Municipal boundaries demarcations and ward delimitations—Impact on service delivery

• Date: 01 May 2019
• Published date: 01 May 2019
• Author: Modimowabarwa Kanyane
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1002/pa.1926

ACADEMIC PAPER

Municipal boundaries demarcations and ward delimitations—

Impact on service delivery

Modimowabarwa Kanyane

1,2

1

Democracy, Governance and Service

Delivery, Human Sciences Research Council,

Pretoria, South Africa

2

Department of Public Administration,

University of Fort Hare, Alice, South Africa

Correspondence

Modimowabarwa Kanyane, Democracy,

Governance and Service Delivery, Human

Sciences Research Council, Private Bag X41,

Pretoria 0001, South Africa.

Email: bkanyane@hsrc.ac.za

Ward delimitation is a call that demands interrogation. Issues of ward delimitation

and their impact on service delivery are critical. While reminiscing the past, good or

bad, the study warns the Municipal Demarcation Board, the authority in charge of

demarcation and delimitations of municipal boundaries and wards, to delimit wards

without inciting conflicts and violence. Employing multicase studies, the study follows

empirical analysis drawing examples from local, regional, and international orienta-

tions to arrive at scientific conclusions. The Board must not be seen as a springboard

for political embattlement but an instrument similar to institutions demanding

accountabilities to deepen democracy. This is possible if the Board ceases from

delimiting wards in preparations for local government elections.

1|INTRODUCTION

In line with the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa (1998),

the Local Government Municipal Demarcation Act (MDA; 1998) was

promulgated and subsequently amended. According to the Act, the

Municipal Demarcation Board (MDB) consists of not fewer than seven

and not more than 10 independent and relevantly qualified members

appointed by the President for a period of 5 years. The MDB is to

undertake the demarcation of local government boundaries and the

delimitation of ward boundaries. The scope is only limited to local

sphere of government. There are talks to broaden the mandate of

the board to include determinations of boundaries, demarcations,

and delimitation issues in all spheres of government, which is national,

provincial, and local.

Ward delimitation remains one of the contested emotive issue in

the democratic South Africa, and generally speaking, contestation is

something that current‐day South Africa does not appreciate or man-

age very well. The issues are complex. Public participation, influence

of political parties, public's perceptions of the identity and value of

belonging to one region as opposed another, service delivery, and gov-

ernance concerns, all are critical factors that must be taken into con-

sideration when demarcating municipal boundaries and delimiting

wards (IMESA, 2014, p. 64).

Municipal boundary demarcations and ward delimitations often

result in disputes especially in areas where there are traditional

leaders' presence. There are communities, for example, that prefer to

stay where they are and not to be moved elsewhere. Others

expressed a need to have their own municipalities. These pose a

potential conflict especially in traditional areas that are characterised

by sociocultural dynamics; hence, demarcations and delimitations in

those areas are a potential source of strife.

Against this backdrop, the participation of communities and stake-

holders in the demarcation and delimitation process is important to

ensure that the MDB considers all the different views people have

about boundaries demarcations and ward delimitations. Therefore, in

this study, issues of ward delimitation and how it impacts on service

delivery in respective municipalities and communities receive

attention.

2|LEGAL EXPOSITIONS

The demarcation and delimitation process is governed by three differ-

ent pieces of legislation that all relate to each other. These are the

Constitution of the Republic of South Africa (1998), the MDA (27 of

1998), and the Local Government Municipal Structures Act (MSA;

117 of 1998; Matebesi & Botes, 2011, p. 9). The MDA (1998; Act

27 of 1998), established the MDB. The MDB is an independent body

similar to Chapter 9 institutions established through the Constitution

of the Republic, supporting democracy though not embedded and

defined in the Constitution. When the Board determines a municipal

boundary, its objective must be to establish an area that would enable

Received: 4 February 2019 Accepted: 23 February 2019

DOI: 10.1002/pa.1926

J Public Affairs. 2019;19:e1926.

https://doi.org/10.1002/pa.1926

© 2019 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/pa 1of8