Towards a model local government for the development control department of a local authority

Abstract

The objective of this treatise was to devise a testing instrument to determine the effectiveness of a local government department. The aim was to provide a tool for staff development that would also assist management in functional evaluation. This necessitated making comprehensible the legislative principles set out in The Municipal Systems Act of 2000. A pivotal finding in the treatise was the discovery that Shah’s criteria for determining a model local government in a developing country embody, in a user-friendly format, the criteria set out in the more inaccessible Act. Shah’s five criteria are legislative conformance, fiscal health, responsiveness, efficiency and accountability. The KwaDukuza’s Ballito Office for Development Control was the local body involved in this study. The investigative methods were in-depth interviews, a questionnaire, local newspaper articles and municipal records. The study revealed the effectiveness of the questionnaire as a tool to obtain valuable and extensive information. Staff perceptions and means of improving the running of the department were elicited. The primary contribution of the study is that the testing instrument developed is transferable to multiple contexts for use in staff development and management enhancement. Minor phrasing changes to the questionnaire it would render it applicable to other municipalities. To this extent, the treatise offers an original contribution – a tool devised to promote efficient management of local authorities.