An evaluation of the functioning of metropolitan municipal councils in Gauteng South Africa

Abstract

The study examines the functioning of municipal councils in ensuring the provision of services to communities in a sustainable manner. Municipalities are at the coalface of service delivery, which is why they are significant in improving the quality of lives of the communities under which they serve. The study is significant as municipalities in the recent past experienced different forms of civil disobedience which could arguably be attributed on the lack of capability by municipalities to respond adequately to the delivery needs for services from communities. Thus, the research stems from the fact that municipalities are charged with the responsibility of providing services to communities in a sustainable manner as mandated by Section 152(1)(b) of the Constitution, 1996. Hence, the failure to deliver will impact the community, especially the indigent, to an extent that the quality of their lives will degenerate. This research investigates the role and functions of municipal councils in making decisions that would have an effect on the provision of services in municipalities in South Africa. Thus, the study has three objectives: • to establish the role that the municipal council plays in ensuring effective and efficient service delivery plans; • to determine the extent to which the municipal council influences the implementation of decisions for effective administration of the delivery of services; and • to develop a framework that enhances the decision-making capability of the municipal council. The research investigates the role of the municipal council in establishing its effect on the administration of a municipality. Thus, this research will answer two research questions: • What role do municipal councils play in ensuring effective and efficient service delivery plans or integrated development plans? To what extent are municipal councils significant role players in terms of influencing the implementation of decisions required for the administration of the delivery of services by municipal officials? The success of a municipality depends on the quality of the decisions made by the municipal council and the administrative capacity of the officials carrying out tasks as mandated by the municipal council. Hence it is argued that the effectiveness of the municipal administration depends on the effectiveness of the municipal council. Through the proposed decisionmaking framework, the coordination of policies and directives that will result in effective and efficient administration in a municipality is simplified. The study employed a qualitative research method, a case study research design and adopted inductive reasoning, i.e. generation of theory, interpretivism, and constructionism as the dispositions of the research. Both primary and secondary sources for data collection are used. In terms of collecting data through the primary sources, non-participant observation will be applied in order to draw conclusions from observing and listening to the activities taking place in municipal council meetings. Secondary sources that are utilised refer to the documented research conducted by previous researchers, i.e. census, Integrated Development Plans, Auditor-General report and studies conducted by municipalities and other stakeholders. Thus, the study makes a contribution to the body of knowledge by proposing a decision formula and a logical framework that is aimed at enhancing the decision-making process of metropolitan municipal councils.