Public accountability at the local government sphere in South Africa

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dc.contributor.author Sikhakane, B.H.
dc.contributor.author Reddy, P.S.
dc.coverage.spatial Africa
dc.coverage.spatial South Africa
dc.date.accessioned 2016-11-07T10:53:42Z
dc.date.available 2016-11-07T10:53:42Z
dc.date.created 2016
dc.date.issued 2011
dc.description.abstract One of the major challenges faced by municipalities in South Africa is quality service delivery and lack of accountability. Public accountability is an important component of local governance as it promotes community involvement and participation. Local government is viewed as the vehicle for service delivery given the notion of wall-to-wall local government. All programmes and projects such as, interalia, housing, water supply, sanitation and roads require accountable municipal functionaries, so that they gain the confi dence and trust of local communities who will then take ownership of it thereby ensuring that it is successful and in the final analysis sustainable. The continued success of a municipality is determined to a large extent, on the accountability of all key role players and stakeholders in the local governance process. Public accountability is a tool for participatory local democracy. The Government has introduced legislation to ensure that all the key local role players and stakeholders discharge their respective obligations and responsibilities to facilitate the delivery of quality municipal services. Despite these measures and initiatives, public accountability remains a buzzword and is certainly not taken seriously by particularly the municipal functionaries. The recent marches by the local citizenry in protest against poor service delivery countrywide bear ample testimony to this. This article critically reviews public accountability in the local sphere highlighting some of the key challenges that has to be addressed to ensure good local governance. en_ZA
dc.format.extent 18 pages en_ZA
dc.format.medium Journal en_ZA
dc.identifier.citation Sikhakane, B.H. and Reddy, P.S. 2011. Public accountability at the local government sphere in South Africa. African Journal of Public Affairs, 4(1): 85-102. en_ZA
dc.identifier.issn 1997-7441
dc.identifier.uri http://hdl.handle.net/2263/57699
dc.language.iso en en_ZA
dc.publisher African Consortium of Public Administration en_ZA
dc.rights African Consortium of Public Administration © 2011 en_ZA
dc.subject Public accountability en_ZA
dc.subject Local Government en_ZA
dc.subject.lcsh Public administration--Africa
dc.title Public accountability at the local government sphere in South Africa en_ZA
dc.type Article en_ZA


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