This diploma thesis deals with the funding of the municipal investment projects. Its main objective is to evaluate how the way of funding the project influences the process of decision-making in a municipality. The first chapter describes theoretical preconditions for a case study with respect to the different types of municipal revenues, management of these funds and basic criteria that should be considered during the decision-making process. The costs and benefits of investment projects are briefly discussed as well. The second chapter looks closely at the revenues of the municipality Hluboš and the possibilities to use these funds to finance investment projects. The third chapter is then devoted to a concrete investment project of the municipality Hluboš and its funding. The realized interviews showed that the main reason for realization of the evaluated investment project was the existence of the grant and if the project had to be financed from other resources it would not have been realized at all. Based on this comparison, it is stated that the municipality did not consider the basic criteria in its decision-making.

Housing shortage is an on-going challenge young Swedes face when moving from home trying to get their own accommodation. The vast majority of municipalities have reported a housing shortage in last years housing market survey carried out by Boverket. This study seeks to find out how the housing supply for students in Umeå have developed during the last five years. To achieve this literature studies and statistics from mainly SCB (Statistics Sweden) have been used. Additionally, interviews with the municipality and companies on the housing market have been held to understand their point of view and how they work with the matter. The study shows that the mutual opinion from all parties is that the conditions for students housing supply is better today then five years ago. One of the reasons being the growth of the housing supply while the students themselves have remained at almost the same amount. Although the study suggests a better situation for the students it reveals another present challenge, how todays housing stock might be a mismatch with what students needs and wishes for in their dwellings.

This study explored the effects of the Skills Development Act 97 of 1998 on transforming municipal management training and development. The pre-1994 education and training was premised on the policy of separate development. This policy prevented the majority of the people, mainly blacks, from receiving adequate training and development. Resultantly, training and development in South Africa have assumed significance since the adoption of a constitutional democracy, especially at the local government sphere which constitutes the coalface of service delivery. Investment in human resources training and development at management level is imperative for institutions to gain strategic and operational advantage.Analysis and interpretation of data in this study were undertaken through official document analysis, interviews and structured questionnaires. The major findings of the study indicate that according to the first objective the majority of respondents are qualified as they possess higher education qualifications due to the assistance of the municipality, with nearly half currently involved in furthering their studies. As far as the second objective is concerned, the researcher found out that the majority disagree with the statement that opportunities are created to motivate employees to use the workplace as an active learning environment to acquire new skills. Further analysis and interpretation of data show that according to the third objective the majority of respondents do not undertake crucial management courses relevant to the workplace. Final data analysis and interpretation of the fourth objective reveal that the majority of respondents are not aware of the support and financial investment in education, training and development of municipal officials, due to aspects such as lack of consultation and transparency. / Public Administration and Management / M.Tech. (Public Management)

Municipality Solid Waste Management systems (MSWM) are large technical systems which involve many factors such as environments, technologies, people, businesses, politics, education, research, and also the sustainability aspects of the waste management systems. When these factors are amalgamated into a large system, MSWM turns to a very complicated phenomenon. These factors play different roles in MSWM, based on the type of the system. For instance, the type of MSWM utilized in Borås (A city in Sweden), requires people to contribute to the separation of waste materials at the source; i.e., where people live. This, in turn, leaves an important responsibility for people to take. The more responsible participation from the people, the better the system works. Although the system is equipped by the necessary technology to take of waste but its efficiency is properly relies on how people separate their wastes. However, people are not currently well educated to know what their genuine responsibilities are. As a result, it is argued that through public education, the main objectives of MSWM can be greatly enhanced in this city. / Uppsatsnivå: D

The purpose of the study was to investigate knowledge practices in Nkangala District Municipality (NDM), situated in the Mpumalanga Province, South Africa. The objective of the study was to discover NDM managers’ level of understanding participation and establish any challenges of knowledge sharing in NDM. This study employed qualitative research method. An interview guide was designed to collect data through in-depth interviews. To determine the number of participants for the interview, stratified and purposive sampling methods were used. The study established that there is little knowledge and understanding of the knowledge sharing concept by NDM managers, hence, it is not formally recognised by the institution. However, managers acknowledged that knowledge sharing could play a huge role in improving service delivery. The study recommends that NDM should consider introducing the knowledge sharing concept, through the establishment of a knowledge sharing section. A culture of knowledge sharing could be developed through the development of knowledge sharing policies, which should be aligned to the Integrated Development Planning (IDP) process of NDM. In addition, the study recommends an upgrade on the existing ICT infrastructure and internet connection, especially in rural municipalities. This will ensure that ICT fully supports knowledge sharing activities. The study suggested that an additional study is conducted to establish knowledge sharing practices among the lower level staff members of NDM. / Information Science / M.A.(Information Science)

Thesis (MPA.) -- University of Limpopo, 2017 / The purpose of the research was to examine if the implementation of customer care has any effect on service delivery at Thulamela Local Municipality. Specifically the study focused on four main aspects, namely:to determine the effects of implementing customer care to enhance service delivery at Thulamela Local Municipality; to analyse the effects of enhancing customer care through quality service delivery; to investigate mechanisms of improving customer care through public relations; to explore the effect of implementing Batho-Pele principles in promoting customer care. The study used qualitative interviews to collect data from respondents. The study revealed that there was a relationship between customer care and service delivery and where customer care prevailed service delivery improved. The findings also strongly indicated that through public relations and the implementation of Batho-Pele principles, customer care can be enhanced and consequently quality service delivery. The study recommended that tools and systems should be developed that would motivate municipal employees to implement customer care. Training of municipal employees with regard to customer care was also emphasized. It was further recommended that the leadership at Thulamela Local Municipality should be morally sound for subordinates to follow.

Thesis (MPA.) -- University of Limpopo, 2017 / The purpose of the research was to examine if the implementation of customer care has any effect on service delivery at Thulamela Local Municipality. Specifically the study focused on four main aspects, namely:to determine the effects of implementing customer care to enhance service delivery at Thulamela Local Municipality; to analyse the effects of enhancing customer care through quality service delivery; to investigate mechanisms of improving customer care through public relations; to explore the effect of implementing Batho-Pele principles in promoting customer care. The study used qualitative interviews to collect data from respondents. The study revealed that there was a relationship between customer care and service delivery and where customer care prevailed service delivery improved. The findings also strongly indicated that through public relations and the implementation of Batho-Pele principles, customer care can be enhanced and consequently quality service delivery. The study recommended that tools and systems should be developed that would motivate municipal employees to implement customer care. Training of municipal employees with regard to customer care was also emphasized. It was further recommended that the leadership at Thulamela Local Municipality should be morally sound for subordinates to follow.

Thesis (MPA.) -- University of Limpopo, 2018 / Road infrastructure is usually regarded as an economic backbone of the society. Local government has a responsibility to ensure that local roads are maintained in order to facilitate a movement of people, goods and services. The study was undertaken on the premise that local roads in Makhado Local Municipality are not promoting safety. That is, road infrastructure in this municipality is considered to be deteriorating. It is against this background that the researcher found it worthwhile to investigate critical challenges of maintaining road infrastructure in the Makhado Local Municipality focusing on the following towns, Makhado, Vuwani, Waterval and Dzanani only excluding unpaved communities and other small townships, namely Tshikota and Vleifontein. The objectives of the research were to determine the condition and effects of municipal road infrastructure within Makhado Local Municipality; to examine the legal framework governing the local municipality in the context of road infrastructure provision and maintenance as well as to recommend strategies to address challenges of road infrastructure within the municipality. The research employed both qualitative and qualitative in nature. A purposive research sampling approach was used to determine the inclusion of relevant respondents to the study. The research found out that the status of road infrastructure affect various people of different biographical background within the four towns of Makhado Local Municipality in a similar way. In the findings, the study highlight the fact that deteriorating roads conditions are often due to the following: a lack of professionals such as engineers to perform the necessary environmental scanning and identify problems in order to design the roads that suit the area, soil, landscape and climate and that other factors affecting the road infrastructure include corruption in procurement of road infrastructure projects; a lack of accountability of municipal officials; a lack or poor community involvement; and poor monitoring and maintenance of road projects. The study recommends that individuals with knowledge, expertise and skills be employed and further provide proper monitoring of the road projects.

Thesis (M.Dev.) --University of Limpopo, 2018 / Recent transformation in the new democratic South Africa has impacted negatively on the management of public libraries. Before 1994, public library services was the responsibility of the municipality. After 1994, the Provincial government was compelled to render the services. Most of the public libraries are still funded by their municipalities as unfunded mandate. The uncertainty about a clear definition of the relationship between municipalities and provincial library service impacts negatively on the management of public libraries in Limpopo Province. The study intended to investigate the impact of the management of public library towards community development in Molepo. The dynamic nature of the functions of management namely planning, organising, delegating, marketing, policy making and implementation were discussed in full to show the importance of leadership in the public library arena. In order to achieve intended objectives of the study, the researcher employed both qualitative and quantitative research designs. The researcher collected qualitative data through semi structured interviews while quantitative data was collected through questionnaires. Target population was librarians working in Molepo library and members of school management teams. The sample of the study comprised of fifty school management team and ten librarians. In order to achieve the objective of the study, the researcher has employed both random and stratified sampling to collect data from 60 participants. According to the findings, most of the people believed that the management should be transformed and innovate so as to achieve the intended objectives of the public library at Ga Molepo. Based on the findings, it is clear that the success of public library management towards community development in Ga Molepo depends solely on a visionary leader who has participatory and consultative style of leadership. In order to achieve the above process, all stakeholders should be consulted and involved towards the management of the public library. The study further recommended that the library management needs to adopt the latest business management strategies

Thesis (MPA) --University of Limpopo, 2013 / The study deals with the implementation of the Batho Pele principles in the Greater Tzaneen Local Municipality. Literature review was conducted as a secondary source of information and primary information was collected from a sample of 23 respondents. The study used qualitative (semi-structured questionnaire, observation and document analysis) in data collection and analysis. The findings revealed that the root causes of the challenges and the challenges themselves that the Greater Tzaneen Local Municipality is facing, are mainly internal and include the following: Low morale, budget constraints, lack of enforcement of the Batho Pele principles by both employees and their supervisors, poor employee attitudes, unwillingness to improve towards service delivery, lack of monthly and quarterly meetings where review of all programmes and projects is done. Instead review is done at the end of the year, shortage of human resource in the Community Services Directorate to effectively and efficiently implement systems, lack of sufficient performance incentives to reward those who perform well or exceed the set performance target or halo effect, focusing on the quantity of the end-product (output) rather than on the quality.