Abstract:
Since the inception of the democratically elected post-apartheid government, South Africa has
experienced growing numbers of protests about inadequate provision of basic municipal services.
Recent studies have revealed that the poor performance of municipal officials contributes towards poor
municipal service delivery. This article is based on a study which used qualitative key stakeholder
interviews to analyse the performance of South African municipal officials, specifically in the delivery
of services. It found that the following inter-related factors were responsible for the lack of
performance: an unsupportive institutional environment, negative power struggles, over-regulation,
political interference, a tense and bureaucratic environment, lack of coherent management systems,
absence of a culture of excellence, poor skill utilisation, poor oversight mechanisms, weak capacity to
engage in collaborations, and lack of trust between councillors from different political parties. The
study concludes that for South African municipalities to meet their constitutional obligations to deliver optimal basic services to the people, the government must, inter alia, invest in building the capacity of
municipal officials through the development of skills and other crucial local government interventions
and transformations. The municipalities should also depoliticise local government and promote nonpartisan appointment of municipal officials.
