3. Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETDs) - All submissions
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Item Media representation of political leadership and governance in South Africa: press coverage of Jacob Zuma(2017) Nkomo, SibusisoThis research report examines news media representation of political leadership and governance in South Africa between 2007 and 2013, when President Jacob Zuma served his first terms as ANC leader and later as the head of state. The research sought to find out what themes and ideas exist about political leadership in news media more than 20 years since the advent of democracy. Quantitative manifest content analysis is utilised to analyse newspaper articles from the City Press, Mail & Guardian, the Sunday Independent and the Sunday Times. The results show that media representation of political leadership is most discussed in opinion articles and editorials and relies on key democratic concepts such as freedom of expression and freedom of the media. The key themes and ideas that emerge include the personalisation of leadership, defining leadership, debate on how to lead, Zuma’s own leadership traits versus expectations and it became clear that news media evaluated Zuma as head of state or leader of the nation more often than as president of his party.Item The role of traditional leadership in local government(2016) Baloyi, Tshepang BrigidThe study explores the role of traditional leaders in the Greater Taung Local Municipality (GTLM) situated in the Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati District Municipality, North West Province. The purpose of the study is to investigate the role and the participation of the traditional leadership in the Greater Taung Local Municipal affairs, as well as to establish the factors leading to the tension between the traditional leaders and the municipal councillors in the municipality. Furthermore, the study proposed leadership strategies aimed at harmonising the relations between the Greater Taung municipal councillors and the traditional leaders, with the aim of ensuring sound collaboration and partnership between the two important stakeholders in provision of service delivery and development, a partnership that is more likely to improve good governance and service delivery in the area of jurisdiction of Greater Taung Local Municipality.Item Governance and the leadership challenges in Emalahleni local municipality(2017) Mmela, Marungwane LydiaThe aim of this study is to identify the main reasons for why there is poor leadership and poor service delivery in the Emalahleni Local Municipality. The study undertook a comprehensive review of related literature in order to enhance the knowledge gap within the concept of leadership and governance. This research adopted the qualitative research method as the research study deals with real-life social issues which involve the employees of Emalahleni Local Municipality and the residents of Emalahleni itself. Face-to-face interviews were conducted both in the Emalahleni Local Municipality and Emalahleni area to collect credible data for the study. In addition, the sample size considered for this study was ten participants who were interviewed for the study, five employees from the Emalahleni Local Municipality and five residents from the Emalahleni area. The findings derived from the data collected reveal that the Emalahleni Local Municipality is struggling to provide good services to its citizens due to the poor leadership within the municipality. In addition, the employees of Emalahleni are not performing well in their respective jobs due to insufficient training and the fact that not everyone working for the municipality is employed based on merit, which contributes to a lack of capacity and poor service delivery. The researcher makes recommendations which include appointing employees with the right skills and knowledge, developing and improving on the training programmes that already exist within the municipality, following the right leadership style to change and develop the municipality, and electing leaders who have the interests of the people at heart.Item The role of community based leaders in the State Owned Entities in the city of Johannesburg(2017) Pillay, Rajendra GanasenFormer president of the movement Thabo Mbeki, in summarising what a government committed to and must do, said: “We must ensure that today is better than yesterday and that tomorrow will be better than today.” Effective leadership will play a pivotal role in ensuring that the words articulated by the previous president Mbeki is in fact realised and becomes a reality for all in South Africa. This is, equally the responsibility and mandate that all SOE’s should accept and carry out a day-to-day basis. We need leaders that are “accountable, contemplative”, who reflect and always put people and our constitutional values first. As the City of Johannesburg (COJ) embarks on a new journey by the appointments of community leaders to the boards of the SOE’s in the City Of Johannesburg (COJ). This would indeed be ground breaking and the very first in the City of Johannesburg. As South Africa continues to address the imbalances of the past, at the centre and one of the most important is housing and liveable homes for all South Africans. Therefore Community leaders appointed to the boards of the SOE’s have an important and significant role to play to not only ensure community needs are met but also the transition and transformational agenda of the city and the country as a whole is achieved. Community leaders are seen to be more in touch with their communities they serve on a day to day basis. To some they are beacon of hope and to others they are mentors and role models. They also tend to give people hope that indeed tomorrow will be better than today. The focus of the research was on one entity namely Johannesburg Social Housing Company (JOSHCO). The entity has a capital budget of 1.5 Billion Rands. The mandate of this entity is to provide social housing and to transform traditional hostel dwelling into homes. This shift from hostels to homes is a significant one and will require a life style change and will have significant impact on families and the community. There is a problem of a leadership skills gap with/among community leaders appointed to the board of Johannesburg Social Housing Company (Joshco) as a State Owned Entity in the city of Johannesburg which will be needed to achieve the strategic objectives. Community leaders bring a very different dynamic to the boards of the SOE in the city of Johannesburg. They most definitely have a voice and challenges the status quo, and their different views with a community focus. They most certainly add value to the entity and the shareholder. It is most noticeable that community leaders have a transformational style to their qualities and traits as a leader. It is on that basis the researcher will demonstrate through the theories and research that is Transformational Leadership, and their qualities thereof is what is needed in the State Owned Companies in the City Of Johannesburg. Transformational leaders would most certainly advance the call for better, effective and efficient service delivery of services in the city. The researcher has focused on Transformational leadership as the conceptual framework for the purpose of this study. The data was collected after having conducted 18 interviews with respondents. The respondents are as follows - Board members of the entity - Faith based organisation in the city of JHB - Senior Administrative staff from the City of Johannesburg - Community leader from civil society Whilst having communities leaders are part of the board of the state owned entity, certain challenges were identified through this study, namely - Lack of leadership Skills - Inductions and knowledge of the business - All community based board members should sign a code of conduct and code of ethics - The skills mix of the board must include members from different areas of business - The must be oversight responsibilities fulfilled by the board members and not operational responsibilities - Stakeholder relations and Communications - Continuous professional development The researcher has also recommended strategies for implementation on the impact on the role of community leaders in the boards of the state owned entity in the city of JHB. They are as follows: - Board member’s must be trained on areas of leadership. The leadership qualities of board member’s must be developed and enhanced -The induction program should include areas like, roles and responsibilities of directors, financial management, the PFMA, strategy and leadership. - The skills mix of the board must include members from different areas of business, that is HR, finance, technical i.e. engineering skills, Strategy and corporate governance and leadership. - The Board of JOSHCO need to be at the forefront in terms of communicating with stakeholders, i.e. communities they service, suppliers, labour unions and the staff members. The board needs to be proactive and constantly engage with communities. - The board has to set up a transformation agenda / strategy - Board members must receive continuous training and development. They should be Members of IODSA hey and must kept abreast with relevant director developments and relevant changes that directors should be appraised of. The boards of state owned entities in the City of JHB is at the epicentre of service delivery for 4.5 million citizens of JHB. They must continue to drive the transformation agenda and ensure that the strategic goals of the entity and the shareholder will be realised. Board members must be willing to serve rather than self in rich. “What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we have made to the lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we lead “Nelson Mandela.Item Populism as an active and effective form of contemporary South African politics(2016-03-01) Du Toit, De VilliersRecent 21st century political developments in South Africa have given rise to debate surrounding a threat to a functioning democracy. New radical political parties, turmoil in the labour sectors, and dysfunctional government policies and activities have made populist tendencies a central aspect of this debate. Populism is an entity oft evoked in a negative light and rhetoric in this debate. It is associated with demagogues and the ‘uncontrollable’ urges of the masses that would be let loose upon society given the chance, destroying democracy in the process. It is the aim of this paper to argue the opposite. By expanding and contributing to the theoretical literature on populism, and through the analysis of empirical evidence – the Western Cape farm worker’s strikes and the Marikana strikes and subsequent massacre of 2012 –in South Africa this research report seeks to fill a gap in the conceptualisation and practical characterisation of populism in our political setting. Can populism be conceptually, theoretically, and empirically utilised to characterise and explain trends in contemporary South African politics and can it be utilised in providing a contextual underpinning for explaining recent events in South African society as a whole? Through the reliance on the theories of Ernesto Laclau and Slavoj Zizek the aim will be to identify the underlying gaps in democratic politics that gives rise to populist movements and through this argument to build and utilise this conception of populism as a positive and effective analytical tool of contemporary South African politics.