The role of the National Archives and Records Service of South Africa in the young democracy
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Date
2014-02-17
Authors
Masimba, Yuba
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Abstract
The NARS is the body charged with the proper management and care of the
records of all public bodies in the South African public sector. it has been facing
steep challenges in pursuing this mandate. Factors such as a shortage of staff, lack
of space in the archival repository, and the inability to enforce compliance have
rendered NARS incapable of performing its tasks. The premise of this research
was based on the assumption that there is a neglect of NARS and record-keeping
function in the public sector. The purpose of the research was to gather evidence
of this claim and to understand the underlying reasons behind the neglect. A
qualitative methodology was used to collect and analyse data using a field study
design. The research revealed that NARS is unable to perform its duties in the
public sector because its function is not recognised as vital to the pursuance of
objectives in the public sector. Records are not valued due to the lack of priority
of basic administrative activities, which has resulted in the neglect of records
management. The study contends that the influence of the New Public
Management (NPM), particularly the aspect of management which focuses on
increasing the capacity of managers in order to enhance efficiency, has led to the
lack of prioritisation of basic but important administrative activities, records
management included.
Description
Thesis (M.M. (Research))--University of the Witwatersrand, Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, Graduate School of Business Administration, 2013.
Keywords
Archives, Records, Management, Public records, South Africa