Abstract:
South Africa was one of the last African states to obtain a fully democratic
government with its first general election in April 1994. Democratising the system
of government required a total transformation of all public institutions and the
services provided by the state. The popular view was that this could be achieved
by decentralising powers and functions to other spheres of government. The
South African Constitution, 1996 established three separate, interdependent and
interrelated spheres of governments, namely national government, nine provincial
governments and 283 (now 278) municipalities. Each sphere is assigned its own
powers, functions and responsibilities. Decentralisation has important advantages
since it ensures public accountability and responsibility to a greater extent than
centralisation. Moreover there is direct contact between voters and political
representatives and offi ce bearers in the provincial and local spheres. The success
of decentralisation reforms also depends on consistent and coherent national
policies, sound legislative and regulatory frameworks for decentralisation, and
effective review mechanisms to resolve disputes among all spheres of government.
This article argues that in South Africa service provision and good governance
can best be achieved through decentralisation. Decentralisation has also been
associated with democratisation. It is argued that municipalities as constituents of
local government are more likely to be accountable to its constituency. The major
priority of the South African government, as set out in the Bill of Rights, is to ensure
the provision of a range of services to meet socio-economic challenges, within the
constraints of available resources. Local government is the sphere of government
that is closest to the people and is best positioned to identify and respond to local
issues. This article supports the view that service provision in South Africa can be achieved effectively through decentralisation. Decentralisation and devolution have
been pursued to improve the working environment and to encourage innovative
ways to increase efficiency and improve service delivery.
