The implementation of HIV/AIDS policies in local municipalities - a case study of Merafong city local municipality
Date
2020
Authors
Modiba, Khumo
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Abstract
The 2017-2022 National Strategic Plan is South Africa’s fourth generation Plan for HIV, TB
and STIs since the polarised politicisation over suitable responses to the management of the
epidemic. Over the years, AIDS policy planning has become relatively transparent and
equally consultative among state and non-state actors. Despite this, policy analysis on this
subject has predominantly been appraised at a national level with limited knowledge of how
the Plan is operationalised at a subnational level, where implementation has proven to be the
Achilles heel of policy. In this study, observational analyses together with interviews from a
sample of eleven practitioners were conducted to consider how the National Strategic Plan
cascades and translates into subnational plans, with a particular focus on Merafong City
Local Municipality. The method of triangulation validated the congruence of document
analysis with primary sources of data collected to ensure credibility and reliability. The
findings indicate that the HIV/AIDS policy approach is top-down with NSP goals structuring
implementation at the subnational level. However, challenges to implementation are
attributed to weak AIDS council structures, a missing HIV/AIDS Coordinator, lack of
political support for the HIV/AIDS programme, diminishing social behaviour change
interventions which are attributed to a spike in risky sexual behaviour and the absence of an
HIV/AIDS legislative framework to govern the country level response. Based on these
results, the paper argues that the HIV/AIDS policy environment in Merafong hampers the
development of a local plan and is not supportive of implementation that is responsive to the
epidemic in the locality
Description
A research report submitted in partial fulfilment of the degree of Master of Commerce (Development Theory and Policy) in the School of Economic and Business Sciences,
University of the Witwatersrand, 2020