Ethical leadership in promoting efficient service delivery : evidence from eThekwini Municipality, KwaZulu-Natal

Abstract

This paper investigates ethical leadership in promoting efficient service delivery in the eThekwini Municipality situated in the KwaZulu-Natal Province of South Africa. eThekwini is one of the 11 districts of KwaZulu-Natal, and is a metropolitan municipality established in 2000. Ethical leadership is viewed as central to effective service delivery by public institutions, a role that is described as acting in the citizens' interest at all times, and it is against this backdrop that this research paper aims at examining and understanding ethical leadership in promoting efficient service delivery using the case of eThekwini Municipality. A qualitative research approach, using semistructured interviews with employees in the Finance Department and Supply Chain Department in eThekwini Municipality is undertaken, with thematic analysis used to analyse data. The study findings revealed that the issue of political influence was considered to be the most prevalent ethical challenge in the Municipality. The study also found that there is a strong connection between ethical leadership and service delivery. The study concludes that unethical leadership practices have glaring implications for service delivery. Subsequently, the study provides feasible recommendations, which may be applied in the public sector to institutionalise ethical leadership and consequently improve service delivery.