Performance monitoring and evaluation of metropolitan municipalities in Gauteng South Africa

Abstract

The research study has been undertaken to assist metropolitan municipalities in Gauteng, South Africa with a conceptual framework and guide in terms of how they should conduct performance monitoring and evaluation [PME], Impact Evaluation (IE) – of the United Nations [UN] Millennium Development Goals [MDGs] with regards to the provision of minimum basic service in Urban Informal Settlements [UIS] in the three identified metropolitan municipalities of Ekurhuleni, Johannesburg and Tshwane. In pursuit of meeting the objectives of this study, both qualitative and quantitative studies were conducted. Important salient thematic analysis regarding performance monitoring and evaluation were located in existing legislation, public administration texts and in other management theories associated with the discipline and domain of Public Administration. The study has seven objectives: a) to locate the concept of performance monitoring and evaluation [PME] in the Discipline of Public Administration; b) to discuss and extrapolate the essence of PME, analyse the policy framework that guides PME systems in the South African context and in particular the local sphere of government; c) to discuss the international PME systems in the public sector and consider lessons that are relevant for the South African environment; d) to analyse and discuss the local sphere of government before and after democratic rule in South Africa with special reference to the evolution of local government legislation; e) to discuss and extrapolate current issues in the South African local government sphere with special focus on community participation, municipal demarcation concerns, protest action in municipalities; f) to conduct an empirical study, investigate and compare using two sets of survey questionnaires - by assessing the Impact Evaluation [IE] on the delivery of basic minimum services [i.e. electricity, water, sanitation and waste collection/removal] in the three identified municipalities against set targets determined by Statistics South Africa Census 2001&2011; Housing Development Agency [HDA] of the Department of Human Settlement [DHS] and Millennium Development Goals [MDGs] – in the South African context; and g) to discuss practical considerations in institutionalising PME processes in local government and propose recommendations with guidelines for an effective and efficient PME system in the local government sphere in Gauteng, South Africa. In achieving these objectives, the ultimate aim of the Thesis is to make recommendations for an effective and efficient PME system in the local government sphere in Gauteng, South Africa – which will ensure that the performance monitoring and evaluation introduced by the South African government, through the “Government-wide Monitoring and Evaluation system” [GWM&E] under the Department of Performance Monitoring and Evaluation [DPME] in municipalities and in particular metropolitan municipalities in Gauteng Province - affects delivery of minimum basic services in informal settlements. Sample surveys were preferred in the method. The purpose of a sample survey is to collect standardised information from a carefully selected sample of respondents. This type of survey is carried out by means of a structured instrument such as a questionnaire or observation guide – for purposes of the current study, a structured questionnaire was used. Sample surveys are appropriate when the research design requires comparable information about a relatively large number of subjects – which is the situation in UIS. A total of 395 surveys were conducted, analysed and processed from the three metropolitan municipalities. The sample consists of three city managers and 392 randomly selected participants in UIS in the three selected metropolitan municipalities of Ekurhuleni; Johannesburg and Tshwane.