Intergovermental relations in road safety management

Abstract

Provision of integrated transport services, including road safety, is a concurrent competency of the national, provincial and local governments according to the Constitution of South Africa. Integrated transport services require the three spheres of government to coordinate their activities and work collaboratively to develop and deliver effective transport policy and services in the country. South Africa is ranked amongst the countries with the highest rate of fatalities due to road injuries. As a member of the United Nations, the country is a signatory to the United Nation’s Decade of Action for Road Safety 2020, which aims to significantly reduce the number of global road fatalities by the year 2020. The coordination of intergovernmental efforts is critical in achieving the global target. This research considers the factors that impede effective incorporation of cooperative and intergovernmental relations in management of road safety programmes in South Africa. This research study isolated and discussed a number of factors that impede the effective incorporation of intergovernmental relations in the management of road safety. The impediments to effective IGR in road safety management discussed in the study include the challenges posed by the legislation that governs IGR, the political and administrative challenges that are presented by the governance of different spheres by opposing political parties and the challenges of deficient capacity of the state to deliver services to the citizenry. The study also looks into challenges presented by IGR forums. The findings of this research indicate that IGR is a complex concept that requires skilled personnel, at both political and administrative levels, to ensure its incorporation into the management of road safety. There are a number of factors that need to be in sync for IGR to be effective and these include an enabling regulatory framework, streamlined forums, good relationship between politicians and the management and lastly, administrative capacity. Lacking in any of these factors renders IGR ineffective albeit at different degrees.