Strategies to restore confidence in South African local government

Abstract

The now apparently unrealistic expectations of the public generated by the democratic transformation in South Africa led inter alia to public disillusionment due to a failure of government to deliver basic services and create conditions conducive to local economic development. Confidence in government, but specifically in local government, is therefore at an all-time low. In this article, specific strategies are therefore proposed to ensure that confidence can be restored in government not only to attract cooperation from citizens to the agreed policies and programmes of government, but also to ensure that stability, peace and development can be attained. Leadership in all spheres of government is of utmost importance as the absence thereof leaves government vulnerable to non-compliance and in a dysfunctional state. Furthermore, to enable municipalities to have access to training, operational guidelines and specialised skills, finances must be available to ensure financially viable local government. Coupled with government’s efforts through the Back to Basics campaign, the above-mentioned strategies are discussed to restore confidence in local government.