African Journal of Public Affairs Volume 6, Number 4 (2013)

Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://hdl.handle.net/2263/59617

Browse

Now showing 1 - 11 of 11

Front matter, African Journal of Public Affairs, Volume 6, Number 4
(African Consortium of Public Administration, 2013)
Size, efficiency and local democracy in South Africa : a preliminary assessment
(African Consortium of Public Administration, 2013) Cameron, R.; Milne, C.
The objectives of this article are to locate the size of South Africa’s metropolitan and local municipalities within an international context; to examine whether local government size has been a factor affecting the performance of local governments and to analyse how South Africa has situated itself within the efficiency–local democracy debate. A number of indicators were used in respect of the different population and geographical sizes of municipalities. The Municipal Demarcation Board created a number of metropolitan and local municipalities which were bigger than its own guidelines. A major reason for this was the belief that larger municipalities are more efficient, promote financial viability and can promote equity. The findings were that larger municipalities do perform better than smaller municipalities, but this is not a consistent trend. There is some evidence that bigger municipalities have led to remoteness. The available evidence suggests that the creation of larger municipalities has not necessarily led to greater efficiency nor has it promoted local democracy.
Decoding process evaluation frameworks : lessons for the public sector in South Africa
(African Consortium of Public Administration, 2013) Hofisi, C.
The widespread service delivery protests in South Africa call for the effectiveness of the public sector in service delivery. Monitoring and evaluation are essential in ensuring such effectiveness is achieved. Process evaluation in the public sector could be an indispensable intervention for the attainment of service delivery goals. This article is an explication of process evaluation methods from studies involving several frameworks for process evaluations. The article reviews the methodologies and frameworks of several studies on process evaluation. These frameworks include the systematic structured observation technique, intervention driven framework, logic model and the key components profile. It is important to note that these frameworks are pivotal in the implementation of process evaluations. These frameworks depict process evaluation as a vital adjunct to outcome evaluation and it is argued that process evaluation is the prerequisite and a necessary ingredient for effective and efficient programming. A key lesson learnt is the adoption of a comprehensive evaluation methodology which is useful in process evaluation for cross validation purposes and also for ensuring the validity and reliability of process evaluation techniques, procedures and results. While several methodological challenges confront process evaluation these may be overcome by the employment of a comprehensive evaluation methodology.
Evaluating social housing intervention strategies in a South African municipality : with particular reference to the city of Cape Town (research findings)
(African Consortium of Public Administration, 2013) Ile, I.U.; Makiva, M.
According to the Department of Human Settlement Annual Report (2010:5) accelerating the delivery of housing opportunities by 2014 by providing proper basic services and land tenure to households currently living in informal settlements, is the government’s mandate that must be realised. Following this objective, the Western Cape devised strategies to accelerate housing delivery and service improvement in the informal areas. For example, an Integrated Human Settlement Plan was developed to contextualise the City of Cape Town’s strategy for the provision of equitable and affordable shelter to all, (City of Cape Town Service Delivery Report 2005/6:177). This plan sparked the development of a City-wide Spatial Development Plan, involving various role players and integrated planning processes. The Five Year Integrated Housing Plan, (2007/8 – 2011/12:7) recognises this as it argues that the City of Cape Town’s objective is accelerating housing provision and ensuring that land utilisation is well planned, managed and monitored. To achieve all this on a broader scale, the City has adopted the national Breaking New Ground plan (BNG) for the development of sustainable human settlements and has also aligned itself with the Provincial Government’s Western Cape Sustainable Human Settlement Strategy called ‘Isidima’, (Five Year Integrated Housing Plan, 2007/8 – 2011/12: 7). According to the Five Year Integrated Housing Plan (2007/8 – 2011/12:7), these two instruments are a shift from traditional approaches to the holistic provision of housing, with the aim of developing and improving integrated human settlements. Despite these joint initiatives, it appears that Cape Town is still experiencing a huge housing backlog. This could be blamed on the failure to plan for migration into the Western Cape. This article, examines the extent to which the housing intervention strategies are effective in dealing with the housing dilemma in Cape Town.
Litmus test for integrated resource management of potable water in Zimbabwe and South Africa : a comparative study in four local authorities (research findings)
(African Consortium of Public Administration, 2013) Musingafi, M.C.C.; Tempelhoff, Johann W.N.; Nealer, E.J.
This study is a comparative analysis of one of the major pillars (stakeholder participation) of Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM) induced public policies and services relating to potable water supply in selected cases in Zimbabwe and South Africa. The objectives of the study were to investigate the extent to which the stakeholder participation aspect of the IWRM paradigm has been implemented in each of four case study areas of Harare, Masvingo, Tshwane and Vhembe. Research methods involved both a theoretical review and an empirical study based on case studies, making use of comparative, qualitative, historical and exploratory approaches. The empirical research design was hybrid, although dominated by the descriptive survey approach. The study established that while the framework for a perfect stakeholder participation water management system exists in Zimbabwe and South Africa, the factual situation does not reflect this common belief. The study recommends an integrated systems approach to the management of potable water supply, full involvement of all stakeholders in the management process, intensive and extensive public campaigns, training, lobbying and advocacy. Among other recommendations are the due enforcement of water laws, venturing into entrepreneurial activities, interval reviews and check-ups, and walking the talk.
Public Administration and Management as study domain : the relevance debate
(African Consortium of Public Administration, 2013) Van der Waldt, Gerrit
The applicative nature of Public Administration and Management (henceforth referred to as PAM) as a social science discipline is evident. Therefore it is generally maintained that this discipline’s relevance revolves around the practical solutions that it holds for challenges in governance. During PAM curriculation exercises at tertiary institutions, various questions are often posed. These include questions such as: To what extent does the discipline address the real world of governance? Does it adequately equip the prospective public manager for the demands associated with the executive arm of government? How can the theory-practice gap in tuition be bridged? Ultimately, the question remains: Is PAM’s relevance only centred on its vocational nature, or should its relevance also be sought on a more fundamental, scientific level? If the only concern of PAM as applied science is providing applications to serve government, are the following aspects not sacrificed: scientific knowledge creation, independent and critical engagement, and theory development? The purpose of this article is to explore the following avenues: the potential relevance of the discipline for society, the government as study domain and main employer, the university as educational service provider, and the student who desires value for money as well as prospects for future employment.
A framework for leadership development in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
(African Consortium of Public Administration, 2013-12) Tshiyoyo, Mudikolele Michel
Governance is concerned with the institutional capacity of public organisations to provide the public and other goods demanded by a country’s citizens or their representatives in an effective, transparent, impartial, and accountable manner, subject to resource constraints. It is claimed that, when the historical background of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is considered, governance should be concerned with the government’s efforts to strengthen the organs of the state in order to tackle the socio-economic crisis that has paralysed most of public institutions and then impeding the proper functioning of the state’s apparatus. Given the state’s failure in the DRC, creating a strong nation should be a priority. This will require a leadership style which is transformational in nature and leaders who will provide stewardship needed to pave a way for the country to be placed on the track of development. This article intends to propose a framework that can be used in regard to leadership development in the DRC. In so doing, the article firstly examines leadership and governance issues in Africa. It secondly analyses the after effect of colonisation on the continent. It thirdly demonstrates the necessity for an effective leadership in DRC before it proposes a framework for leadership development in the country. The proposed framework is tri-dimensional and it is founded on three main aspects, namely spirituality, emotional intelligence and morality. It is believed that a perspective on leadership development based on the above dimensions can assist in producing leaders the DRC needs to meet the imperatives of governance and public administration. Currently the DRC requires leaders who can unleash the potential available in the country and maximise the country’s strategic position and role in continental geopolitical affairs. Nevertheless, it is argued that the success of the model that is proposed in this article will mainly depend on the kind of social order that prevails in the country and on the type of the political arrangements that are secured by the country’s leaders.
Devolution of power and effective governance : the Zimbabwean constitutional debate
(African Consortium of Public Administration, 2013-12) Nhede, Norman Tafirenyika
During the constitutional outreach programme conducted by the Government of Zimbabwe to determine people’s views on what should be included in the new Constitution of Zimbabwe, the issue of the devolution of power came out very strongly, prompting a heated debate on the subject. This article discusses the prospects of the devolution of power in Zimbabwe. The merits and demerits of devolution have been scrutinised while views from both proponents and antiproponents of devolution have been analysed and contextualised. While proponents of devolution view it as a panacea for inefficiency and poor public service delivery, its critics believe that devolution is a threat to unity and it is not ideal for Zimbabwe. Relevant literature, views from political parties, civil society and ordinary citizens on devolution were also considered. A brief comparison with the Kenyan case was made to draw lessons from the Kenyan experience. The findings of the research reflect that most provinces were in favour of devolution. With public participation being one of the pillars of democracy and good governance, the people’s views and contributions must be considered in order to promote democracy.
Policy targeting as a strategy to increase access to higher education
(African Consortium of Public Administration, 2013-12) Cedras, Jody P.
In an era of reconstruction of the educational landscape, South African higher education’s contribution to social and economic development has been concretised through policy targeting and reforms in four cardinal planks and mission. These include Teaching, as this contributes to the development of human capital, Learning which invigorates the order for human capital to develop through knowledge, Research which builds the foundation for the development of sound knowledge bases and Social Responsiveness which becomes the cornerstone for the dissemination and application of knowledge across the educational and social platform. The article proposes that South Africa must address the quagmires experienced by the poor and the marginalised. The political re-draw of intentions that is emerging under the new administration presents the country with an opportunity to issues pertaining to higher education as a people-centred activity rather than a marketcentred commodity. The article further contends that as a necessary pre-condition for policy targeting to become a channel for deliberative discourse, it is apparent that higher education authorities must have the requisite capacity for these strategic policy initiatives in a synchronised policy-targeted manner.
Policy and management considerations for whistle blower protection
(African Consortium of Public Administration, 2013-12) Holtzhausen, Natasja
The issue of whistle blower protection will always be a contentious point. The manner in which whistle blowers are protected remains a concern as those that disclose alleged wrongdoing are often ill informed on the manner in which these disclosures should be made. It is therefore essential that policies must contain the necessary procedures as well as all necessary information so that when a disclosure is made, the case can firstly successfully be investigated and secondly offer protection to the one making the disclosure. In this article a comprehensive literature review was done to determine what policies must contain to offer protection and the whistle blowing policy of the Gauteng Provincial Legislature was perused to determine if it contained the necessary elements as determined in the literature review. The article concludes with suggestions for the management of the whistle blowing process.
The quantification and management of political and economic indicators of risk in the context of an electoral contest 2014
(African Consortium of Public Administration, 2013-12) Croucamp, P.; Malan, Lianne Priscilla
Please read abstract in article.

Browse

Recent Submissions