Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management (ETDs)

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    Contribution of Monitoring and Evaluation to Performance and Governance of the South African National Space Agency
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Ntshoko, Vuyokazi Babalwa; Masvaure, Steven
    Monitoring and evaluation (M&E) is a critical function for ensuring efficiency, accountability, and evidence-based practices in the delivery of services by government departments and entities. South Africa thus introduced a Government–Wide Monitoring and Evaluation System (GWMES) in 2007 to promote evidence-based decision making, enhance accountability and establish a more effective government. M&E is considered a key force for improving public sector performance, yet decades later government institutions face challenges relating to establishing effective M&E systems. This qualitative case study therefore examines M&E within the South African National Space Agency (SANSA) context to assess its contribution to performance and governance within this public entity. Findings of the study established the existence of an M&E system within SANSA, albeit with inadequate efforts towards its institutionalisation to promote evidence-based decision-making, improve performance and governance within the public entity. Key recommendations from the study are thus for SANSA to establish an M&E culture, build organisational evaluation capacity, strengthen advocacy for M&E and ensure effective dissemination and utilisation of M&E information. This can be achieved through the holistic institutionalisation of this entity’s M&E system. A need for capacity building interventions to strengthen internal M&E knowledge, create a conducive environment for employee engagement and promote accountability for performance outcomes was also established by this study. It is further recommended that such measures be augmented by routine communication to raise awareness of M&E practices, enhance transparency, and promote utilisation of M&E information for evidence-based planning and decision- making. The institutionalisation of M&E within the public sector was accordingly identified through this study as an area likely to impact government performance and thus requiring further research.
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    The Complexities of Digitising Public Services in the City of Ekurhuleni
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Ngele, Sixolisiwe Solethu; Ndlovu, Hlengiwe
    This thesis is premised on the argument that while digital solutions in public service delivery offer significant potential for efficiency and accessibility, they also risk deepening existing divides if not carefully and inclusively implemented. The study examines the complex interplay of service delivery, governance, and community engagement within the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality, situated in the Gauteng Province of South Africa. Through a comparative lens, it juxtaposes the lived experiences of residents in Thokoza hostels with those in the affluent suburb of Bedfordview, this thesis aims to illuminate the nuanced dynamics at play when digital public services intersect with diverse socio-economic disparities. The central argument posits that while digital solutions in public service delivery offer significant potential for efficiency and accessibility, they also risk deepening existing divides if not carefully and inclusively implemented. Grounded in the historical context of Ekurhuleni, where hostels originally served as temporary dwellings for migrant labourers during apartheid, this study sheds light on the enduring struggle for dignity and improved living conditions among predominantly black residents. Employing a qualitative research methodology, the study draws evidence from 12 in- depth interviews and 6 focus group discussions across diverse groups, including hostels and suburban residents, municipal officials, and local leaders, to comprehensively capture their experiences and perceptions regarding the digitalisation of service delivery and governance. The research draws upon theoretical frameworks of governance, service delivery, and spatial inequality, particularly rooted in the literature of post-apartheid urban studies. The findings unearth a stark contrast in the delivery of basic services and governance structures between Thokoza and Bedfordview. In Thokoza, residents grapple with dilapidated infrastructure, unaddressed service delivery grievances, and a palpable sense of municipal neglect, leading to the emergence of community-driven solutions such as ‘ukubhatala ngaphakathi’ (internal community funding for repairs). Conversely, Bedfordview residents enjoy relatively swift municipal responses and robust digital engagement, underscoring a digital divide that further entrenches existing disparities. Notably, the digital gap is epitomised by the My COE App, a municipal digital initiative aimed at streamlining service delivery reporting, which inadvertently side lines residents in Thokoza due to limited digital access and literacy. The contribution of the study lies in its illumination of apartheid’s enduring spatial and socio-economic legacies on contemporary urban governance and service delivery, cautioning against the exclusionary impacts of technological advancements on marginalised populations.
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    Decoding the District Development Model to understand decentralised governance in South Africa
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Kgosinyane, Pogisho Godfrey; Abrahams, Caryn
    This thesis contributes to the literature on decentralisation and the intergovernmental relations framework. This contribution is relevant based on current scholarly debates on the contested idealised notions of decentralisation reforms, especially in developing countries such as those on the African continent. The thesis was concerned with exploring the institutional, political, and contextual factors of decentralised governance in South Africa. While much scholarly work on decentralisation in South Africa and on the African continent has been undertaken, new perspectives are needed. Firstly, decentralisation is often associated with normative views, for instance, the good governance perspective espoused by the Bretton Woods Institutions based on structural adjustments policies. Secondly, scholarly work tends to focus on an instrumentalist approach to decentralisation, which concerns itself with administration, delivery of services, and governance challenges at the local level. Thirdly, the political science approach focuses on the structural and social dimensions of decentralisation. This structural dimension considers the actions of political actors and society, which contends that decentralisation limits central states from subsuming all state power. However, this study outlines fundamental deficiencies in this argument by positing that constitutional imperatives on decentralisation do not necessarily constitute compliance. The study argues that political actors can exercise power outside formal, coded institutional structures such as the Constitution. Indeed, power often rests outside of formal intentions and plans if the diffuse realities of power are accepted. The approach of this thesis, however, is theory-driven. Through empirical evidence, this thesis provides insights into the complex power dynamics, the shifting governance, and volatile and contrasting outcomes inherent in decentralisation systems. The study found that while decentralisation in South Africa created new institutions and disperses power to the sub-national levels, it also, paradoxically, solidified power at the local level. These autonomous centres of power have led to an uncooperative, incoherent, multi-layered governance system that constrains rather than Pogisho Godfrey Kgosinyane Page ii 1535858 facilitates service delivery. Thus, decentralisation creates a window of opportunity for different actors to exercise their political power. The study adopted the District Development Model (DDM) as a case study to illuminate the governance interplay among the three spheres of government. The DDM is a multi-sphere development programme designed to improve service delivery and eliminate the pattern of operating in silos by the different levels of government. The study concludes that through the DDM, a new pattern of governance is emerging, altering central-local relations. The strong presence of the central government apparatus within the DDM suggests a process of recentralisation and reconfigured power relations. This thesis theorises that major changes in political and governance systems are not always violent or dramatic. Rather, these changes can be slow and subtle, masked as decentralisation while concealing centralisation tendencies, as revealed by this study. Further, this thesis argues that decentralisation is often fashioned on the premise that the political cultures of developing countries, such as South Africa, are mature enough to deal with the conflicting interests of political actors and institutional variations. The central argument of this thesis is that the conflict- avoiding negotiations during the Convention for a Democratic South Africa have accommodated starkly incongruous and incompatible political cultures, resulting in multiple power centres, thus effacing the claimed benefits of decentralisation. These insights were informed through a detailed case study approach employing face-to-face semi-structured interviews with participants from the three spheres of government.
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    Alternative resident-led governance in the housing sector: The case of Ruo Emoh, Cape Town
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Jacobs, Jevon; Abraha, Carynms
    Democratic South Africa’s inheritance of apartheid-imposed socio-spatial injustices created a deficiency in accessible housing for the poorer citizen. Despite attempts by the post-apartheid state’s enabling approach to address this issue, and its neoliberal ideology to transfer power to the citizen, housing shortages continue to grow. Housing delivery is ideally where individual aspirations and broader policy frameworks meet, and the integration of resident-centred initiatives and empowerment into the housing framework offers possible assistance. This possibility, therefore, questions whether a neoliberal government can truly enable resident- led housing action. Taking this further leads to questioning how citizens’ radical insurgent practices in the pursuit of socially just, adequate housing fare against state-led delivery. This thesis analyses housing policies, literature on neoliberalism, and resident-led self-help theory to evaluate the local case study of Ruo Emoh (‘our home’ backwards) in Mitchells Plain. Ruo Emoh is a medium density housing development spanning less than one hectare, accommodating 49 households. Behind it is a resident-led savings scheme initiated in 1995, with a 22-year trialling journey to ‘achieve’ (dis)satisfactory and (un)affordable freehold ownership. An important principle in this research approach is a focus on ‘ground-up’ processes, centred on the collective capabilities of residents. By arguing and discussing the neoliberal hegemonies over alternative citizenship practices, this research shifts the top- down delivery paradigm in the way housing is strategised in South Africa and identifies challenges that prohibit residents from assuming active – and recognised – roles in housing delivery. This thesis makes four central arguments, that: (i) the unfounded language-policy nexus systemically limits opportunity for the democratic mobilisation of citizens against the power-central state’s delivery; (ii) a detachist, silent corruptor state does not fulfil democratic participatory aspirations and debases citizen insurgency; (iii) citizen collectives attaining temporally goaled housing does not guarantee continued community nor sustained social capital wealth, and (iv) retrogressive state-provided housing does not meet the evolving infrastructural and place-making needs of residents. While self-help approaches are a start-to- an-end, resident-led processes can contribute positively to – but cannot lead – housing delivery, with an opportunity for residents to play an increased role in constructing houses, and subsequently meeting their contextualised needs. From these arguments, realising the concept of ‘mobilised residentship’ becomes important in formulating and upholding alternative resident-led governance. The investment of skills into residentship can perpetuate a process of self-help-driven, yet state-assisted delivery. In other words, addressing these pressures can form foundations for an alternative resident-led housing governance model and ensure a higher rate of success for mobilised residentship.
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    Factors contributing to transgressions in the procurement practices of state-owned entities (SOES): Eskom and Transnet
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Moloto, Bonolo; Setlhalogile, Matlala
    Public procurement is a vital process for governments and state-owned enterprises (SOEs) to procure essential goods and services. However, state capture and unethical practices have plagued it. The State Capture Commission Report highlighted issues such as poor governance, unethical conduct, and insufficient internal control systems. This has led to financial and operational challenges for SOEs, which heavily rely on state guarantees and bailouts. In South Africa, the government spends around R1 trillion annually on procurement, which represent 12% of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) (National Research Foundation, n.d.). The Auditor General (AG) report for the 2020/21 financial year reported that most SOEs had high balances of irregular expenditures. Transnet had the highest irregular expenditure, totalling R14.1 billion, followed by Eskom with R11.6 billion (Maeko, 2021). This study aimed to identify the underlying governance factors contributing to transgressions in SOE procurement practices and to provide remedial actions to prevent recurrence. Agency Theory was used to examine the identified issues, and a comprehensive literature review was conducted to investigate the underlying factors. The study found that failure to address these governance issues could lead to qualified audit opinions, issues of going concerns for SOEs as well as impact investments and public confidence. The study also revealed that the slow implementation of consequence management could foster a culture of noncompliance and accountability. The current South African public procurement system ca is characterised by political interference and cadre deployment, which undermines transparency, accountability, and good governance. Political appointments and cadre deployment in critical positions encourage wasteful spending, undermine governance, and promote dictatorship. Politicised boards and management in SOEs has led to an increasing prevalence of corruption. The AG, Standing Committee of Public Accounts (SCOPA), National Treasury (NT), Department of Public Enterprises (DPE), and the respective SOEs’ boards have been unable to conduct their oversight functions effectively due to their unwillingness to do the right thing and failure to establish robust preventative controls. The state's approach to board nomination lacks transparency, operates in an ad hoc manner, and is excessively politicised. iii Remedial actions to address these issues require a dedicated commitment from top leadership, fast implementation of corrective measures, and periodic monitoring and evaluation processes. Limiting political interference in the administration of remedial actions can enhance the effectiveness, fairness, and integrity of the anti-corruption process.