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Social Policy

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    An evaluation of the service delivery efficiency in uMkhanyakude District Municipality in South Africa between the periods of 1996 to 2011.
    (2023) Gwala, Nontokozo Noxolo.; Cebekhulu, Elias.
    This study is an evaluation of the delivery of services by South African municipalities, through a case study of uMkhanyakude District Municipality after nearly thirty years of democracy and taking into consideration all the inherent apartheid era challenges faced by rural and urban local municipalities. The literature review revealed that following the apartheid era, municipalities in South Africa experienced significant difficulties in providing top-notch services to residents from a variety of social, geographic, and economic backgrounds. In comparing these three municipalities in South Africa: uMkhanyakude (district), uMhlabuyalingana (rural), and uMtubatuba (urban), the data clearly shows that each had their difficulties, with the provision of water being the most serious problem due to the decision that municipal water services should be a competence of the district municipalities themselves. Jozini, False Bay, uMtubatuba, and uMhlabuyalingana are the municipalities that make up this district municipality. A thorough analysis of the literature from each of these municipalities shows that there is some form of service delivery taking place, with some services seeing slight improvement, while others are being severely impacted by service interruptions. The service delivery shortages or interruptions, corruption, political interference, and border crimes appeared to be major challenges in the area and this was evident from the literature, data, and the community responses during the data collection phase. Qualitative research methodologies were employed to collect data on the demographic profiles, and expert opinions garnered from the key informants. Municipal performance issues raised by the municipal officials confirmed that there was still a long way to go in resolving the audit findings, as well as the concerns and needs raised by the community members themselves. The inadequacies in the provision of services defeated the ‘A Better Life for All’ election slogan of the African National Congress and created unrealistic expectations following the elections, that the communities were going to receive adequate municipal services as promised. The findings revealed that the main problem with the South African service delivery model was with its top-down approach, where the national government alone determines the policy frameworks, mechanisms, and budgets, which hinders the voices of ordinary citizens from being heard. This is in direct opposition to the government’s stated goal of bringing government closer to the people through decentralization, which was designed to increase accountability and the responsiveness of government to its citizens by bringing decision-makers closer to the people.
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    Indigenous knowledge and participatory rural development in Mabheleni, Umzumbe Municipality, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.
    (2023) Mseleku, Zethembe.; Narsiah, Inbersagran.
    This study aimed to explore the contribution of indigenous knowledge to participatory rural development in Mabheleni, a rural community in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Drawing from the lenses of deliberative democracy, the study explored the role of indigenous knowledge in participatory rural development in Mabheleni; identified the challenges impeding the use of indigenous knowledge to stimulate rural development in Mabheleni; identified the opportunities for effective use of indigenous knowledge to promote rural development in Mabheleni and, explored the strategies used by people living in Mabheleni to preserve their indigenous knowledge. Semi-structured interviews and a focus group discussion were conducted with 20 participants in Mabheleni. All participants were selected through a purposive sampling technique and data was analyzed through thematic analysis. The results indicate that although indigenous knowledge is deemed crucial for the development in Mabheleni, it is not effectively used in rural development initiatives. While local people in Mabheleni use their indigenous knowledge to sustain their livelihoods at a household level, their indigenous knowledge is overlooked in rural development initiatives. This problem is attributed to two main reasons: first, Western scientific knowledge is given priority in informing rural development in Mabheleni. Second, government officials often use a top-down approach in decision making about rural development initiatives in Mabheleni, a practice which excludes indigenous people in their development. Thus, the role of indigenous knowledge in rural development in Mabheleni remains unclear and minimal.