questionnaires were distributed to all employees and the results were analysed. The results of Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire showed that a transformational leadership style, specifically inspirational motivational, prevailed within the department. The MLQ also showed that employees were very satisfied with their jobs. The Job Satisfaction Survey outlines the specific factors, namely, supervision and nature of work that lead to employees being satisfied in their work place. Finally, the Minnesota Satisfaction Survey solidified the high job satisfaction rate within FNB Business: Projects and Operations highlighting minimal variance between extrinsic and intrinsic satisfaction. The results, however, challenge the initial problem statement stating that there was job dissatisfaction due to leadership. This could be due to employees being afraid of being honest, employees not taking the survey or employees moving teams. Therefore, a recommendation is that the survey should be executed again and tracked at a team level. For example, respondents should answer which team they belong to. This field should also be a multiple-choice question as opposed to free text. In this way, leadership style and responses from individuals would be traceable to a specific leader. This would highlight the outliers for more accurate results and actions post this research survey. / MT 2019

Significant changes have taken place in recent years in leadership theory and practice world wide. Theorizations of effective leadership have evolved from being authoritarian and task-centered to a model in which leaders are encouraged to look beyond their self-interest and prioritize the interests of the group. This study investigates the development of an alternative form of leadership through community building in two male school boarding houses. It attempts to ascertain whether students are able to work collaboratively towards developing an environment conducive to servant leadership. Structured according to the transformative research paradigm, this action research study was conducted in an independent school, Kingswood College, in Grahamstown, South Africa. The College is a traditional independent co-educational school that prides itself on producing leaders. As the school was in the process of reviewing its leadership system, it became an appropriate site to investigate the development of community and to explore possibilities for the emergence of an alternative form of leadership that would reflect the attributes of servant leadership. The participants in the study were volunteers from two boarding houses, who agreed to reflect on their perceptions and experiences of the way in which their houses functioned. My research findings show that through their willingness to engage in moral dialogue, students can transform their boarding houses into closely-knit communities bound together by shared values and beliefs. Closer relationships make for better understanding. As the leaders take on the responsibility of caring for their juniors, a moral obligation begins to manifest itself. Leaders will display the attributes of servant leadership if they are prepared to acknowledge in practice this moral obligation to serve others.

The research seeks to evaluate the co-operative interaction between municipal political office-bearers and chief officials in the rendering of housing services in the King Sabata Dalindyebo local municipality. The introduction provides the general overview of the study and provides a background to the intention of the research to evaluate the co-operative interaction between municipal political office-bearers and chief officials. The problem statements briefly describe the problem identified in the study and the objectives of the study are set. The theoretical framework is provided and the theories used to evaluate the performance are discussed which are classical theory and the system theory. The importance of conducting the research is discussed and the limitations of the study are discussed in the research. Importantly, the study plan directs the researcher in the direction towards the goals of the research. Also the terms used in this study that are not clear were defined to avoid misinterpretation; misunderstanding and confusion of words and terms. The review of the current literature on the theoretical framework and the base for policy making and controlling role of municipal political office-bearers and chief officials in public administration was discussed. The nature of systems theory and the different phases of systems theory were explained. The nature and place of policy making in public administration was discussed as well as policy making alternatives in the public sector. The policy making levels i.e. political policy making level; executive policy making level; administrative/departmental policy making level; operational policy making level were explained and discussed. The co-operative interaction between municipal political office-bearer and chief officials was discussed to understand the administrative and political dichotomy in the public sector. The policy implementation for the rendering of housing services as well as the programming and delegation of authority were discussed in the context of housing service delivery. The legislative framework for housing services in South Africa was discussed as it influence and affects the housing service in King Sabata Dalindyebo Municipality. The role of municipal authorities in the rendering of housing services as well as the housing situation in South Africa together with the obligations of both the provincial and municipalities were discussed. The permission to conduct research was received from King Sabata Dalindyebo local municipality. The scope of the study explains the range or extent of matter to be dealt with in the research and the survey area is dearly provided. The research design which is qualitative and quantitative research are discussed and used in adopting the study. The case study as research strategy is discussed and clarified. The data collection instruments which are interviews, questionnaires and the literature study the subject were briefly explained. Population details and sampling were clearly explained before a sample is provided in the study. The research provides data collection procedures as well as how the data will be analysed. The ethical considerations are discussed. The data analysis and interpretation was conducted to enable the researcher to identify patterns which are consistent within the data. The criteria for data analysis as well the response rate were discussed. The demographics of chief officials and political office-bearers as respondents include their age; year of service, home language, gender, the academic qualification as well as the different stakeholders were analysed. The role of political office-bearers and chief officials in the initiation of policy which the input phase of the Systems theory analysis was conducted and the role of political office-bearers and chief officials in the process phase were analysed and discussed. The co-operative interaction in policy formulation and the steps in the policy formulation were analysed and discussed. Also the analysis was conducted on the delegation of authority to chief officials by the political office-bearers as well as the role of political office-bearers and chief officials in the approval of executive policy. An evaluation of the rendering of - 11 - housing services at Phola park informal settlement as well as the evaluation of housing services as an output phase in policy formulation were analysed and discussed. And lastly, the analysis of the impact of existing legislation or policy on housing services was conducted. The findings of the study were provided and discussed and the concluding remarks were provided to whether the problem is real and whether the hypothesis is true and valid. The recommendations of the study were provided to enable Kind Sabata Dalindyebo local municipality to improve the co-operative interaction between municipal political office-bearers and chief officials to improve housing services and to provide better service delivery. KEYWORDS Administration Citizens Co-operative interaction Effectiveness Efficiency Executive functions Governing functions Municipal authority Municipal chief officials Municipal political office-bearers.