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.)

Thesis (MBA) -- Stellenbosch University, 2007. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This research report is about the implementation of strategy in a developmental orientated municipality. It demonstrates through a case study how the Department of Financial Services implements the long-term goals and objectives of the Naledi Local Municipality. It also demonstrates how the strategic integrated development plan and the budget of the municipality direct the service delivery and budget implementation action plans of the municipality and its departments. A departmental scorecard for the Department of Financial Services and an individual scorecard for the Manager: Financial Services was developed, based on the municipality's corporate scorecard. The Balanced Scorecard as a tool to focus and align resources towards the municipality's strategy was used as implementation model. Key performance areas, key performance indicators and targets were also developed to ensure that strategy to be implemented can be measured. The case study clearly indicates that the municipality is on the right track with regard to the implementation of strategy in theory and in practice. However, certain issues are highlighted as hindrances that will undoubtedly impact on the successful implementation of the municipality's long-term goals and objectives. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie navorsingverslag handel oor 'n gevallestudie van strategie implimentering in 'n ontwikkelingsgerigte munisipaliteij. Die gevaliestudie demonstreer hoe die Departement van Finansiele Dienste die langtermyn doelwilte en doelstellings van die Naledi Plaaslike Munisipaliteit implimenteer. Die gevallestudie demonstreer verder ook hoe die strategiese geIntegreerde ontwikkelingsplan en begroting van die munisipaliteit die dienslewering en begroting-implimenteringsaksieplanne van die munisipaliteit en sy departemente rig. 'n Departementele telkaart vir die Department van Finansiele Dienste en 'n individuele telkaart vir die Bestuurder: Finansiele Dienste, gebaseer op die korporatiewe telkaart, is ook ontwikkei. Die Gebalanseerde Telkaart is gebruik as 'n instrument om hulpbronne te lokus op die munisipaliteit se S6 strategie. Sleutelprestasie-areas, sleutelprestasie-indikatore en -teikens is ontwikkel om te verseker dat die implimentering van strategie gemeet kan word. Die gevaliestudie toon duidelik ook aan dat die munisipaliteit in teorie en in praktyk op die regte spoor is met die implimentering van strategie. Sakere kwessies word egter uitgelig as hindemisse wat die suksesvolle implimentering van die munisipaliteit S6 langtermyn doelwilte en doelsteliings ongetwyfeld sal beInvloed.

Thesis (M.Dev.) --University of Limpopo, 2013 / The research study investigated the contribution of community development projects towards poverty alleviation in Thulamela Local Municipality of Limpopo province. This research study seeks to investigate the factors that hinder community development projects from contributing positively towards the improvement of the lives of rural communities in the area of the study. This study is also concerned with the development of effective strategies that will enhance the capacity of community development project managers and change their perception and that of other stakeholders with regard to the implementation of community development projects. The literature review established the relationship between community development project and project management. In this regard, the study showed that community projects run by project managers with proper knowledge of and skills in project management impact positively on the improvement of the lives of the rural communities. In this study, a mixed research design approach was used in the investigation of the factors that hinder community projects to contribute positively towards poverty alleviation in Thulamela Local Municipality. Questionnaires and structured interviews were used to collect data from the target population. The findings of the study suggest that most managers of the community development projects lack training in project management.They also revealed that there were inadequate resources; there is a lack of community participation in decision-making, and shortage of funds hampered the sustainability of community development projects. To conclude, it is expected that the recommendations of this research study will highlight the strategies that could be put in place to improve the management of community development projects in order to improve the livelihoods of people in the Thulamela Local Municipality.

Before the historical democratic elections of 1994, South Africa did not have a culture of actively engaging communities in local government affairs. Democracy brought emphasis to transparency in municipal activities, and greater public accountability. It is legislated in South Africa that local governments should interact with communities in an endeavour to carry out the responsibilities of service delivery to ensure growth and development in a manner that promotes and enhances community participation and accountability. However, integrated municipal development planning, budgeting, local economic development projects, and various forms of municipal partnerships, are all issues which require effective community participation processes. Local government as a sphere government closest to the people is now expected to engage communities through exploring sustainable strategies as mechanisms which, within the context of this study, bring about effective public participation. In this regard, an effective, efficient, vibrant and innovative local government system that is accountable to local communities is of obvious importance. The local government has a key role to play in ensuring that people receive quality leadership and a sound and stable local democracy. Section 153 of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996 (Act 108 of 1996) spells out two important developmental duties of a municipality: * To structure and manage its administration and budget planning process so as to give priority to the basic needs of the community and to promote the environmental and socio-economic development of the community: and * To participate in national and provincial development programmes. The purpose of this study was to determine a variety of effective channels or mechanisms and processes for public participation in the integrated development planning (IDP) and budget process in the Tlokwe Local Municipality. It also focuses on the policy and legislative framework underpinning public participation in the IDP and budget processes. The study further considers that legislation requires that the IDP process of Tlokwe Municipality should structurally incorporate the voice of the community which will be affected by planning. The researcher used a qualitative method to determine how Tlokwe Local Municipality addresses the needs of the local community to enhance participatory democracy. The study established that there are a number of challenges facing the municipality which are barriers to effective participation. Several of these challenges relate to the poor and the marginalised groups which still have far too little influence in the affairs of the municipality. / Thesis (MA (Public Management and Governance))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013

Before the historical democratic elections of 1994, South Africa did not have a culture of actively engaging communities in local government affairs. Democracy brought emphasis to transparency in municipal activities, and greater public accountability. It is legislated in South Africa that local governments should interact with communities in an endeavour to carry out the responsibilities of service delivery to ensure growth and development in a manner that promotes and enhances community participation and accountability. However, integrated municipal development planning, budgeting, local economic development projects, and various forms of municipal partnerships, are all issues which require effective community participation processes. Local government as a sphere government closest to the people is now expected to engage communities through exploring sustainable strategies as mechanisms which, within the context of this study, bring about effective public participation. In this regard, an effective, efficient, vibrant and innovative local government system that is accountable to local communities is of obvious importance. The local government has a key role to play in ensuring that people receive quality leadership and a sound and stable local democracy. Section 153 of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996 (Act 108 of 1996) spells out two important developmental duties of a municipality: * To structure and manage its administration and budget planning process so as to give priority to the basic needs of the community and to promote the environmental and socio-economic development of the community: and * To participate in national and provincial development programmes. The purpose of this study was to determine a variety of effective channels or mechanisms and processes for public participation in the integrated development planning (IDP) and budget process in the Tlokwe Local Municipality. It also focuses on the policy and legislative framework underpinning public participation in the IDP and budget processes. The study further considers that legislation requires that the IDP process of Tlokwe Municipality should structurally incorporate the voice of the community which will be affected by planning. The researcher used a qualitative method to determine how Tlokwe Local Municipality addresses the needs of the local community to enhance participatory democracy. The study established that there are a number of challenges facing the municipality which are barriers to effective participation. Several of these challenges relate to the poor and the marginalised groups which still have far too little influence in the affairs of the municipality. / Thesis (MA (Public Management and Governance))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013

M.A. (Public Management and Governance) / In an effort to correct the injustices of the past, particularly the exclusion of the majority, the South African Government has developed scores of policy frameworks in order to address equity and redress, of which municipal Integrated Development Plans (IDPs) and the emphasis on public participation in these processes is central. The IDP forms the statutory basis for a municipality’s policy framework and is also aligned with other resources, including the municipality’s capacity to implement the plan. Although the IDP has been criticised and referred to as a ‘wish list’ in that it supposedly obliges municipalities to make unrealistic plans, it is nonetheless the corner stone of municipal plans, even if only in theory in some municipalities. Against this background, the question that the research seeks to answer is: What was the level of public participation in Midvaal Local Municipality’s 2011/12 Integrated Development Plan? This qualitative research made use of as questionnaire and individual interviews in order to interpret the phenomena of public participation in the IDP process. Although public participation is useful, there is no ‘one size fits all’ and as a result there is a need for a differentiated approach to its application. South Africa has an excellent regulatory and policy framework governing public participation and largely strives to ensure transparency and accountability in the management of local government affairs. However, even with such a comprehensive framework, legislation has at times proven to be inadequate in practice and the same can be said with the ‘credibility’ of the IDP. The research found that the most effective mechanism for public participation in Midvaal was the use of flyers and posters which were provided by the municipality, a method which was also reflected as effective and popular in the literature. To ensure people were fully representative, the municipality held consultations in all but one ward and provided the community with transport to get to the venues; however even with such measures the attendance was very low. Furthermore, it can be said that for public participation to be more effective Midvaal municipality needs to develop strategies to encourage affluent communities to attend meetings and also a need to ensure that the people that do attend the meeting understand what they are about and that they are not platforms for complaining. The research therefore recommends that: there should be enhance public participation mechanisms, the structure of the meeting should be better structured and there should be a focus on public education about the IDP process.

Thesis (M.DEV.) --University of Limpopo, 2013 / Recent changes in Modimolle Local Municipality have placed new external pressures and challenges on project managers change their ways of managing community projects in their sphere of operation. The above challenges had necessitated the researcher to investigate the challenges faced by managers in managing community projects in Modimolle Local Municipality of Limpopo Province. The management of community projects in Modimolle Local Municipality is fraught with challenges such as financial resources, lack of focus on economic development, improvement of livelihood, community participation, sustainability, delegation and also not adhering to Public Financial Management Act and Municipal Financial Management Act. To understand the total context of the challenges faced by managers in managing community projects, an in-depth study of this problem was done by means of relevant literature review, empirical study and variety of other suitable research techniques. Data was collected by means of questionnaires and semi-structured interviews, from project managers who had an experience of community work in the area of the study. The studies have revealed that the management of community projects is not determined by one factor. It emerged that there are various factors that prohibit managers to manage community projects in their sphere of operation, hence the recommendations for improvement stated in chapter five.

Thesis (MPA. (Public Administration)) -- University of Limpopo, 2015 / Local governments are obliged by the Constitution of South Africa to deliver services and development to local communities in their demarcated areas. This constitutional mandate comes at a time where South African government entered into a new regime of government indebted to fix the ill of the Apartheid systems. The government of the post-1994 had to eradicate the inequality offspring of segregation policies of the past that resulted in most of the black communities without access to decent local government services and systems. The provision of services by local government became constrained by skills gaps and distribution across a wider community that had to be included in cascading services. The question of capacity in local government formed a critical part of the transformation of government in South Africa. Never the less local government has been swept by service delivery protest since the 2004 with a sharp increase from 2008 till current. Further pressures that indicate capacity challenges are with the inability of municipalities to deal healthy with financial resource. This challenged is confirmed by the steady poor reports by the auditor general year-in-year-out. These challenges exist where there is a concentrated financing reservations and advocacy of capacity building training programmes, which in turn shows to be failing to address capacity challenges in local government. The study investigated the effects of capacity building training programmes on municipal practitioners in selected municipalities within the Capricorn District Municipality, Limpopo province. The focus of the study is to establish the implication of capacity building training programmes on the capacity of officials to discharge their official duties in the municipalities. The study also dealt with the need for a methodological model that could be used to develop capacity building training programmes. Competency-Based Training was studied in pursuit for recommendation as a model for capacity building in local government. The study was grounded within the boundaries of the systems thinking with bias to the complex systems thinking. To fulfil the purpose of the study data was collected through qualitative and quantitative methods. Analyses were made using the Statistical Package for Social Science. The findings of the study revealed that though there are positive effects of capacity building training programmes in local government there is much to be done especial the alignment of capacity with the strategic positioning of the participating municipalities.

Thesis (LLM. (Development)) -- University of Limpopo, 2013 / The purpose of the investigation is to research the contribution of Fetakgomo Local Municipality in alleviating poverty through poverty alleviation projects. Poverty and inequality have reached unacceptable proportions and the most hit are people living in rural areas and as a results the gap between the rich and the poor continues to widen. Both qualitative and quantitative research methods were used. Eighty respondents filled in the questionnaires. Interviews were conducted with Fetakgomo Local Municipality management and other relevant stakeholders. The research findings indicate that the communities around Fetakgomo Local Municipality specifically Nkwana, Nchabeleng, Strydkraal, Apel, Mohlaletse and Mashilabele are partly benefiting from Fetakgomo Local Municipality. The findings also show that Fetakgomo Local Municipality is partly contributing positively towards poverty alleviation within the municipality. The major findings of this research study are that poverty alleviation projects are partly effective in alleviating poverty, especially among needy families. The final results from the study show that most of the rural poverty alleviation projects are not sustainable. The main reasons leading to poor performance of rural poverty alleviation projects are lack of participation of key stakeholders, lack of financial management, inefficient management and lack of planning. The study recommends that committed stakeholders, individuals and poverty alleviation projects who take part in poverty alleviation projects should be considered for funding and training rather than providing state grants only to groups of people. Resources such as transport should be provided to poverty alleviation projects in local areas to access any type of market. All the local economic development projects should install palisade, surveillance systems and electric security fences around the projects to prevent theft. The study also recommends that a stipend of R1500.00 should be paid to each project member to encourage and attract those who are interested. The research study also recommends that there must be a continuous monitoring and evaluation of poverty alleviation projects on a regular basis by government officials.

Masters in Public Administration - MPA / A persistent challenge facing especially post-apartheid South African rural municipalities is service delivery compliance. Under the guise of scarcity, rural municipalities repeatedly do not comply with legislation, policies and guidelines for the provision of drinking water and basic sanitation services for the poor. Yet, such challenges concern equity, justice and fairness to social policy and seriously impact the sustainability of livelihood of millions of rural households. The main objective of this study is to analyse the extent to which Lepelle Nkumpi Local Municipality has complied with or deviated from specific policies and legislation governing the provision of water and sanitation services at the Gedroogte, Ga Molapo and Magatle (in Zebediela) rural communities and the response of communities. The study was also intended to determine the extent to which water challenges affect the livelihood of the people in the communities. It highlights the refugee-like conditions that millions of South African citizens experience despite official statistics that claim that 86% of the country has access to potable water. A mixed methods design was used for this analysis. The qualitative methods that are used in the study include use of in-depth interviews, site visits, personal stories and the Municipal Integrated Development Programme (IDP). Participatory mapping of water sources; story-telling about water issues; timelines and trend lines by focus group members; transect walks and 7 key informant interviews were used to collect data. A total of 657 quantitative interviews were conducted in three communities. Service delivery compliance has been grossly ineffective and inefficient in Lepelle Nkumpi Local Municipality, especially in the Gedroogte, Ga Molapo and Magatle rural communities. The findings were that these rural communities still depend on state-owned boreholes for accessing drinking water, which are regularly broken and/or in disrepair. Sanitation service provision in the rural communities does not comply with the approved policy of providing ventilated improved pit (VIP) toilets. New settlements have increased the demand for clean water. Shortages of staff with relevant skills such as management, technicians, and administrators are one of the main reasons why there is a scarce supply of drinking water and basic sanitation services at the Gedroogte, Ga Molapo and Magatle communities. Inaccessibility to nearby treatment plants for waste disposal services (situation per community) and inaccessible disposal facilities and the use of disposal sites also affect the health conditions of community members within the Lepelle Nkumpi Local Municipality.