Intergovernmental relations in the local sphere of government in South Africa with specific reference to the City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality

Abstract

In certifying the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996 the Constitutional Court of the Republic of South Africa emphasised the importance of the notions of intergovernmental relations and co-operative government by inter alia stressing as follows: “The constitutional system chosen by the Constitutional Assembly is one of co-operative government in which the powers of important functional areas are allocated concurrently to the national and provincial spheres of government. This choice, instead of one of competitive federalism which some political parties may have favoured, was a choice which the Constitutional Assembly was entitled to make in terms of the Constitutional principles.” In view of the above, it is evident that co-operative government can be regarded as one of the cornerstones of the new constitutional dispensation in South Africa and that intergovernmental relations can be regarded as a practical instrument for ensuring co-operative government in the delivery of services by the three spheres of government. This study therefore seeks to establish if intergovernmental relations in South Africa, with specific reference to the City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality, facilitate the performance of the local sphere of government with a view to help improve the role of intergovernmental relations in facilitating service delivery. In achieving this purpose, a whole range of research methods such as the literature review and policy documents were used to collect data on the subject matter. Relevant data was analysed and was compared with legislative guidelines on the subject matter. The findings and conclusions of the study indicated that: “Intergovernmental relations in South Africa facilitate the performance of the local sphere of government in the delivery of services with specific reference to the City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality.” In order to further inculcate a culture of intergovernmental relations in service delivery in the City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality and local government in general, the management of change and human resources development interventions are recommended. The study further recommends that further research in this discipline should continue as long as political innovation exists.