Public service delivery in South Africa: The political influence at local government level

• Date: 01 November 2019
• Author: Mfundo Mandla Masuku,Nokukhanya Noqiniselo Jili
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1002/pa.1935
• Published date: 01 November 2019

ACADEMIC PAPER

Public service delivery in South Africa: The political influence at

local government level

Mfundo Mandla Masuku

1

|Nokukhanya Noqiniselo Jili

2

1

Department of Development Studies, North

West University, Mahikeng, South Africa

2

Department of Public Administration,

University of Zululand, KwaDlangezwa, South

Africa

Correspondence

Mfundo Mandla Masuku, Department of

Development Studies, North West University,

Mahikeng, South Africa.

Email: masuku.masuku@nwu.ac.za

Present Address

Mfundo Mandla Masuku, Department of

Development Studies, University of

Mpumalanga, South Africa

This paper analyses poor service delivery at local government level, which is

attributed to the politicisation of administrative components in municipalities,

resulting in poor local governance. The public service delivery system has been

perceived as one of the most important ways of reducing poverty through poverty

alleviation programmes. As part of the South African government's cooperative

system, key stakeholders in municipalities ought to adopt an integrated approach to

public service delivery. An integrated approach to public service delivery demands

that local municipalities, together with relevant stakeholders, integrate processes

and services to ensure effective and efficient service delivery. This ultimately will

result in an improved standard of living and sustainable livelihood for communities.

With regard to public service delivery, local municipalities have the obligation of

creating income opportunities people, especially the poor, with the sole aim of

contributing towards poverty reduction and the realisation of the expectations of

people, as stated in the South African government's White Paper of transforming

public service delivery. The political interface in local municipalities greatly affects

effective and efficient administration, as well as growth opportunities. Administra-

tors, therefore, have the important function of ensuring that explicit assignments of

objectives and administrative functions are wholly separated from the policymaking

activities of government. This paper, therefore, suggests that municipalities adopt

the merit system and abandon the spoils system that is highly characterised by

political favours and political interferences. Political favours and interferences are

dominant in local South African government, and they hinder the process of pro-

viding services equally.

1|INTRODUCTION

Internationally, local government is regarded as the sphere of govern-

ment that should provide the immediate necessary intervention in

terms of provision of services because it is a sphere that is closer to

the community. This paper argues that poor service delivery at a local

government level is attributed to the politicisation of administrative

components in municipalities, resultant of poor local governance. A

number of persisting service delivery challenges, which include gover-

nance problems and backlogs, have been identified in South African

municipalities over a number of years (Department of Cooperative

Governance and Traditional Affairs, 2009; Koma, 2010; Chitiga‐

Mabugu & Monkam, 2013).

This paper attests that the concept of service delivery is

more popular at an elemental level where local government is

mandated to render basic communal needs and services that will

improve the quality of life and enhance the livelihoods of

people. Service delivery in South Africa is often marred by

financial irregularities, corruption, and maladministration. Violent

service delivery protests are caused by the high levels of

Received: 31 January 2019 Accepted: 23 February 2019

DOI: 10.1002/pa.1935

J Public Affairs. 2019; :e1935.

https://doi.org/10.1002/pa.1935

© 2019 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/pa 1of719