Thesis (MPA.) -- University of Limpopo, 2001 / Refer to the document

Thesis (MPA.) -- University of Limpopo, 2013 / The research study attempts to understand levels of service delivery facing Lenyenye Township falling under the jurisdiction of Greater Tzaneen Local Municipal Council. The main focal point of the study is to ascertain the effectiveness of the provision of basic services such as electricity, water and roads by the Greater Tzaneen Local Municipality. This study takes into account that there are other townships such as Nkowankowa, Khutjwana and Tickeyline that are also under the jurisdiction of Greater Tzaneen Local Municipality, and therefore, the research made no attempts to compare levels of service in these towns as its main focus is Lenyenye Township. The findings of this case study are by no means a representation of the state of service delivery in the entire Greater Tzaneen Local Municipal area. The study is qualitative in nature as it attempts to understand how residents of Lenyenye Township perceive service delivery in their area. To get to the bottom of this investigation, interviews were conducted to supplement the data that is needed to make a case. The central elements of this study are community participation and financial management. According to White Paper on Local Government (1998), the above elements are the cornerstone of democracy, and that democracy should be visible and practical at grassroots. The study argued that provision of municipal services is also influenced by a high number of legislative frameworks some of which are still at a grappling stage by municipalities, for example; the implementation of White Paper on Transforming Public Service Delivery (1997). The study also discovered that a local sphere of government interacts with other organs of state, private sectors and non-governmental institutions in programmes and projects meant to advance the provision of municipal service. Greater Tzaneen Local Municipality like any other municipality is experiencing its fair share of the challenges such as financial management, community participation, and skills shortage. The study revealed that Lenyenye Township is experiencing poor service delivery from the municipality.

Thesis (PhD. (Public Administration)) --University of Limpopo, 2013 / Developmental local government was introduced in South Africa after the finalisation of the local government transformation in 2000. The notion was however provided for in terms of Chapter seven of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa of 1996. The introduction of the policy framework through the 1998 White Paper on Developmental Local Government provided a platform for the promulgation of the Local Government: Municipal Structures Act 117 of 1998 which was followed by the Local Government: Municipal Systems Act 32 of 2000 to give effect to the notion of developmental local government as envisaged in the Constitution. Realisation of such system of developmental local government required interactions determined through various interactions ranging from structures necessary for establishment of municipalities to systems necessary for the municipalities to be functional. Those structures and systems comprise of a congleromate of agents that derive their way of interactions from various schemas. Those schemas are informed by the mainstream positivist modern scientific public administration discourse that dominates the paradigm of public administration in South Africa. Yet interactions that give effect to developmental local government do not conform to the rational modern scientific prescription that are linear and seek to unveil a unified solution to all problems associated with the realisation of developmental local government. That is where the science of complexity comes to play through its conformity to postmodern ontology of seeking local solutions that are non-linear. It is however necessary to acknowledge that the rational scientific discourse is necessary within developmental local government realisation, it just have limitations that need to be complemented by complexity thinking as local governments together with its establishing structures and systems are by nature complex. It came about through complex interactions that do not always conform to modern scientific analysis. The state of public administration discourse in South Africa is still predominantly rational and adheres to the modern or mainstream public administration. These are exarbated by the praxis of developmental local government itself in terms of its character and its constitutional founding of being a sphere of government that remain ideal than pragmatic. The characteristics of developmental local government themselves cannot be realised within the ambit of a single municipality. The notion of development also provide a conundrum of being translated to developmental which is adjectival to be reduced to a static meaning for proper rational analysis. Being a complex system developmental local government inhabit the charateristics or elements of complexity that cannot be unified to address problems facing municipalities within the country. The complexity of such systems transcend from the initial contextualisation of developmental local government to various persona, multiplicity and pluralism, as well as accountability and responsibility. These create the form of morphogenesis from the inception in the form, structure, function and state of developmental local government. Developmental duties, being Integrated Developmental Plan (IDP), Performance Management, and Community participation remain the ideals that in reality might not be realised unless a complementary view of complexity thinking is considered. The engagement of literature in developmental local government, the state of Public Administration discourse in South Africa, Complex Reflexive Science and the empirical evidence gathered in municipalities found within the Vhembe District municipality area provide a scientic justification to the idea. Developmental local government needs to be dealt with as a complex adaptive system that is informed by the realities of the circumstances of its constituency. That in essence will require creative and innovative practitioners that do require uniform prescripts that need to be applicable to all municipalities irrespective of context,persona, multiplicity and pluralism, as well as dynamics of accountability and responsibility.

Thesis (MPA.) -- University of Limpopo, 2015 / This study undertook to look into the management of service delivery by the Limpopo Department of Public Works. Over the past four years the researcher, through his interaction and work with departmental officials, identified various weaknesses with management. The study examines various literature relating to management and service delivery issues. A comprehensive review was made by the researcher of the available departmental documentation. The study method used was qualitative. A semi-structured questionnaire was developed and provided to management. This study found that indeed there are issues with management in the Limpopo Department of Public Works. Key findings were that the maturity and experience of management is critical to the functionality of an institution and that institutions need to embrace change, particularly within a technical environment.

The rural women in EMLM hew the wood, carry water, satisfy the men, produce and take care of the children to continue the family tree, and manage all the household chores. Their contribution is central to the effective functioning of families and communities. Yet, in terms of decision-making and local governance structures, they are absent. Indeed, there is truly a large constituency of women out there who are largely unrepresented; and therefore, they have no idea how governance is conducted – even around them. This is unfair, especially in jurisdictions where women are clearly in the majority. It is inconceivable that local governance structures have over a decade recorded only a single elected female member. With this in mind, this study seeks to explore the extent of rural women’s participation in local governance in Elias Motsoaledi Local Municipality. It is a comparison of traditional and democratic local governance structures; and the methods the researcher has used are qualitative and quantitative data on women councillors from 2013, in order to assess the factors that may be accountable for their small numbers, as compared to their male counterparts. The conclusion drawn was that the social structure, its traditions and cultural was identified in the study as the main obstacle to the advancement of women in the political arena. This study has not exhausted all the facets of the challenges; but it has brought a few to the fore, in an attempt to help stimulate debate, and inform policy and practice in the future.

Thesis (M. Dev. (Planning and Development)) -- University of Limpopo, 2021 / In 1997, the South African Government introduced a White Paper on the Transformation of the Public Service. This was to re-emphasis on the performance enhancing role of management in the implementation of service delivery mandates. The purpose of this study was to assess the role of management in implanting service delivery initiatives for community development in Vhembe District Municipality, Limpopo Province South Africa. The methodology of this study was largely a qualitative case study and the quantitative approach was also used to augment the qualitative findings. The study was undertaken in the Vhembe District Municipality by engaging various administrative managers, ward councillors and traditional leaders. In sourcing the information for this research, semistructured interviews were conducted with 20 administrative managers, ten traditional leaders and ten ward councillors. The research findings identified the need for the management to take the leading role in service delivery initiatives in order to address the service delivery challenges in local government. Traditional leaders and ward councillors need to enhance the public participation process to ensure the community is on board regarding the progress of their respective projects and planning processes.

Thesis (M.Admin. (Administration and Management)) -- University of Limpopo, 2022 / The local government is the first level of government closest to the people, and it is required under the 1996 Constitution of the Republic of South Africa to meet the needs of the people in their designated areas. Political and administrative leadership in the municipalities is entrusted with the responsibility of providing public services and managing government resources. Existing literature exhibits that municipal leaders possess certain characteristics that if effectively implemented, may effectively meet the needs of the people. With a distinct focus on Greater Giyani Local Municipality in Limpopo Province, the current study investigates the role of leadership in service delivery in South African municipalities. This study adopts “theory triangulation” as the theoretical points of departure due to its utilisation of four leadership theories (Servant, Transformational, Situational & System leadership theories). Municipal leadership in the Greater Giyani is expected to serve the public by providing high-quality service to the communities. To fulfil the purpose of this study, a mixed method research approach is adopted, which incorporates qualitative and quantitative methods. A questionnaire was used to collect quantitative data whereas interviews and document analysis were utilised to collect qualitative data. The collected data was then analysed through statistical package for social science. The findings of the study reveal that political and administrative leadership play a role in facilitating service delivery. However, there are also government issues that have to be considered in relation to service delivery, such as insufficient development training programs, and unqualified administrators. Aspects such as lack of understanding and compliance, poor public participation, and lack of adherence to work ethics are found to be amongst factors which hamper service delivery. This study submits that policy makers and managers in the municipalities should be trained in managerial skills. Additionally, the municipal leadership should always adhere to policies related to work ethics and procurement processes. The study also concludes that policy makers and senior managers in the municipalities need to develop relevant policies and strategies to enhance the role of leadership in service delivery in the municipalities.

Thesis (MPA (School of Public Management and Planning))--University of Stellenbosch, 2009. / The concept of public participation has gained wider acceptance in government circles as a tool to strengthen the pillars of this government’s democratic structures. Globally, governments’ accountability can be gauged by the extent to which they practise public participation in decision-making in facing up to the challenges of the day. The concept of public participation arrived in South Africa in the 1980s and was supposedly applied to the inception of a true democratic dispensation in 1994. In the South African context, public participation cannot be over-emphasised as it underpins the democracy introduced in 1994. Because of the great importance of public participation, the South African government has enacted a number of statutes such as the Constitution (1996) and the Municipal Structures Act (2000) that give substance to public participation. Even though public participation is applied at national and provincial government levels in South Africa, it is principally in the Local Government field where it is widely applied in order to enable good governance and sustainable service delivery. This study examines the role of ward committees in public participation in Local Government, with specific reference to Thulamela Municipality. The study suggests that the transformation and democratisation of South African Local Government can be achieved through effective implementation of public participation at grassroots level. Apart from passing legislation, more needs to be done to stimulate public participation. The study has furthermore found that even though statutes provide for communities to participate in a range of government-created regulatory structures such as the IDP Representative Forums and Ward Committees, municipalities need to develop strategies for public participation. Not only do municipalities need to develop strategies for public participation, they also need to develop proper mechanisms to encourage the participation of community stakeholders and organisations. The study is primarily based on qualitative data collected from Thulamela Municipality through personal interviews with councillors, officials and ward committee members. Moreover, the study also rests on observations at IDP Representative Forums, IDP and Budget consultative meetings, focus group discussions and a review of local government statutes and literature providing knowledge on the subject under study.

Thesis (MPA.) -- University of Limpopo, 2001 / Refer to document

Thesis (MBA.) -- University of Limpopo, 2015 / Rural communities in South Africa, including Makhuduthamaga Local Municipality, experience mobility problems in order to access facilities like hospitals, police stations, schools and shopping centres. This research study attempted to identify factors that affect effective implementation of community road infrastructure projects under the jurisdiction of Makhuduthamaga Local Municipal Council. The study was qualitative in nature wherein municipal officials directly involved in provision and maintenance of road infrastructure in the municipality, ward councillors and a consultant were interviewed. The study wanted to understand how councillors, officials and consultant observe service delivery in terms of road infrastructure in the area. The respondents indicated that the project management unit is trying very hard to ensure that service provision is spread adequately but the challenges experienced hamper effective service delivery. The identified challenges include: interference, including political interference of some stakeholders, service providers who are not experienced enough, inadequate finances and supply chain systems and policies which seem to be ill-defined and/or not implemented properly. There is a need for the government to invest more in infrastructure, specifically roads. It was proven from the findings of this study that the government still has to do more in providing quality roads in rural areas. The municipality should prioritise financial allocation or provision for road infrastructure in their budget to help in the stimulation of the burden experienced by everyone in this regard. The study recommends that the Project management unit needs to adhere to policy and contracts that bind service providers. There should be training of officials and service providers to improve the quality and effectiveness of the services rendered.