Thesis (DPhil)--University of Stellenbosch, 2005. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: South African local government literature suggests a historical problem of
municipal non-consultation in services identification and provision that goes
hand-in-hand with community non-participation in municipal activities,
coupled by a ‘culture of non-payment’ for these services. This research, which
was conducted between 2002 and 2005 in the city of Johannesburg
municipality, had the central purpose of ascertaining the manner and ways
in which the city of Johannesburg provides its basic services to the Soweto
communities and, in turn, of understanding if communities participate in
municipal activities and hold possible attitudes of non-payment for municipal
services. In order to attain the research purpose, six research questions were
identified through local government theories and literature and advanced.
The first set of four questions was aimed at the Soweto communities: How
affordable are the basic municipal services to the Soweto communities? What
are community’s perceptions of the importance of the various municipal
services? Are the communities participating in the services identification and
provision? How satisfied are the communities with the service delivery? The
second set of two questions was aimed at service providers or the municipal
services managers and councillors: What methods does the municipality use
in identifying and delivering service? What does the municipality perceive to
be their application and enforcement of service quality management
standards?
The original methodological intent was to interview the Soweto communities
and the city of Johannesburg municipal services managers and councillors.
200 Soweto households were indeed interviewed from the eight townships of
Chiawelo, Diepkloof, Dobsonville, Dube, Jabulani, Meadowlands, Naledi and
Orlando, which were randomly selected. The survey amongst the heads of
these 200 households was followed by four focus group meetings at Chiawelo, Dobsonville, Dube and Meadowlands and between five and eleven households
participated in the discussions in clarifying survey outcomes. It was only
possible, however, to interview three service managers from the city of
Johannesburg services utilities Pikitup, Johannesburg Water and the
Contract Management Unit.
Frustrated attempts to interview municipal councillors in the city of
Johannesburg led to obtaining permission for proxy interviews from the MEC
of Local Government and Traffic Safety in Mpumalanga municipalities of
Govan Mbeki and Emalahleni and the inclusion of the KwaZulu-Natal
municipality of Emnambithi. The usage of proxy interviews is thought to be
relevant since the perceptions on service provision relate to the application
and implementation of the uniform countrywide local government structures
and systems. A total of 24 interviews were conducted with the Mpumalanga
MEC, the city of Johannesburg service managers (3), councillors (9) and
senior municipal administrators (11). In order to confirm or repudiate service
provider findings from the Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal municipalities,
supplementary interviews were held with persons knowledgeable about
service delivery in Soweto between 2002 and 2005. A total of four additional
interviews were thus conducted.
In the analysis of the community survey data, townships were classified as
well-off and worse-off on the basis of household incomes and thus
participation in municipal activities, payment of services and other attitudes
were compared between the two strata. The findings of the research reveal
low levels of ability to pay for municipal services by communities in terms of
household incomes. However, the household possessions of the living
standard measurement (LSM) utilities indicated otherwise. The use of
income as a measure of affordability to pay is suspect in methodological
reliability; hence income related findings should be interpreted with caution.
The worse-off townships preferred state provision of the basic municipal services. There was less inclination to participate in municipal structures
such as ward committees and Integrated Development Plans (IDP) processes
by the well-off townships, although they were the least satisfied with service
provision and municipal performance.
The city of Johannesburg municipality was found to be addressing service
backlogs as a method for service identification and prioritisation. The
municipality has semi-privatised basic municipal services such as water,
electricity and garbage collection through section 21 companies in order to
overcome service provision inefficiencies and ineffectiveness. This has
devastating effects in terms of the community’s inability to pay, leading to
services disconnection. Communities in general, however, believed that
service provision has improved through these utilities even though the
municipality has not finalised its performance management contracts with
the utilities.
Whereas the service provider interviews were conducted in Mpumalanga and
KwaZulu-Natal, additional telephone interviews with service provision
experts for Soweto agreed that municipal challenges throughout the country
are generally the same since they operate within relatively new policy
frameworks. It is acknowledged, however, that metropolitan municipalities
and specifically the city of Johannesburg face some unique challenges too. It
is concluded that the central role of the local government as the custodian of
basic municipal services cannot be disputed; however, the inefficiencies and
ineffectiveness of the market forces require private-public partnerships. It
can also be concluded that non-participation is an outcome of, among other
things, poor participative capacity within communities, apathy, feelings of
distrust of both the municipal institutions and municipal councillors and the
lack of information regarding community obligations to municipal
institutions. The research recommends the use of similar service utilities in both
townships and former white suburban areas in order to overcome the
perceptions of the municipal services level disparities that are formed on the
basis of townships versus white suburban areas; an overhaul of the
municipality’s billing system to overcome its debt and service charges
collection problems; ward committee participation capacity improvement for
both the municipal councillors and communities and the development and
communication of clear guidelines on the roles of regional services
management centres.
Further research is recommended on, among other things, whether
privatisation of municipal services results in better access by all and
improves efficiency and payments, and on the functionality and effectiveness
of ward committees as vehicles for community participation and in
developing new and more reliable socio-economic modelling for assessing
community ability to pay for government services. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Uit ’n literatuuroorsig van plaaslike regering in Suid-Afrika het dit geblyk
dat daar ’n historiese probleem van nie-oorlegpleging by die identifisering en
lewering van dienste deur munisipaliteite bestaan. Hierdie probleem gaan
hand aan hand met niedeelname aan munisipale aktiwiteite deur
gemeenskappe en ’n kultuur van “geenbetaling” vir dienste gelewer. Die
hoofdoel van hierdie navorsing, wat tussen 2002 en 2005 in die stad
Johannesburg gedoen is, was om vas te stel hoe die stad se munisipaliteit
basiese dienste aan Soweto lewer en of daar enige gemeenskapsdeelname aan
aktiwiteite is en of gemeenskappe ’n geenbetaling-houding inneem. Om die
navorsingsdoel te bereik is ses vrae deur middel van literatuur en teorieë oor
plaaslike regering geïdentifiseer.
Die eerste vier vrae is gemik op gemeenskappe in Soweto: Hoe bekostigbaar
is die basiese munisipale dienste aan die gemeenskappe in Soweto? Wat is
die gemeenskap se mening oor die belangrikheid van die onderskeie
munisipale dienste? Het gemeenskappe deel aan die identifisering en
lewering van dienste? Hoe tevrede is die gemeenskappe met dienslewering?
Die laaste twee vrae is gemik op die diensleweraars of munisipaledienstebestuurders
en raadslede: Watter metodes gebruik die munisipaliteit om
dienste te identifiseer en te lewer? Wat beskou die munisipaliteit as op hulle
van toepassing sover dit die afdwingbaarheid van kwaliteitstandaarde in die
lewering van dienste en bestuur betref?
Oorspronklik was die doel om onderhoude te voer met gemeenskappe in
Soweto sowel as munisipaledienste-bestuurders en raadslede van
Johannesburg. Onderhoude met hoofde van 200 huishoudings in Soweto is
wel gevoer. Hierdie huishoudings is ewekansig uit Chiawelo, Diepkloof,
Dobsonville, Dube, Jabulani, Meadowlands, Naledi en Orlando gekies. Die
onderhoude is gevolg deur vier fokusgroepvergaderings te Chiawelo, Dobsonville, Dube en Meadowlands, en tussen vyf en elf huishoudings het
aan besprekings deelgeneem ten einde duidelikheid te verkry oor bevindinge
van die ondersoek. Dit was egter net moontlik om onderhoude met drie
dienstebestuurders van die stad Johannesburg te voer, naamlik Pikitup,
Johannesburg Water en die Kontrak Bestuursgroep.
Verskeie vrugtelose pogings om onderhoude met raadslede te bekom het
uiteindelik gelei tot die verkryging van toestemming vir plaasvervangende
onderhoude met die LUR vir die Plaaslike Regering sowel as
Verkeersveiligheid in die volgende munisipaliteite: Govan Mbeki en
Emalahleni in Mpumalanga en Emnambithi in KwaZulu-Natal. Hierdie
plaasvervangende onderhoude is as toepaslik beskou, aangesien die menings
oor dienslewering te doen het met die toepassing en implementering van die
uniforme landswye plaaslikeregering-strukture en -stelsels wat dus op
Soweto ook van toepassing is. ’n Totaal van 24 onderhoude is gevoer met die
Mpumalanga-LUR (1), die dienstebestuurders van die stad Johannesburg (3),
raadslede (9) en senior munisipale administrateurs (11). Om die bevindinge
van die Mpumulanga- en KwaZulu-Natal-munisipaliteite te bevestig of te
weerlê, is aanvullende onderhoude met persone wat kennis van
dienslewering in Soweto het tussen 2002 en 2005 gevoer. Altesaam vier
addisionele onderhoude is dus gevoer.
Tydens die ontleding van die gemeenskapsdata is gemeenskappe as gegoed of
minder gegoed geklassifiseer op grond van huishoudelike inkomste en dus is
deelname aan munisipale aktiwiteite, betaling vir dienste en ander
gesindhede tussen die twee strata vergelyk. Daar is bevind dat min mense
munisipale dienste kan bekostig in terme van huishoudelike inkomste, maar
dat huishoudelike besittings wat lewenstandaard bepaal op die
teenoorgestelde dui. Die gebruik van huishoudelike inkomste as ’n maatstaf
van die vermoë om te betaal is ’n aanvaarbare metode, maar moet tog met
omsigtigheid benader word. Die gemeenskap wat die slegste daaraan toe was, verkies dat die staat basiese munisipale dienste voorsien. ’n Laer geneigdheid
tot deelname aan munisipale strukture soos wykskomitees en geïntegreerde
ontwikkelingsplanne is by die meer gegoede gemeenskappe aangetref, hoewel
hulle die grootste ontevredenheid toon met dienslewering en munisipale
werkverrigting.
Daar is gevind dat die munisipaliteit van die stad Johannesburg die
agterstand in dienste aangespreek het as metode om dienste te identifiseer
en te prioritiseer. Om die probleem van oneffektiewe en ondoeltreffende
dienste te oorkom, maak die munisipaliteit gebruik van artikel 21-
maatskappye vir dienste soos water, elektrisiteit en vullisverwydering. Dit lei
tot die beëindiging van die dienste van gemeenskappe wat nie kan betaal nie.
Oor die algemeen is inwoners egter van mening dat dienste deur hierdie
maatskappye verbeter is, hoewel die munisipaliteit nog nie sy
prestasiebestuurkontrakte met hierdie maatskappye gefinaliseer het nie.
Terwyl die onderhoude met diensverskaffers in Mpumalanga en KwaZulu-
Natal gevoer is, is verdere telefoniese onderhoude met kundiges op die gebied
van dienslewering in Soweto gevoer. Laasgenoemde het saamgestem dat
munisipaliteite regoor die land oor die algemeen voor dieselfde uitdagings te
staan kom, omdat hulle binne relatief nuwe beleidsraamwerke funksioneer.
Daar word egter toegegee dat stedelike (metropolitaanse) munisipaliteite, en
spesifiek die stad Johannesburg, ook met sekere unieke uitdagings te kampe
het. Die gevolgtrekking waartoe gekom is, is dat die rol van plaaslike
regering as die toesighouer oor basiese munisipale dienste nie betwis kan
word nie, hoewel oneffektiwiteit en ondoeltreffendheid privaat vennootskappe
vereis. ’n Verdere gevolgtrekking is dat niedeelname onder andere ’n gevolg
is van ’n gebrek aan deelnemende kapasiteit binne gemeenskappe, apatie,
wantroue in munisipale instellings en raadslede, en ’n gebrek aan inligting
rakende gemeenskappe se verpligtinge jeens munisipale instellings. Die navorsing beveel aan dat gelyke dienste gelewer word in swart
gemeenskappe en in tradisioneel wit gemeenskappe ten einde die siening dat
daar onderskeid getref word, te verander. Daar behoort ook ’n hersiening van
die munisipaliteit se rekeningestelsel te wees ten einde die
skuldinvorderingsprobleme uit die weg te ruim. Deelnemende kapasiteit vir
raadslede en gemeenskappe binne wyke moet verbeter word. Duidelike
riglyne oor die rol van streeksdienstebestuursentrums moet ontwikkel en aan
gemeenskappe oorgedra word.
Verdere navorsing word aanbeveel om te bepaal of die privatisering van
dienste tot beter toegang vir almal sal lei en of dit doeltreffendheid en
betaling sal verbeter. Die funksionaliteit en effektiwiteit van wykskomitees
as meganisme vir gemeenskapsbetrokkenheid sowel as die ontwikkeling van
nuwe en meer betroubare sosio-ekonomiese modelle vir die bepaling van
gemeenskapsvermoë om vir dienste te betaal, behoort ook ondersoek te word.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:sun/oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/16519 |
| Date | 04 1900 |
| Creators | Netswera, Fulufhelo Godfrey |
| Contributors | Bekker, Simon B., University of Stellenbosch. Faculty of Arts and Social Science. Dept. of Sociology and Social Anthropology. |
| Publisher | Stellenbosch : University of Stellenbosch |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | en_ZA |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | xxi, 188 leaves : ill. |
| Rights | University of Stellenbosch |
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