The role of traditional leaders in the promotion of municipal service delivery in South Africa

Abstract

This thesis explored the role of traditional leaders in the promotion of municipal service delivery. The study focuses on three main areas, namely the history and development of public administration, the effects of government environment on traditional leaders and a case study of the Royal Bafokeng Administration. To achieve the objectives of the study, it is necessary to indicate the objective of local government outlined in the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa 1996. The Constitution states the following objectives: the provision of services to communities in a sustainable manner, the promotion of social and economic development, as well as the involvement of communities and community organisations in the matters of local government. The quest for a better municipal service delivery cannot be achieved in isolation from the integration of traditional leaders into the South African Public Service. The integration of traditional leaders into the South African Public Service is to ensure that municipal services are rendered equitably, efficiently and effectively. A comparative analysis of the role of traditional leaders in the Republic of South Africa, Namibia, Swaziland, Lesotho and Botswana shows that, should African traditional leadership and governance be fully integrated into the South African Public Service structures, municipal service delivery will be accelerated. The study suggests that recognition of the role of traditional leaders in the promotion of service delivery will help to expedite the redress of municipal service delivery imbalances and inequities in the rural disadvantaged communities in South Africa. The study analyses the following question: to what extent can traditional leaders provide and add value in the promotion of municipal service delivery which will contribute to the new constitutional democracy in South Africa? The study examines the present state of the role of traditional leaders in the promotion of municipal services by studying three local government cases namely, Botswana tribal authorities, the Modjadji Tribal Authority and the Royal Bafokeng Administration. The study suggests that there is an urgent need to integrate traditional leaders into the local government structures to assist in clearing the municipal service delivery backlog. This thesis also suggests that the South African traditional leadership system be compared with its Southern African counterparts such as Botswana.