The constitutional democracy in South Africa, ushered in by the first democratic elections of 1994, has opened up opportunities for the rise of various issues that were previously marginalised. The current political dispensation, supported by new progressive legislation, has rendered reckless management of waste management unacceptable. As a result, the management of waste, particularly the dominant landfill site waste management facilities, has come under increasing scrutiny from civil society organisations, the public and affected communities. Whilst the new constitutional order has demarcated responsibility for the management of solid waste, reality indicates that in spite of various legislative attempts to ensure the institutionalisation of sound and integrated waste management, solid waste is still poorly managed by responsible authorities. It has also been evident that many municipalities in South Africa still rely on the problematic landfill sites as the dominant waste disposal facility, this despite the obvious environmental problems that land filling engenders. It has been noted that waste problems are still marginalised from the mainstream development initiatives of responsible municipalities. The poor management of solid waste and the negation of responsibility, as in the case in the Msunduzi Municipality, are indicative of the politics involved in the identification of policy issues that government attends to from the available pool of existing social concerns. The failure to find policy solutions to identified waste problems in the Msunduzi Municipality has provoked questions around how policy issues negotiate their way onto the government agenda. The biggest issue from a public policy perspective is how does government decide on which issues they will address amongst the numerous and equally pressing social problems that warrant government attention. Using Kingdon‟s agenda-setting theory, this dissertation found that problem definition, policy dynamics and political interests all play influential roles in the agenda status of social problems and whether they are addressed or not. As a result, the study argues that there must be positive interaction between the three, problem, policy and political streams, in order to produce a solution to the policy issues of waste management in the Msunduzi Municipality. / Thesis (M.Soc.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2011.

The constitutional democracy in South Africa, ushered in by the first democratic elections of 1994, has opened up opportunities for the rise of various issues that were previously marginalised. The current political dispensation, supported by new progressive legislation, has rendered reckless management of waste management unacceptable. As a result, the management of waste, particularly the dominant landfill site waste management facilities, has come under increasing scrutiny from civil society organisations, the public and affected communities. Whilst the new constitutional order has demarcated responsibility for the management of solid waste, reality indicates that in spite of various legislative attempts to ensure the institutionalisation of sound and integrated waste management, solid waste is still poorly managed by responsible authorities. It has also been evident that many municipalities in South Africa still rely on the problematic landfill sites as the dominant waste disposal facility, this despite the obvious environmental problems that land filling engenders. It has been noted that waste problems are still marginalised from the mainstream development initiatives of responsible municipalities. The poor management of solid waste and the negation of responsibility, as in the case in the Msunduzi Municipality, are indicative of the politics involved in the identification of policy issues that government attends to from the available pool of existing social concerns. The failure to find policy solutions to identified waste problems in the Msunduzi Municipality has provoked questions around how policy issues negotiate their way onto the government agenda. The biggest issue from a public policy perspective is how does government decide on which issues they will address amongst the numerous and equally pressing social problems that warrant government attention. Using Kingdon‟s agenda-setting theory, this dissertation found that problem definition, policy dynamics and political interests all play influential roles in the agenda status of social problems and whether they are addressed or not. As a result, the study argues that there must be positive interaction between the three, problem, policy and political streams, in order to produce a solution to the policy issues of waste management in the Msunduzi Municipality. / Thesis (M.Soc.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2011.

This qualitative study aimed at exploring the policy-making process of the Internship Policy (2004) within the Msunduzi Municipality. The context of this policy is in the domain of education, with emphasis on skills development. This study applied the functional policy stages model to the Msunduzi Municipality Internship Policy (2004), using the policy cycle as a model for analysis, with the purpose of describing and understanding it better. This study will contribute in the public policy field and assist service providers and policy-makers in government with a better understanding of the dynamic realities of the policy-making process. A qualitative research method was used. In-depth interviews and key informant interviews were conducted with Human Resources Development Management Committee members, Human Resources Support Managers, Sound Governance and Human Resources Management Committee members and former training officer (Policy Champion) - to collect data, together with an analysis of secondary data of policy literature and publications on national policy frameworks of internships and skills development. The analysis used the models of policy processes to frame the discussion of the research findings. Content analysis was used to analyse data, with research findings categorized into themes. Those themes were: definitions of the internship programme within the Msunduzi Municipality, policy agenda setting, policy formulation, policy decision-making, policy implementation and policy evaluation. It emerged from this study that the internship programme is not a new phenomenon in the Msunduzi Municipality; it has been in existence since 1998, operating informally without a codified policy. The Skills Development Act No. 97 of 1998 and its implementation frameworks – the National Skills Development Strategy for South Africa (1997), the Human Resources Development Strategy for South Africa (2002); the Public Service Sector Education and Training Authority (PSETA) (2000); the Public Service Act (1994); Public Service Regulations (2001); Workplace Skills Plans (WSPs) and the relevant white papers informed and supported the establishment and implementation of internship programmes in the Msunduzi Municipality. The problems of the previous internship programmes and political motives from Councillors and staff acknowledging the need for having a formal codified policy to govern the functioning of the internship programme in the Msunduzi Municipality merged and created a new policy agenda. Developing the Msunduzi Municipality Internship Policy (2004) was an alternative and it was approved as a final policy after several discussions and consultations. It is implemented by strategic business units and utilizes the bottom-up approach. The weakness that the Msunduzi Municipality Internship Policy (2004) has in its policy document is that it lacked an evaluation strategy, which is problematic because there are no set objectives that have to be followed during the evaluation process. / Thesis (M.Soc.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2010.

This research sets out to ascertain the application of e-governance in five selected African countries, (namely South Africa, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda and Ethiopia) and whether it has the potential to contribute to good governance. In the 21st century, globalisation has changed the way countries relate politically, socially, and economically in the global arena. This has been driven by many factors, but the most notable being technological advancements. According to the 2003 World Public Sector Report, the advancement in Information Communications Technologies (ICTs) has presented new opportunities to integrate networking to improve the efficiency of how business is carried out and how services are provided. The use of ICTs such as computers, electronic databases and other technologies have been in use for a number of years within the public sector to organise, manage and disseminate information to the public as well as to facilitate day-to-day communication in government offices. In this context, the value of the use of ICTs has been to assist and streamline government operations. Alongside the growing application of ICTs in government operations, good governance is more and more regarded as the ideal manner in which to govern and provide public services. Grindle (1) points out that good governance is about the state's capacity to be able to design and implement appropriate public policies that in a way ensures equitable administering of resources with values such as accountability, transparency, efficiency, effectiveness, representativeness, public participation and responsiveness. This study makes a comparison between the developing countries of South Africa, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda and Ethiopia in order to determine the extent to which they are adopting e-governance practices as well as ascertaining whether these contribute to the good governance mandate. Findings from the study reveal that although e-governance has been promoted as an initiative to improve public service delivery, it is not an end but rather a possible means to an end to improve service delivery. This is attributed to the fact that there are still some hindrances to the implementation and application of e-governance in the five countries discussed. Such include the widespread prevalence of digital divides. Despite this, the overall implication for the use of ICTs in governance can be of some benefit in enhancing the requirements of good governance. With the rapid advancement of ICTs and continuous nascent nature of e-governance, the progress the countries discussed have made shows that the implementation and application of e-governance is and will be a continuous process. As a result, the state of e-governance may therefore improve. (1) Grindle, M.S. 1997. Getting Good Government: Capacity Building in the Public Sectors of Developing Countries. Harvard University Press: Harvard Institute for International Development. p.5. / Thesis (M.Soc.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2010.

This study was based on the findings of an evaluation of the implementation of construction learnerships in the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP). The learnership programme in the EPWP (or Contractor Learnership Programme) forms construction firms which include one learner contractor and two site supervisors. The research focused on the eThekwini Vuk’uphile I Learnership Programme. This was aimed at developing sustainable emerging contractors and job creation. The overall purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of the implementation of the eThekwini Vuk’uphile I Learnerships Programme. A survey design was used for this research, using questionnaires to gather data and which sought both quantitative and qualitative (or triangulation) information from the sample in order to bring out views from a variety of key stakeholders. The research found positive results reflecting well on the training providers involved in the implementation of the eThekwini Vuk’uphile I. The programme reached three-quarters of the target populations who were youths, women and historically disadvantaged. The local newspapers were the most effective source of knowledge about the existence of the eThekwini Vuk’uphile I Programme. Finally, the study found that the overall implementation was successful. This is because the contractors were able to sustain their firms beyond the learnership programme. However, as a pilot project, eThekwini Vuk’uphile I experienced considerable challenges. The main problems concerning the implementation were availability of suitable projects in time, commitment and buy-in of stakeholders, mentors in short supply, and learner contractor/ learner supervisor disputes on profits. The findings suggest that these problems need to be dealt with by (1) refining recruitment and selection, (2) involving key stakeholders during the planning stage, (3) identifying projects prior learnership implementation, (4) improving the adversarial relationship between contractors and supervisors, and (5) designing and implementing monitoring and evaluation framework. / Thesis (M.Soc.Sc) - University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2009.

This study aimed to critically analyze the purposes and uses of Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) within NGOs. It proceeded from the criticisms often levelled against M&E with regards to its relevance and its numerous failures. Moreover, if development programme interventions are already justified through useful services rendered to beneficiaries, what impact does development assistance projects like M&E have in the lives of individual beneficiaries of these programmes, especially considering the fact that significant resources and time are expended on M&E? Prompted by this question, the study investigated the strengths and challenges experienced by NGOs in using M&E in programme implementation. Given the numerous and diverse definitions of M&E and its diversity in practice among organizations, it was necessary to carry out the investigation through a case study; using a qualitative research method. The Centre for Criminal Justice (CCJ) was chosen for the case-study, given its history of the use of M&E in its outreach programme implementation. A semi-structured interview was used to gather data from a sample of seven members of the organization from different levels, ranging from management, the evaluator, head office staff and implementation staff who are either directly or indirectly involved in a vital way in the M&E process. This was to solicit diverse and in-depth responses from different perspectives on the purposes and uses of M&E within the organization. Findings revealed that the organization has institutionalized a well-structured, top-down and ongoing monitoring process to gather data daily from the services provided by the implementation staff. It also boasts an ongoing M&E system that follows the three-year cycle of the programme. This is besides other M&E related research carried out in the organization. The study found that some of those involved in the M&E process within CCJ have little or no understanding of the role of M&E within the organization. The implementation staff, for instance, who gather routine monitoring data, were found not to understand the full significance of their services to the M&E and development process as a whole. Beneficiaries were found not to understand the role of M&E within the organization and the impact it has on the services which they receive. The implications of such lack of knowledge to the development process is based on the assertion that the ‘objectives of social development programmes should be to help the indigenous communities or underprivileged groups (such as women, landless labourers, ...) develop the organizational capacity and knowledge needed to identify and satisfy their own needs’ (Valadez & Bamberger 1994: 9). In other words, if their participation should have more relevant outcomes, they need to be aware of what they are engaged in. This is a precondition for sustainable development and ownership of the development process. When this is lacking, there can be resistance or poor participation in the process and the threat of paternalism. The dilemma is that M&E is very technical.

The advent of democracy in South Africa has opened up a window of opportunity for issues or social ills to be brought forward to the attention of policy makers. South Africa is faced with a high number of unemployed graduates and one factor attributable to this is their lack of experiential training which is a requisite for entering the highly competitive labour market making it difficult for them to access employment. The government, in one attempt to address this policy issue, adopted internships as a remedial initiative in 2002. The youth make up a very high percentage of the South African population and therefore it is detrimental to the country if this high percentage of the population remains unlinked to the economy. It is now imperative also to understand that the assembling of what seems a good corrective measure of an issue does not guarantee success. The reality in South Africa indicates that there is a major problem around the implementation of policies and programmes by government. The implementation phase of the internship programme plays a very crucial part in ensuring an effective delivery of programme benefits, thus the importance of continuously evaluating implementation processes in implementing departments like the Department of Public Service and Administration. The findings of the study reveal that there are flaws in the implementation of the Internship Programme in the DPSA, relating to access strategy, the target population and the relevance of on the job training provided to interns. / Thesis (M.Soc.Sci.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2010.

This research focuses on the challenges of policy implementation. Specifically, the research identifies the challenges that ABET Centre Managers encounter when trying to implement the ABET Policy in the Pinetown Education District of KwaZulu-Natal. The research identifies inadequacy of key resources such as finances, teaching material, time factor as well as lack of commitment and political will from the Department of Education in the Province of KwaZulu-Natal as the major challenges impeding effective implementation of the ABET Policy. In addition, the complexity and dynamic nature of the policy implementation process is delineated. By using Lipsky’s theory of street-level bureaucracy as a framework, the researcher argues that, ABET Centre Managers, despite the multifaceted problems that they encounter, use their discretionary power and autonomy to find ways to perform their functions. In this respect, the Centre Managers use their discretion and autonomy to assist learners, not to further their own self interests. Furthermore, the findings of this study seem to authenticate Lipsky’s theory of street-level bureaucracy which takes into account the critical role played by street-level bureaucrats in policy implementation. As such, the researcher argues that the experiences and suggestions of Centre Managers who are the key implementers of the ABET Policy can provide vital information for the further development of the ABET Policy in South Africa. In the final analysis, the research hinges on one of Lipsky’s key argument that, the rational top-down model to policy implementation is inadequate to achieve effective policy implementation, but that the actions and decisions of street-level bureaucrats (in this case, the ABET Centre Managers in the Pinetown Education District), bear consequences for the policy’s intended beneficiaries, the illiterate people. / Thesis (M.Soc.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2011.

This research paper looked at a war room as a decentralized space for change through which public participation is to be enhanced and service delivery accelerated at a ward level. The Lunerburg community demarcated as ward one under eDumbe Local Municipality was used as a case study. The eDumbe Local Municipality falls under Zululand District Municipality located in the northern part of KwaZulu-Natal. Since the take-off of democracy in South Africa, national government has put programmes in place to fight the acceleration of poverty and attend to the backlogs of service delivery. Provincial government are always mandated to implement national programmes or improvised according to the needs of their provinces. In the province of KwaZulu-Natal, the former Premier Zweli Mkhize launched war rooms as a provincial strategy derived from the national war on poverty campaign (announced by former president Thabo Mbeki during the State of the Nation Address, 2008) in the attempt to create decentralized spaces for change through which public participation is to be enhanced to achieve accelerated service delivery at a ward level. The other significance of the strategy is that it takes provincial government to local municipality wards in a collaborative manner. It is also important to note that the use of war rooms in the attempt to enhance public participation and service delivery is not understood and accepted by many people. Currently there are discussions held by the KZN office of the Premier in collaboration with sector departments as well civil societies in the attempt to give war rooms a relevant name. Literature on public participation, decentralization as well as on good governance supported by various diagrams and tables was used to argue in support that citizen’s voices should be integrated in development plans that affect them directly. The study was empirical, employed qualitative methodologies and used triangulated means to collect the data. Content analysis was used to analyse the collected data. The focus of the research was to investigate the extent through which, war rooms as decentralized spaces for change, serve as a unique mechanism to achieve public participation at a ward level in respect to currently existing strategies at a ward level. The study intended to also highlight mechanisms that are used by the war room as well to diagnose the support that the war room is receiving from other government departments. Study findings revealed that the Lunerburg war room executive committee members still lack proper training in relation to their roles and responsibilities within the war room. Members of the Lunerburg community didn’t know where the war room is located and what it does at a ward level. It was also discovered that the Lunerburg war room is not resourced to enhance public participation and accelerate service delivery on its own. Operations of the Lunerburg war room enable community members as beneficiaries of the war room to remain passive participants rather than active participants in the decisions that affect them directly. / Thesis (M.Soc.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2014.

This research project aims to explore the implementation process of the low cost housing policy, over the period from 1994 to 2001 in the, Msunduzi Municipality area. There are problems with the implementation of the housing policy by local government and this is causing delays in the delivery of the low cost housing for the poor. The findings of this research project will show that these problems have many sources. These include: firstly, the funding and the budget allocated for the housing projects. Secondly, the interference of the provincial government and the power play to control the housing policy. Thirdly, the uniformity of the houses in the projects; these houses can be related to the social and township houses of the late apartheid era. The housing policy in Msunduzi is facing many problems in the implementation stages. In order to identify the problems one must first find out what makes a problem free and an efficient policy. The information provided in the background study was gathered from a collection of sources, namely, journal articles, newspaper articles and government papers including the housing White Paper. A major part of the information gathered was through interviews conducted with a handful of members of the housing sector in the Msunduzi area. My interviews were conducted with a member of the Msunduzi Housing Association, a member of the National Home Builders Registration Council, and three members of the local Department of Housing. These interviews have allowed me to analysis the situation in Msunduzi area and come up with certain conclusions, as seen in the final report. / Thesis (M.Soc.Sc.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2003.