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Item International relations and local governance in South Africa: The case of the City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality.(Tshwane University of Technology, 2019-06-02) Molepo, John Ntshaupe; Prof MH Maserumule; Dr RM MukonzaThe study has been conducted to assist municipalities in South Africa, particularly the City of Tshwane, in international relations with regard to the establishment of relations with cities outside the country and the monitoring of agreements that the city has with other cities. The study was undertaken to gain deeper insight into the challenges that the City of Tshwane faces in international relations and local government. The study also aimed at proposing a model to addressing how international relations in local governance can be enhanced within the South African context. The study employed an interpretivist research paradigm, and qualitative research and its designs. The study adopted interviews as a method of collecting data. Unstructured interviews were used. Nonprobability sampling was employed using purposive sampling. Participants in the study included officials of the City of Tshwane, experts in international relations, parliamentarians and mayors. Content and thematic analysis regarding international relations and local governance are located in the theories of international relations and local of the key findings of the study include lack of capacity (technical and expertise) in the municipality, lack of communication/interaction among spheres of government, lack of monitoring mechanism of agreements, political intrusion in administration, and change of political leadership. One of the objectives of the study was to propose solutions to how international relations in local governance can be enhanced. Some of the recommendations include the need for the City of Tshwane and other municipalities to enter into agreements with other cities to enhance their skills and technical expertise. The economic growth of the city depends on the investments from outside the country, hence the need for the city to have relations with foreign cities. The study proposes a model to address problems with regard to municipal international relations in the City of Tshwane. The study also proposes further research, particularly on issues of international relations and local governance.Item The role of mainstraem commercial newspapers in deepening democracy in South Africa's local sphere of government.(Tshwane University of Technology, 2023-07-27) Kaunda, Teresa Lucky Lakela; Dr R.M. Mukonza; Prof. M.H. MaserumuleThe White Paper on Local Government (SA, 1998) describes local government as the sphere of government with the closest interaction with communities. The sphere has the responsibility to create an environment for efficient and effective delivery of services, such as electricity, access to potable water, proper sanitation and waste removal (Madumo, 2015), which are services that most directly affect people’s day-today lives (Sikander, 2015). Local government was selected for this study given its importance as the sphere closest to the people, with a critical role to play in service delivery. The sphere also bears scrutiny on account of the shortcomings in governance, administration and financial management which hinder the delivery of services in many municipalities, as outlined in the annual municipal financial audit reports of the Auditor-General of South Africa. For example, the 2020/21 Municipal Audit Report described the local government sphere as characterised by accountability and service delivery failures, poor governance, weak institutional capacity and instability (AGSA, 2023) The study was multidisciplinary. It was located in the field of public affairs with a strong focus on local government, politics and media studies. Public affairs is defined as a multidisciplinary field that covers a variety of topics related to public interest such as social science, economics, psychology, political science, sociology and research that has public policy implications (Zuo, 2019). The study explored the status accorded to the local government sphere in mainstream commercial newspapers and the model utilised to report on local government. In particular, the study probed the extent to which the newspapers prioritised local government coverage through assigning fulltime reporters to local government. The developmental state framework as well as the libertarian press theory and development communication paradigm formed the backdrop of the study. The National Development Plan (NDP, 2012) outlines South Africa’s vision to build a developmental state which promotes accountability and the participation of the citizens in governance and matters affecting their lives. The libertarian press theory calls for a free, privately owned, profit-driven press which is independent of government and acts as watchdog that keeps those in authority in check (Siebert, Peterson & Schramm, 1956). The developmental communication framework links communication with development and emphasises the need to provide information to the poor and marginalised to improve their lives (Quebral, 2011). The qualitative research method was used and the techniques employed were semi-structured interviews and questionnaires, as well as in-depth perusal of existing data in the media and local government fields. The primary research question that the study sought to answer was the role played by mainstream commercial newspapers in South Africa in deepening democracy through the coverage of local government and the model best suited for the press to play this role. The study also probed the extent to which national government supported local government communication efforts. A purposive sample selected for the study was 29 participants – 23 from the print media and six from government. In total, 19 out of 29 participated in the study, from both government and the media, making it a 65% response rate. The media sample comprised editors as well as representatives of media institutions. Twenty editors were selected from mainstream daily and Sunday commercial newspapers owned by the country’s Big Four media groups – Independent News and Media, Arena Holdings, Media24 and Caxton CTP. The media sample also included media organisations, namely the South African National Editors Forum (SANEF), whose membership consists of editors, senior journalists and media trainers, as well as Print and Digital Media SA (PMDSA) whose members are the owners and publishers of newspapers and magazines. The government sample comprised representatives of two government departments and one statutory body. These were the Government Communication and Information System (GCIS), the Ministry of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) and the South African Local Government Association (SALGA). The departments were selected given their responsibility for local government policy, operations or coordination. The municipalities selected were Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality, the City of Cape Town Metropolitan Municipality and Umngeni Local Municipality – two metropolitan municipalities in media centres and one small local municipality. Manual open coding was done and the data were read and processed line by line. The thematic analysis technique was utilised to identify themes following the coding of the data. The study found that the press contributed meaningfully to deepening democracy through performing a watchdog role. It exposed corruption, maladministration, weaknesses in service delivery and any form of wrongdoing in municipalities. However, it was also established that local government was not prioritised as a special subject or beat like other focus areas such as politics, business or sports. The majority of newspapers did not have reporters that covered local government exclusively. Only two out of the 10 newspapers that participated in the study had journalists reporting exclusively on local government. Other newspapers assigned general or political reporters to do local government stories, as an additional task. The study found that there was a strained relationship between municipal communicators and journalists covering local government. The study proposed a new model for the coverage of local government, the Media Watchdog and Development Model. The model elevates local government to a specialised subject area in commercial newspapers. Fulltime specialist reporters should be appointed and located in the political news department dedicated to the fulltime reporting of the sphere given its importance. The model also proposes a new conceptual framework, an expansion of the dominant libertarian press watchdog model to include development communication aspects. This entails the retention of the media watchdog role but with a concerted effort to also cover developmental stories that affect the lives of the poor in townships, informal settlements and villages, without looking at profits. It is recommended that local government communication be elevated to a strategic level within government and that there should be regular engagement between government and the media to improve relations and promote mutual understanding.Item The ecology of civil society in post-apartheid South Africa.(Tshwane University of Technology, 2023-05-01) Mampane, Peter Motwa; Prof R.M Mukonza; Prof MH MaserumuleBunbongkarin (2001) posits that one of the often-raised questions concerning democratization and democratic consolidation is whether elites or the public make and consolidate democracy. While the role of the elites has been well documented in the history of most societies, as the torchbearers of intellectual thought and as the creators of democracy and its institutions, the contribution of civil society as the representative of a significant number of the people, cannot be overlooked. The sector plays an intermediate role between the state and the citizens and as such contributes to good governance. The characteristics of good governance, i.e., state capacity, accountability, responsiveness and transparency, among others, reflect the need for the state and civil society to work together to consolidate democratic institutions. According to Arliff and Sarjoon (undated) civil society has two main functions, namely: precautionary role against the state to balance, reconstruct and democratize it and also to expand liberty and equality in societies. The study provides a background of the historical evolution of civil society organizations in the context of South Africa particularly since the advent of democracy in 1994. An introductory study of literature, both historical and contemporary on the concept of civil society, the evolution of civil society movements in South Africa and other regions of the world, the legislative and regulatory framework that informs civil society are some of the pertinent areas the research looked at. The importance of civil society as a social partner in enabling the state to deliver on its service delivery mandate and in the same vein as a watchdog created to hold government accountable are areas that form a fundamental feature of the study. The study is non empirical in nature, an approach which typically involves reflection, personal observation, and an extensive document study. This type of study is as much valuable for knowledge acquisition as that employing empirical data. Relevant empirical information in this regard was established through non-sampling methods, which can withstand scientific scrutiny. This includes among others, accessing research databases, legislative documents, conference reports and other available data in both print and electronic media. The main objective of his study was to investigate the role and influence of civil society movements since the advent of democracy in South Africa in 1994. Concomitant with this main objective included focus on the following objectives: to contribute to the enhancement of literature and construction and production of new knowledge on civil society movements in the current socio-economic and political milieu, to make a comparative analysis/historical profiling of the role of civil society movements in different phases of the evolution of the state in South Africa, to ascertain whether funding has contributed in improving and enhancing democracy in South Africa and to make findings as to why civil society movements have now mainly changed their focus to the public interest litigation route rather than mass mobilization approach as was mainly the case in the past. The study utilized the case study approach. In case study research, the researcher adopts an approach of selecting a subject which becomes a product of inquiry or the object of the study. The subject selected should be able to assist in providing detailed understanding to the phenomena being studied or alternatively enhance future research or the phenomena in question (Cresswell et al., 2007). The focus was on four civil society organizations which are Equal Education, AfriForum, South African Democratic Teachers Union and the South African Council of Churches. This was done in an attempt to examine their contribution, establish their footprint and make meaning of their contribution to the deepening and consolidation of democracy in South Africa. The study’s main thrust was to analyze civil society and democracy in post-apartheid South Africa and to assess the role, impact and contribution that the sector has made (and continues to make) since the dawn of democracy. This is what the study sought to contribute to the body of knowledge. To that end, the researcher developed a model that is congruent with the study as a form of scholarly contribution on the sector going forward. This model referred to as the State-Civil-society partnership model seeks to highlight the importance of partnerships and collaboration between civil society organizations themselves and among the sector, government, labour and the private sector as important social partners in approaching the challenges faced by the post-apartheid state. Considering that the problems are structural, historical and enmeshed in the entrenched role of South Africa as a global political player which attracts millions of immigrants to these shores, it therefore stands to reason that a multi thronged approach is required in approaching these massive problems. It is in that context that the study developed the partnership model as part of the solution to the challenges and problems confronting the post-apartheid stateItem Towards innovative recruitment and selection processes as a key factor in leveraging performance: A case of Eastern Cape Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs.(Tshwane University of Technology, 2022-06-01) Makgopela, Phillemon Sepuru; Prof. M.S. Binza; Dr M.C. MalekaGovernment departments in all spheres have generally been overwhelmed by claims of poor service delivery, poor organisational performance, poor recruitment and selection processes, and urgent demands for innovation. As a result, the government has now embarked on meritorious innovations, including the use of science and technology, to manage the recruitment process in order to improve organisational performance and the quality and efficiency of service delivery. The main objective of this study is to identify any possible innovative selection and recruitment initiatives or lack thereof in the Eastern Cape Provincial Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (ECCOGTA) and develop an innovative conceptual framework that depicts a causal relationship between innovative recruitment and selection approaches and improved organisational performance across the public sector. The study embraced pragmatism as a research paradigm utilising a mixed-methodological design for the purpose of strengthening the research findings and for the provision of adequate validation by means of both deductive and inductive research methods. The study adopted the use of interviews and questionnaires as methods of collecting data. A semi-structured face-to-face interview schedule was used. To obtain the relevant data, non-probability sampling entailing the application of judgemental sampling was used to draw and interview personnel at the ECCOGTA offices. Some of the key findings of the study indicate that there is a positive and significant relationship between innovative recruitment and selection and the performance of organisations. In addition, innovative recruitment and selection have a positive effect on customer satisfaction. If the best candidates are recruited and perform well, it is reflected in the satisfaction of clients and customers who will continue to use the services of the organisation, leading to improved organisational performance. The study makes some recommendations that since the proposed framework was premised on research conducted at the ECCOGTA, a provincial government department, it would be interesting to what the outcome would be if the framework was to be applied in different public sector organisations. As such the proposed framework may be enhanced based on the insights gained from different organisational context. The proposed conceptual framework for innovative recruitment and selection approaches to improve organisational performance is a significant contribution to the science of public affairs, administration management and the human resource management discourse in general. The study also proposed further research to validate the relevance, applicability and adequacy of this framework and to yield new insights and avenues of knowledge especially if the framework is tested in various empirical settings.Item An evaluation of water supply to selected rural communities in the Polokwane Local Municipality.(Tshwane University of Technology, 2019-06-01) Moloto, Phuthi Ignatius; Prof K.B. Moeti; Dr R.M .MukonzaThe purpose of the study was to evaluate water supply to selected rural communities in the Polokwane Local Municipality with specific reference to Matlou and Letsokoane residents. The study investigated major constraints faced by the Municipality in supplying water to the two affected residents. A mixed method approach was used for the study combining structured questionnaires and open –ended interviews. The method allowed for both qualitative and quantitative analysis to be done and draw conclusions from the respondents. The findings of the study have showed that there is poor water supply to Matlou and Letsokoane residents by the Polokwane Local Municipality. Amongst contribution factors the increase in population growth in that area is a major problem, as well as residents tampering with infrastacture, theft and no intervention by political representatives when there is no water. It is therefore, suggested that when the Municipality starts developing rural areas in terms of water supply, their starting point should be at Matlou as their external water source is not at the prescribed maximum distance of 200m away from each household which is supposed to be. Water supply value chain model has been proposed emanating from the findings of the research study to be implemented by the Polokwane Local Municipality to curb the problem of water crisis to the rural communities. The driving force to proposed a model is based on lack of basic water supply to the two affected residents. The study model provide management of a relationship between the principal process owner which is the Polokwane Local Municipality and the service provider being Lepelle Northen Water and demarcate responsibilities , accountability as well as line of reporting for the acceleration of water supply to the local municipality. The Polokwane Local municipality would provide the relevant specifications to the service provider to ensure that agency theory is not applied on an open mandate which can be open to abuse by the service provider.Item A research and development model for planning and development in South Africa’s provincial administration: A case of selected provinces.(Tshwane University of Technology, 2023-07-01) Mokgokong, Madikana Jackinah; Prof M.H Maserumule; Prof R.M MukonzaScholars hold a well-established view that Research and Development (R&D) is a strategic tool to accelerate and catalyze government planning and development globally. Hence, countries such as Germany, Japan, China, Belgium, Singapore and the United Kingdom continue to rely on R&D for evidence-based planning and socio-economic development. However, even with the abundance of this evidence, most provincial administrations in South Africa still find it difficult to utilize empirical evidence for planning and development. It is against this background that the study looked comparatively at the Limpopo, Gauteng and Northwest provincial administrations. The interconnectedness between R&D, planning and development within the South African provincial administration space was investigated by probing the selected provincial planning and development approaches used by these provinces. The study also tackled the discourse of R&D investment and funding in these provincial administrations in South Africa. The theoretical frameworks underpinning the study are the New Public Management Theory and the Public Management Reform Theory. The study employed a qualitative research method underpinned by a case study research design in order to allow the researcher to comparatively analyse the studied phenomenon in the three selected provinces of Limpopo, Gauteng and Northwest. Additionally, the provinces were purposively selected based on their provincial performances in planning and development. A pilot study was conducted to pre-test the validity and relevancy of the data collection instrument; whereas a full-scale study was later conducted and targeted 22 key informants in the offices of the premier precisely because these offices are the coordinators of planning and development in provinces. The universities of Limpopo, Venda, Northwest and South Africa were included in the study and the representatives of provincial research forums in Limpopo and Northwest Provinces were also probed. The primary data was collected using interviews; secondary data was obtained from reviewed literature and government documents. Data was analysed using a thematic analysis through ATLAS.ti. The empirical evidence revealed a dearth of reliance on research and development in Limpopo and Northwest Provinces and an underutilization of R&D in Gauteng Province. A key finding of the study revealed that the deeply rooted challenge associated with utilizing R&D for planning and development purposes is that it is viewed not as a priority but as an afterthought, especially in Limpopo and Northwest. In Gauteng strides have been made in the investment and funding of R&D, although improvements are needed. There is also a gap between theory, as in what is contemplated theoretically, and policy and practice, as in what is needed on the ground as far R&D funding and investment are concerned. The study proposes an R&D model for planning and development in South Africa’s provincial administration. The model identifies and suggests critical factors needed to influence the role of research and development in government’s planning and development. These factors are twofold—internal and external. The internal factors are those that are specifically directed to government as the key role player and the coordinator of planning and development, particularly the offices of the premier due to their strategic roles in provincial administrations. The external factors refer to those that lie outside public administration or government and relate to external institutions, which in this context are the academia/universities, civil society and the private sector. These factors will enable the government to function better and together with these key role players it can successfully execute its mandate of improving the lives of the citizenry and transforming society. Additionally, this model will contribute to the policy landscape in South Africa since its findings and recommendations can be extrapolated to other provinces. The study will also contribute to the body of knowledge on R&D by closing the knowledge gap between the studied phenomenon and its relevance at provincial and local levels.