3. Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETDs) - All submissions
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Item Institutionalisation of the South African national evaluation system in two national government departments(2018) Tshilowa, ThomasThis study has attempted to review the institutionalisation of the South African national evaluation system as well as the extent of the uptake of the system by participating departments based on the experiences of two departments. The study was necessitated by the need to understand how the institutionalisation of the evaluation system is navigating through the negative attitudes of some of line departments towards the practice of evaluation. The study employed a combination of document review and semi-structured interviews with selected participants. In terms of the conceptual framework, this study is anchored on a hybrid of the rational choice model (evidence-based approach) and a political system model to provide a balanced analysis of the system. One of the critical elements towards the institutionalisation of the evaluation practice in government is the capacity of line departments to manage and conduct evaluations. While the MPAT assessments show that a significant number of government departments still do not have M&E units, this study found that both of the sampled departments (departments of Human Settlements & Trade and Industry) are just some of the few departments that have the capacity to conduct evaluation in terms of M&E units. It is imperative to note that DPME is not (and cannot be) responsible for the establishment of M&E units in government departments save the issuance of the MPAT Evaluation Standard requirement that seeks to foster the establishment of the departmental evaluation systems, which includes the establishment of M&E units, among others. The uptake of the evaluation system by line departments is also one of the critical elements towards the institutionalisation of the evaluation practice in government. The study found that the cooperation and uptake of the system by departments varies from one department to another, and even within the same department. Finally, DPME appears to be succeeding in rolling out the national evaluation system as per the National Evaluation Policy Framework notwithstanding the implementation challenges viii alluded to in Chapter 5. However, the uptake of the evaluation system by line departments still poses a major challenge for the system. It appears that the MPAT Evaluation Standard requirement would go a long way in fostering the uptake. However, it remains to be seen if this intervention would drive a genuine uptake as opposed to a mere compliant uptake.Item The politics - administration interface in South Africa between 1999 and 2009(2016) Shazi, Xolisani RaymondThe critical observation for public administration and governance in South Africa has been the relationship between senior managers and political officials since the establishment of the democratic government in the country. The first documented observation in the United States of America by Woodrow Wilson marked the launch of public administration as an independent faculty, breaking away from the political sciences. The dominant theory that characterised public administration was that there must be a clear distinction between politics and public administration. This theory suggested that politics had nothing to do with public administration and, therefore, politicians should not intrude into matters of public administration. For contemporary academia, it is crucial to ask questions about the relevance of Wilson’s perspective with regard to the relationship between senior managers and political officials. Nevertheless, contemporary scholars are challenged by the emergent need to study the dual nature of public administration, suggesting that public administration should not be separated from politics, since public administration is merely the expression of the political ideology. Hence, politics and public administration should be inseparable. To refute or reaffirm these notions, this thesis explores this study by reviewing the relationship between senior public managers and political officials through analysing the politics– administration interface in South Africa between 1999 and 2009. In congruence with the main research questions of this study, the researcher utilises four pre-claims to examine the politics–administration interface and the factors that lead to strained relationships around the interface. The first pre-claim in this study examines the notion suggesting that it is the nature of the political bureau to dominate public administration. The second pre-claim examines the notion suggesting that there could be conflicting leadership styles between a political official and a senior public service official. The third pre-claim is that political officials may have a different political ideology as compared with the political ideology upheld by a senior public service official. The fourth pre-claim is that political officials or public service officials or both parties may have some disregard for documented duties and responsibilities. Consequently, this study examines the politics–administration interface in South Africa within the scope of the pre-claims as presented in the introduction to the study. The study found that the colonial legacy in the Commonwealth Nations with features of the Westminster system of governance perpetuates political bureau dominance over public administration. The study further found that it is conventionally accepted that the political bureau should provide guidance to the public administration bureau and dominate public administration which is only the expression of the prevailing political will. The researcher has examined the pre-claim of conflicting leadership styles between the elected officials and senior public servants. The study found that between 1999 and 2009 there was a transition from the collective leadership of the ruling political bureau to a closed conventional leadership system where political power was centralized in the presidency, resulting in leadership through fear and mistrust. Regarding the pre-claim on different ideologies, this study argues that public administration is the implementation of political ideologies, and public service managers are at the apex of implementing policies for the benefit of the social classes on behalf of the political bureau, which drives the ideologies of a ruling political party. Therefore, different political ideologies between the political bureau and the administration bureau may be one of the factors of a strained politics–administration interface. The study found that in cases (Buthelezi and Masetlha as well as Zille and Mgoqi) where officials from different political parties attempted to work, the arrangement resulted in a power struggle in the politics–administration interface. With regard to the pre-claim on disregard for documented rules and responsibilities, the study found that the problem in the interface is not always the neglect of documented rules and responsibilities, but rather that in some cases the documented rules and responsibilities are not always clear, resulting in grey or nondescript areas in the politics−administration interface that are ultimately claimed by the political bureau. This study has further proposed a public service governance structure with an added governance responsibility for the Public Service Commission to oversee the administration in order to distance the political bureau from public administration operations and direct engagement with senior public servants, such as the directors-general.Item Employee perceptions of performance culture in Mpumalanga, Department of Culture, Sport and Recreation(2016) Mtsweni, Bonginkosi NelsonIn the past few years, the contribution of the performance culture to the overall success of the organisation has prompted interest to explore the concept. The purpose of this exploratory study was to determine facets that are perceived to be contributing to the performance culture and how employees in the Mpumalanga Department of Culture DCSR perceive such facets as causal factors to the performance of the organisation. This study is a qualitative descriptive study and semi semi-structures interviews were conducted. Eight participants were requested to take part. Two participants are from the head office and two from each of the three districts. All interviews were conducted face to face. Interviews were recorded on tape, transcribed and assessed according to themes. The overall findings of this study were that there are negative perceptions of performance culture as assessed according to the London School of Economics Eight Dimensions Performance Culture Model.Item The effects of fiscal decentralization on the provision of basic services in Emalahleni local municipality(2016) April, Mvuyisi Sibongile MkhululiFiscal decentralization is defined as the degree of autonomy and responsibility given to subnational governments. Fiscal decentralization looks at the assignment of functions to different levels of government and the appropriate fiscal instruments for carrying out these functions. Fiscal decentralization implies a level of autonomy given to sub-national governments. Through decentralized budgeting, local governments are tasked with the responsibility of ensuring that service delivery to communities is effective and efficient. Unfortunately the subnational spheres of government are more dependent on the national allocations as a result of a more centralized revenue collection system. The national budget is then shared vertically across the three spheres of government using the equitable share formula. The Local Government Equitable Share (LGES) is mainly allocated for the provision of basic services to local communities. The equitable share is also complemented with various conditional grants aimed at the reduction of infrastructure backlogs and other national priorities like water and electricity. However, the outcomes have been uneven across municipalities with some seen as excellent and others as dysfunctional. The South African Twenty Year Review Report indicates that challenges with the quality and functionality of municipal services in municipalities have led to backlogs and unevenness in the quality of service delivery which has contributed to deep-seated dissatisfaction in some communities, as evidenced by the steep rise in service delivery protests. This is an indication of how municipalities are not able to match the revenue they receive from the National Treasury and from collections made through rates and taxes with the amount of services expected from them. In a decentralized model of governance where national and provincial government are able to assign and delegate their responsibilities to local government, funding must then follow these functions. In doing do this will ensure that the responsibilities municipalities are tasked with are backed up by the sufficient budgets and other necessary resources from national or provincial governments. Unfortunately this is not the case in South Africa as seen in the multiplicity of ‘unfunded and underfunded mandates.” This clearly shows that the local government sphere has not been receiving sufficient revenue from the Fiscus to deal with the growing demand for services propagated by increased populations. This is a direct result of the failures of the fiscal framework that governs the allocation of funds to local government resulting in the smaller and rural municipalities being unable to deliver services to their communities. The Local Government Equitable Share formula also does not ensure equity among the citizens, hence most rural communities are still without basic services, including lack of sanitation and refuse collection in all the villages of the country. Even if the LGES was sufficient to ensure that basic services are catered for other functions of local government would not be covered and therefore compromising the principle of horizontal equity among the citizens of South Africa who are entitled to equal benefits, privileges and rights within the boundaries of the republic.Item The leadership challenge in the Immigration Division of the Department of Home Affairs(2016) Macharavanda, Patience ImmaculateOver the past twenty years and even during the apartheid era, South Africa has undergone significant waves of migration and leadership challenges. Migration into South Africa has been, and still is, a result of many different factors that include economic reasons and seeking political refuge. This migration wave has also taken its toll on the country’s leadership skills and strategies as well as the Immigration Department as regards the issuance of legal documents to migrants to be able to stay legally in the country. Leadership is usually revered in Africa, but this places pressure to perform well on the country’s existing leadership in relation to the control of migration and the maintenance of peace within the borders of the country. The study aimed to identify whether the leadership is performing the way it is supposed to perform. Is the leadership performing with character and competence and are they taking responsibility for their actions when dealing with the public as this matter affects the public sector. Statistics South Africa has an estimate of number of the migrants flowing into the country and the Department of Home Affairs does not have an accurate number of the migration flow, due to the daily rapid movement at the border posts. It is known, however, that the number of migrants into the country has increased and continues to increase, and this poses a challenge for the leadership. One of the recommendations that emerged from the findings of the study is that more programmes and workshops should be undertaken to equip the civil servants in the Department of Home Affairs as they are all leaders in various ways and are also representatives of the Department. Their conduct should therefore be professional as they represent the image of South Africa.Item Organisational culture challenges of the National Prosecuting Authority(2017) Msomi, Sinothile PurityEvery organisation has a good or bad culture. One of the key factors in stable institutions is culture within organisation which plays a critical role in organisational operations. Culture affects most aspects of the organisations' planned life, such as how decisions would be made, who would make them, how would people be treated and how the entity would respond to its environment. This research report examines the nature and extent of the organisational culture, and the link between the organisational culture, leadership and problem solving practices within the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA). The report presents with the assumptions and ideological influences contained in the public sector reform, which remained entrenched by its legacy systems. This study has revealed that there is a lack of congruence between the organisational culture, leadership and problem solving practices in the NPA. The observed incongruence may inhibit performance and unconsciously remain the barrier of the effectiveness of the reformed institutions. The study concludes that the organisational culture should be one of inclusiveness, participation in decision making, and acquisition of new knowledge and skills which is more aligned to the reformed state institutions expectations. It is recommended that all organisations should diagnose desired organisational culture in order to establish gaps between current and future organisational culture.Item Leadership and management in the collection of revenue in Tshwane(2017) Jumba, TabileThe challenge of not collecting enough revenue has its origin from the apartheid regime. Today municipalities still face the same challenges without any solution. Unemployment, poverty, inaccurate billing and illegal electricity connections all pose a challenge in the local government of South Africa. The issue is that the municipalities have been following the same pattern of doing things without solving any of the problems that affect its performance. Perhaps it’s time for change? Leadership and Management are two separate concepts but they complement each other. The research suggests that for any organization to succeed there must be equal contribution from leadership and management. Municipalities operate in a dynamic environment where demand of services is high. Municipality therefore cannot adapt the same processes and expect different results. There is a need for change and balancing leadership and management will initiate that change. The balance of leadership and management begins within the municipality, where management works hand-in-hand with leadership. The municipality is dependent on the municipal revenue it receives from taxpayers. The research reveals that the ratepayers are dissatisfied with the quality of service they receive. The municipality is not motivating the communities to continue paying. Public confidence in the municipality has declined. This calls for a need for leadership to motivate communities to continue paying. The main purpose of the study is to therefore investigate the impact of balancing leadership and management in City of Tshwane. The theoretical and empirical data was analyzed to answer the questions that this study asks. The results show that there is imbalance of leadership and management in City of Tshwane. Within the municipality management is over-managing and under-leading. This demotivates the employees at City of Tshwane and ultimately production will decrease. The research suggests that in order for production to increase and municipality to improve its performance, there needs to be leadership that goes beyond managerial position.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 Challenges of performance management in Dihlabeng local municipality(2017) Mofokeng, Tjhetane MakwanyaneThis study explored the poor implementation of the Performance Management System (PMS) in Dihlabeng Local Municipality, with the objective of understanding the performance management concept of local government, and examining the challenges of poor service delivery faced by Dihlabeng Local Municipality. The findings of this study are important in that these will provide recommendations regarding the most appropriate processes to be considered in improving the poor implementation of PMS in Dihlabeng Local Municipality. The findings will also provide background information that traces back to the initial intention of introducing PMS for South African municipalities. A mixed approach was used. Officials and Councillors of Dihlabeng Local Municipality were surveyed and interviewed on their views on the implementation of PMS in Dihlabeng Local Municipality. Theories of PMS were discussed, which enriched and broadened the study. Following the analysis and interpretation of the findings, it was clear that the lack of support from senior management in employees’ initiatives was contributing to the poor implementation of PMS. The establishment of a conducive working environment was deemed crucial in mobilizing all employees to work towards realizing the organizational objectives. Other strategies identified in the study can assist to improve the implementation of PMS in Dihlabeng Local Municipality, and the findings can be replicated in other municipalities that have similar challenges of poor implementation of PMS.Item Network governance in the Tshwane metropolitan municipality(2017) Mothetho, Corren DumisaThe objective of the study is to investigate problems and trends experienced in implementing Network Governance in the City of Tshwane. Local government/municipalities are at the forefront of service delivery. Voters assess government’s performance through the provision of basic services to residents. Government’s ability to deliver services is mainly dependent on the governance models that they adopt. Governments adopt different governance models in the quest to improve service delivery. One of the most widely adopted models of governance that is seen to be progressive in improving the provision of services is Network Governance. The study adopted a qualitative methodology approach because the objective was to understand the challenges experienced in implementing the network governance model in the City of Tshwane. In-depth interviews were conducted using a structured questionnaire as a main tool of data collection. The interviews were conducted with 22 respondents who comprised City officials, councillors, civil society and members of the community. The study established that there were shortcomings in the implementation of Network Governance in the City of Tshwane. The findings also indicate that Network Governance was not adopted as a service delivery implementation model in the City of Tshwane. The study reflects that the Regions are not well capacitated to enhance principles of Network Governance. The findings reveal various problems in stakeholder management and communication which impede the implementation of Network Governance. The following recommendations are made to improve the implementation of Network Governance: The City of Tshwane must institutionalise Network Governance through policies; and standard protocols and procedures for network governance must be formulated to guide the implementation of the Network Governance policy.