Abstract:
To institutionalise performance management and accountability in
municipalities, the South African government has managed to develop
regulations and strategies to guide the development of the municipalities’
performance management system as part of the local government
reforms. Despite the existence of oversight committees within municipalities,
challenges in terms of functionality and performance continue to impact
general accountability practices in municipalities. This article briefly
focuses on a municipal performance management framework and how
performance indicators are set, as guided by various National Treasury
documents. Performance and accountability are technical, managerial
tools that can support decision-making and enhance public sector
organisations’ efficiency and effectiveness. The article also reviews accountability
practices in terms of internal accountability structures such as
sections 79 and 80 committees. The article found that the review process
is an ongoing challenge for committees to perform their oversight work,
and this does not only relate to the committees’ functionality but also to those councillors with little or no expertise in scrutinising financial and
other complex reports serving on these committees.
Description:
This article is partly based on a PhD: Public Administration and Management thesis of Fezile
Ngqobe, under the supervision of Prof David Fourie as supervisor and Dr M Tshiyoyo as cosupervisor,
entitled, ‘Development of a performance and accountability framework for the
Gauteng municipalities’ to be submitted at the University of Pretoria in 2021. (https://repository.up.ac.za/handle/2263/84902)
