Thesis (MPA.) --University of Limpopo, 2011 / The study is an evaluation of the challenges that the Thulamela Municipality face in the delivery of water and sanitation services. The purpose of the study was to find ways of improving service delivery and addressing backlogs so that sustainable delivery of water and sanitation services can be achieved. A descriptive quantitative method was conducted using a questionnaire, peer-reviewed journals, books and official documentation. The Thulamela Local Municipality is based at Vhembe District in Limpopo Province. The study shows that there is a serious challenge of backlogs in water and sanitation delivery. These will be difficult to overcome due to financial constraint and, lack of human capacity and technical resources. The researcher concluded that the municipality has serious backlogs in service provision which needed to be addressed urgently. She recommends that the municipality should outsource some services, provide efficient and effective resource to ensure that there is sustainable service provision.

M. Tech. Business Administration / Residents of the municipalities of Soshanguve, Mabopane and Winterveld townships in Tshwane have protested over poor municipal service delivery since 2008. Although attempts have been made by the three municipalities to address complaints made by residents, there are dissatisfactions among ordinary residents about poor service delivery. There are few studies conducted in this regard. The study was conducted in an attempt to identify and quantify factors that are known to affect the quality of municipal services in Soshanguve, Mabopane and Winterveld as a means of assessing and finding out if interventions carried out by local governments have resulted in positive outcomes. The key objective of study was to assess the quality of municipal services that are delivered to residents of Soshanguve, Mabopane and Winterveld municipalities with a view to identify the root causes of dissatisfaction and protests made by residents. The study places a particular emphasis on the delivery of water, power and sanitation services to residents living in Soshanguve, Mabopane and Winterveld.

M. Tech. Local Government / The challenge of continued non-payment for municipal services has its origin in the liberation struggle against apartheid, where municipal rates were deliberately not paid. This was a form of protestation against the illegitimate apartheid structures of local government imposed on the local communities, especially in the black areas. Unfortunately, this "weapon" that was used to fight apartheid has now become a challenge in post-1994 local government system, with some suggesting that it has evolved into a culture of non-payment for municipal services. But, why would this culture evolve in the post-apartheid era? This question is asked because in 1994 South Africa became a democratic state, where the citizens elected government of their own and mechanisms to institutionalize community participation in the processes of governance were introduced. The issue therefore is no longer of the illegitimate local government structures imposed on the people. So, the question is, why do people still continue to not pay their municipal services? Most municipalities in South Africa are unable to sustain their constitutional mandate of providing services to their communities as their revenue capacity is declining because of non-payment for municipal services. Against this background, the question that this study asks is what are the reasons for the continued non-payment for municipal services in the City of Tshwane? Coupled to this question is yet another important question, which this study also considers: how does the City of Tshwane deal with the challenge of non-payment for municipal services? The attempt to answer this question starts with an examination of the phenomenon of non-payment for municipal services in the City of Tshwane to highlight it as a challenge for the local sphere of government in South Africa. The purpose of the study is to understand the reasons for the continued non-payment for municipal services and how the City of Tshwane deals with this challenge.

This thesis investigates the challenges facing local government in South Africa by developing a means of exploring to what extent the problems of providing basic services currently experienced by municipalities are influenced by the political, administrative and financial configuration of the decentralized system of governance. It is argued here that the design of the intergovernmental governance system does not promote the constitutional objectives of decentralisation. The current system of governance does not empower local government to become more distinctive and autonomous. The problem in many cases is not what to decentralize or whether a basic service should be provided by national, provincial or local government, but rather how to align shared rule or concurrency of the particular service with the various levels of government. One of the key questions posed in this thesis is to what extent the system of decentralized governance in South Africa enables or hinders municipalities. abilities to provide basic services in an autonomous and sustainable manner. It focuses particularly on their authority to make and implement autonomous political, administrative and financial decisions pertaining to the provision of basic services. While this study cannot conclusively report on the impact of decentralisation on basic service delivery in South Africa, it does identify some of the systemic and structural aspects that impact on the manner or way in which local municipalities provide basic services. It raises concerns that the basic service delivery obligations of local municipalities are strenuous and financially challenging, and will continue to be as long as local municipalities rely on or are controlled by other spheres of government in meeting their constitutional mandate, especially with regard to the intergovernmental transfers of fiscal resources. / Thesis (Ph.D.) - University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2009.

This study was on the effect of non-payment of services by the government to the local municipality referring specifically to the Mafikeng Local Municipality. According to the literature review, there Is lack of research on the management of finances hence not only this municipality Is still struggling to manage their finances and as a result, some are collapsing. The main objective was to Investigate the reasons for non-payment of services by the government. The study used questionnaires and structured interviews to get the information on non-payment. The government owes the Mafikeng Local Municipality huge amount of services. There is a poor system of collection of debts at the Mafikeng Local Municipality which impact negatively on the financial condition of this municipality. There are challenges surrounding the failure of the government departments In paying the Mafikeng Local Municipality due to the fact that they do not budget enough for services. The other factor is that they do not receive their bills on time which makes difficult for them to pay their bills on time. / (MBA) North-West University, Mafikeng Campus, 2006

The majority of the residents of Khutsong are employed at mines in the area south of Carletonville (stretching form East Driefontein in the east to Deelkraal in the west), as well as in Carletonville itself. The large majority of these people are dependant on public transport for commuting to work, for undertaking trips for shopping purposes and for going to school. The condition of the road network in Khutsong is of such a nature that large areas are totally inaccessible to public transport (especially in the rainy season) resulting in a situation where large numbers of people have to walk unacceptable long distances between their places of residence and public transport routes. A comprehensive programme have been embarked upon in consultation with the community to rectify this situation.

This study aimed at investigating the legitimacy of violence as political act, especially the issue of vandalism surrounding service delivery protests in South Africa. The investigation was conducted in a small township around Soweto called Kliptown as a case study. This study was necessitated by the increasing number of violent service delivery protests around all provinces in the country. The statement of the problem provided a foundation within which the aims of the study were explained. The importance of this research cannot be justified enough especially given the mounting daily protests witnessed over service delivery by different communities from different provinces around the country.

M.Sc. (Environmental Management) / Over the last eighteen years or so, the Gauteng province has attracted the greatest proportion (45.6%) of foreigners in South Africa. Along with rapid population growth, accelerated rural-urban migration and the rise of low-income houses and informal settlements, some of the District Municipalities around the City of Johannesburg and other urban centres have witnessed increased concentration of population and settlements. In many instances, the capacity of local municipalities to provide adequate infrastructure and services has been severely compromised, especially with respect to the achievement of integrated and sustainable waste management and waste minimisation interventions, including the reuse, recovery and recycling of municipal solid waste. Inevitably, local municipalities are struggling to successfully deliver effective waste management services within their jurisdiction, despite the lack of space for new landfill sites in urban complexes and the promulgation of new laws, regulations and strategies for achieving waste minimisation in South Africa. However, there is paucity of research on how municipalities are performing with respect to waste management challenges and minimisation initiatives, given the new waste management and regulatory regime in South Africa. Considering that the Gauteng-City region has limited space for new landfills, the need to maximise the use, effectiveness and efficiency of current landfill sites is of strategic importance. Hence, this study has examined the effectiveness and efficiency of current waste management and minimisation trends in two District Municipalities in the Gauteng province. To this end, questionnaire surveys have been undertaken in the study areas, making use of purposive sampling methods. The surveys undertaken targeted key individuals in the municipalities and some of the managers of landfill sites. The survey also included the role of informal waste reclaimers and the quantities of waste they recover and sell as well as some of the operational barriers they are experiencing. Findings emanating from this study indicate that more emphasis is placed on the traditional waste management approach through ‘unsustainable’ landfilling rather than providing an enabling management framework for enhancing and promoting waste minimisation through waste prevention and recycling. Failure by local municipalities to encourage waste recycling initiatives is of serious concern, especially in view of the fact that existing landfill sites in West Rand District Municipality have a limited lifespan. The need to preserve landfill space is therefore vital and the best way to achieve this is to reduce the amount of waste being disposed off. The current practice of unrestricted solid waste generation and its disposal and the low level of waste recycling suggests that most local municipalities in the study area lack the capability to make a substantial contribution to waste minimisation. For further research, it is recommended that more surveys should be undertaken in other Metropolitan Municipalities of the Gauteng province, including the City of Johannesburg, City of Tshwane and Ekurhuleni. Such studies would provide additional insights on the extent of waste minimisation in these areas and whether or not the goals of integrated and sustainable waste management are being achieved in South Africa.

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has evolved into a pervasive commodity in modern enterprises. ICT enables enterprises, regardless of sector, to achieve their strategic objectives. Similarly, ICT is regarded as a critical enabler in South African municipalities to reach their objectives and ultimately deliver sustainable services to their communities. This dependence on ICT, therefore, necessitates a resilient ICT environment where minimal disruption to ICT is a primary goal. Unfortunately, as reported by the Auditor-General of South Africa, the majority of South African municipalities are neglecting to address the continuity of their ICT services. Failing to implement adequate ICT continuity controls restrict these municipalities from achieving their strategic goals and, as a result, fulfilling their constitutional mandate of service delivery. It is, therefore, the objective of this study to devise a method, consisting of a theoretical foundation and a supporting tool-set, to assist municipalities in addressing a real-world ICT continuity problem. This method aims to be scalable and usable within different municipalities, and be simplistic and comprehensible enough to implement. The theoretical foundation will introduce the concept of ICT Readiness for Business Continuity, based on the recommendations of international best practices and standards, for example, the ISO 27031 (2011) standard. Furthermore, by considering various challenges within local government, the tool-set will ultimately help municipalities to help themselves in this regard.

Information Communication Technology (ICT) has become an integral part of conducting business within enterprises including the local government. Local government relies on the use of ICT to ensure that its objectives and goals are accomplished. The effective use of ICT within the context of local government is fundamental for the support, sustainability and growth of municipalities. Benefits associated with the effective use of ICT in local government include but are not limited to accelerated service delivery, efficiency and accountability. While these benefits cannot be disputed, it is important to realise that the use of ICT presents potential risks. Thus, good governance of ICT should be addressed in local government. However, in recent years, the Auditor-General of South Africa (AG) has identified lack of good governance of ICT in local government. Various issues have been identified as emanating from the lack of good governance of ICT and lack of adequate ICT risk assessment is a case in point. In an attempt to address the good governance of ICT local government, various documents have been formulated. However, none of these address how effective management of ICT risks can be achieved. As such, local government lacks the means to effectively address the management of ICT risk which is core to the good governance of ICT. Local government still requires urgent intervention with regard to addressing the activities of managing ICT risks, particularly ICT risk assessment. Moreover, it was revealed that the lack of adequate ICT skills and financial resources in local government elevates this problem. The above-mentioned problem is what has motivated this research study. This dissertation aims to produce an artefact in the form of an approach for ICT risk assessment in local government. It is believed that a customised approach to ICT risk assessment in local government will contribute towards solving the identified problem.