This study was conducted at Intsika Yethu Local Municipality of Chris Hani District Municipality in the Eastern Cape Province, in the Republic of South Africa. The study has as its main thrust: The role of councillors in service delivery: The case of the Intsika Yethu Local Municipality of Chris Hani District Municipality. This municipality consists of 21 wards and 21 ward councillors. The Preamble to the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996, states that the injustices of the past have to be addressed and those who suffered for justice and freedom in the country should be honoured. The results of the 1994 national and 1995 local government elections marked a political breakthrough in South African politics. The new democratic and social reconstruction agenda necessitated the transformation of the legislative framework in various areas. The legislative prescriptions that underpin the operations and activities of municipal councillors in delivering public services to citizens and in ensuring the effective and efficient implementation of government policies are therefore crucial. In this study, the role of ward councillors in service delivery was interrogated and investigated to establish whether the Intsika Yethu Local Municipality community in Tsomo and Cofimvaba has benefited in accessing basic services. Furthermore, the study seeks to find ways through which the relationship between community and ward councillors could be managed to harmonise the relationship between them in order to improve service delivery in Intsika Yethu Local Municipality. In this regard, a legislative framework regulates and guides municipal councillors in performing their developmental duties to achieve local government developmental outcomes.

Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, in Chapter 7, requires all municipalities to encourage members of the public to participate in the matters of local government. Public participation is the process by which public concerns, needs, and values are integrated into governmental and corporate decision making. The Integrated Development Plan is an example of local government instruments which seek public participation in order to address community needs through service delivery. Consequently, this study was to explore the role of public participation in the Integrated Development Planning process of the Chris Hani District Municipality. The main objectives of this study were to understand the IDP making process, establish the importance of public participation, understand the role played by the municipality to encourage public participation in the IDP processes, understand the influence of IDP in service delivery and to make recommendations based on the findings presented. To conduct this study, qualitative research methodology was employed. The population sample comprised of councillors and municipal officials. Structured interviews were conducted with the councillors, while semi-structured interviews were held with municipal officials. The findings of the study revealed that the Chris Hani District Municipality views public participation as an integral part of the IDP making process. Measures and strategies are taken by the municipality to enhance public involvement in all matters of the municipality, including the IDP process. To achieve this the municipality partners with a number of stakeholders such as the local municipalities, government departments and organised groups. However, this is not enough hence recommendations are presented to improve this situation. Recommendations proposed include introducing capacity building programmes for councillors, establishment of a public participation unit, availing budget for public participation and educating members of the public about public participation and the IDP process.

Mini-dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Master of Technology: Public Management In the Faculty of Business at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology 2013 / One of the post 1994 Government foremost tasks has been to transform the Public Service into an efficient and effective instrument capable of delivering equitable service to all citizens and driving the country’s economic and social development. Towards this end a number of legislative and policy changes were made which saw the emergence of a new public administration paradigm, both in terms of how Public service are to be managed and how they are to be delivered to the public. This was particularly relevant to the equality status of women on all levels of the public service in South Africa and the Western in particular. Transformation in the Western Cape Administration and in the two departments in particular will not advance enough to benefit the majority of the Populace adequately, unless individuals from the designated groups are largely employed in positions with authority and with real decision-making powers. Males will continue to dominate in the middle to upper levels as long as the leadership is caught up with the vicious cycle of continuing to employ people with mainly the same race and gender profile in the two departments in the Provincial government of the Western Cape. Therefore, it is critical for the Western Cape government to align their employment equity interventions, including skills and succession planning, with its employment equity objectives. Commitment by the leadership of the Western Cape Province to effectively implement the Act in substance and spirit is likely to assist transformation by creating workplaces that are equitable in nature and free from discrimination. This Mini- dissertation provides insight into the historical and current situations of women in the Western Cape and the departments of local government and human settlement in particular and ventures to make a number of recommendations to improve the status of women in the administration of the Western Cape government.

Thesis (M.B.A.)-Business Studies Unit, Durban University of Technology, 2006 / This study is aimed at understanding the potential organisational performance management systems that could be used by municipalities and hence the topic "Selecting an appropriate organisational performance management system for South African municipalities" / M

M.A. / The problem highlighted above, based on the research done in local authorities (Annexure 1), led to the conclusion that it would be of considerable assistance to local authorities if provided with a guide containing applicable information and practical guidance to address and overcome the problem areas highlighted above. The study endeavours to provide such information and guidance. Based on theoretical research the study gives an overview of affirmative action in the United States of America with specific reference to court cases which deal with contentious aspects of affirmative action also faced by employers in South Africa. It also discusses the legal and developmental environments steering the implementation of affirmative action in South Africa and specifically in local government. In doing so, it focuses on lessons to be learned from the experience of other employers in South Africa with specific reference to local authorities as indicated by research done (Annexure 1). As highlighted guidance in respect of process and content will make a significant contribution to the success of affirmative action in the local government sector and will assist local authorities to avoid some of the problem areas and pitfalls highlighted. Therefore based on legislation and agreements pertaining to local government and practical research (Annexure 1), the study discusses a step-by-step organisation/sector-specific process to be followed in implementing affirmative action in local government and the basic content to be addressed during the various phases of the process. In so doing the study inter alia highlights the procedure to be followed to adopt and give effect to all legislation and agreements in the local government sector in a political and economic balanced manner; focuses on how to establish and task the appropriate and legitimate structures which must champion the process of planning and implementation, provides a working method and framework through which common ground can be reached on the extent and content of affirmative action and commitment obtained therefor, provides the procedures and methods through which perceptions, fears and expectations of employees can be determined and addressed as the basis for establishing a culture and climate conducive for affirmative action, discusses the process to be followed to establish an affirmative action policy and strategic plan including the basic contents of these documents and the specific key performance areas to be addressed and programmes to be developed during planning and implementation; Policy Framework for the Implementation of Affirmative Action in Local Government 6 • through the provision of abovementioned aspects, establishes a framework and methods for the continued evaluation and monitoring of the implementation process. In combining theory and practice to give a holistic perspective of affirmative action within the local government context, the study should make a valuable contribution to the successful implementation of affirmative action in the local government sector in South Africa. Given the historical constraints such as human perceptions and intolerance, cultural diversity, lack of education of certain groups, etc., achieving such a perfect balance will be a laudatory accomplishment in the interest of all South Africans and one that must be pursued. It is believed that through a proper implementation of the process detailed in this study and specifically through the establishment and utilisation of the structures and programmes identified, a workable and balanced implementation of affirmative action can be achieved. This is specifically so since it is a democratic, accountable and transparent process based on constructive engagement of, and consultation with, all the role-players involved in affirmative action.

Since 1994, the South African Government embarked on an ambitious Reconstruction and Development Program (RDP) to correct the injustices of the past. One of the major programmes, which the government is implementing within the RDP framework, is the ―Integrated National Electrification Programme‖ (INEP) with the aim to address the electricity backlog by 2012. Recent figures from Statistics SA, indicate substantial progress with regard to access to electricity throughout the country and especially in previously disadvantaged areas. This study is an investigation of the impact of access to free basic electricity (FBE) on the welfare of indigent households in Buffalo City Municipality (BCM). This study aims at better understanding ways in which indigent households use electricity and to what extent access to electricity is improving the level of poverty in the households. Empirical evidences from pro-poor electrification programmes worldwide and especially in Asia suggest that greater access to electricity by poor people leads to economic and social development at both micro and macro levels. This study investigates the impact of electricity on household poverty, with focus on household income, household health and children‘s education. This study used mixed research methods to investigate the research problem. Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected using survey questionnaires, focus group discussions and interviews of key informants.

The aim of this research is to evaluate the efficiency of service delivery in specific communities, namely Wards 22 and 36, in order to assess whether residents of those communities understand the service delivery process and whether there is enough communication and relationship within the councillors and residents. It is aimed at looking at the relationship between ward councillors and the residents of the community that they are given to represent. Service delivery is something that South Africa has been battling with for years. As much as there is progress within our country, a lot still needs to be done in order to satisfy the citizens of this country. That is where the purpose of this research thus come in, it looks at what the municipality has done to assist its people in matters that are urgent, such as housing, running water and electricity, to name a few. As stated above, this research looks at the implementation, or lack thereof of the municipality, on things that they had said they would attend to in the two wards, ward 22 and ward 36.

The study critically examined the implementation of Public Accountability strategies and mechanisms: A case of Buffalo City Municipality. The problem statement gave emphases on the multiple cases drawn from stats reflected in domestic surveys that shows how corruption and maladministration have impacted the province negatively as well as the extreme poverty lines that dominate the communities in the republic and also the province. The New Public Management Theory was used to interpret the manner in which the participants were expected to give their views on leadership and accountability among others key issues. The objectives of the study were to; To assess the mechanisms implemented by Buffalo City Municipality., To explore the challenges affecting public accountability enforcement mechanisms in Buffalo City Municipality towards eradicating corruption, Determine the manner through which the Buffalo City Municipality can adopt tried and tested mechanism from Regional, national & international case studies on how to effective enforce public accountability for the sustainable management and curbing of corruption for effective and efficient service delivery and to recommend new mechanisms which Buffalo City Municipality can utilise in enforcing public accountability towards eradicating corruption in its institutions in order to encourage sustainable community development through service delivery. The study adopted a case study approach based on a mixed method paradigm where data was collected through a questionnaire, interviews and document analysis. Case studies are normally associated with qualitative research, but can also be used as a method of inquiry employing a positivist epistemology and ontology. A total sample of 50 participants was chosen through a non-probability sampling technique. The major findings of the study reflected that there is a huge break in communication between government and the citizens in the locality while also establishing that the mechanisms currently being used were only as good as the factors influencing their implementation among other issues. Major recommendations included community engagement, capacity building and skills development, retention and expansion, lack of resources, promote individual independence of the community and the enhancement the Public Participation Unit.

This study is a contribution to the ongoing debate concerning the role and involvement of foreign donor entities in the processes of transforming and creating viable and sustainable municipal entities in South Africa. The discussion particularly focuses on the relationship between the donor community and the Department of Provincial and Local Government (DPLG) and how this relationship has been nurtured, coordinated and managed. The study acknowledges the challenges pertaining to local government transformation and the role and mandate assigned to the DPLG by the South African Constitution and the Presidential Coordinating Council (PCC) for it to facilitate the creation of developmental local government. In discussing this, consideration is given to capacity and resource constraints within the Department, which necessitate that it collaborates closely with other stakeholders, particularly donors, in seeking to augment its resource base and capacity. The Department's lack of capacity is further complicated by the various pieces of legislation, which have a serious bearing on how municipalities have to work - irrespective of their capacity and resources limitations. The research also focuses on how this relationship, between the DPLG and foreign aid donors working in the local government sector, is coordinated and managed. From evidence gathered and interviews conducted, the conclusion is drawn that there is much room for the DPLG to improve and strategically focus its interaction with donors as informed by its mandate and strategic priorities. Proposals, which entail development of donor management guidelines, setting up of a donor coordination unit within DPLG, the improvement of the understanding of donor work politics and modalities among DPLG officials, etc., are made.

M.A. / Het doel van deze studie is te komen tot een inventarisatie van de problemen -zowel op praktisch als theoretisch vlak- aan welke de nieuw gekozen plaatselijke overheden het hoofd moeten bieden, zoals deze zijn overgeleverd vanuit het verleden. Daarnaast wordt middels het empirische gedeelte bekeken, hoe de dagbladen in de provincie Gauteng - vaak het 'hart' van Zuid-Afrika genoemd - met deze problematiek en geschiedenis omgingen om de lezer annex kiezer adequaat te informeren. 3 Gekozen is voor een media-onderzoek over enkele maanden rond de twee laatste verkiezingen voor plaatselijke overheden: oktober 1988 en november 1995. Daarnaast wordt gekeken naar enkele van de vele begripsverwarringen binnen de Zuid-Afrikaanse politieke en media-context, zoals deze bijvoorbeeld onder meer bestaan rond zaken als 'democratie', 'macht', 'detribalisatie' en 'non-racialisme; allen termen die er in het discours omtrent regeren en geregeerd worden, nieuws produceren en nieuws ontvangen voortdurend met de haren bijgesleept worden maar voor de verschillende deelnemers aan het debat soms geheel uiteenlopende betekenissen hebben. De scriptie hoopt met deze onderwerpskeuze een bijdrage te leveren aan het voortdurende debat in Zuid-Afrika over het heden, verleden en wellicht ook toekomst van de gedrukte media, de politieke en sociaal-economische geschiedschrijving en de functionering en definiring van plaatselijk bestuur. Hoewel deze studie weliswaar nauwelijks alternatieve voorstellen voor de toekomstige behandeling van deze kwesties aandraagt, kan een kritisch en samenvattend overzicht hiervan zoals gepresenteerd in de hierna volgende hoofdstukken hemieuwde stof tot nadenken bieden, zowel gedragen als beperkt door de buitenlandse kijk van de auteur.