Decentralisation and recentralisation in South Africa's local government: case studies of two municipalities in Limpopo

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dc.article.end-page35
dc.article.start-page12
dc.contributor.authorChilenga-Butao, Thokozani
dc.date.accessioned2024-05-16T21:27:26Z
dc.date.available2024-05-16T21:27:26Z
dc.date.issued2020
dc.departmentDepartment of Political Studies
dc.description.abstractDemocratic decentralisation was introduced in South Africa during the transition to democracy (1990-1994). It followed a long trajectory of centralisation and decentralisation processes that took place during apartheid. This paper argues that in order to more adequately understand the prospects for decentralisation to achieve its intended outcomes in South African local government, one has to understand some of the complexities and political dynamics present in this sphere of government. In so doing, it shows that the intended outcomes of decentralisation are far from the realities of local government on the ground, specifically municipalities. Case studies of two Limpopo mining town municipalities, Lephalale and Mogalakwena, are used to demonstrate some of these complexities and political dynamics. The Mogalakwena case study will show that, despite the codification of recentralisation in the South African constitution, regional and political party elites misuse the policy to politically interfere in municipalities. The effects of this are that service delivery slows down and local government is subjected to localised national and provincial political battles. The Lephalale case study shows how the layers of decentralisation between apartheid and democracy have led to this municipality being dependent on private and parastatal mining companies for the provision of and access to public goods and services.
dc.description.librarianMM2024
dc.facultyFaculty of Humanities
dc.identifier.citationChilenga-Butao, T. (2020). Decentralisation and recentralisation in South Africa's local government: case studies of two municipalities in Limpopo. Transformation: Critical Perspectives on Southern Africa 103, 12-35. https://doi.org/10.1353/trn.2020.0011.
dc.identifier.doihttps://doi.org/10.1353/trn.2020.0011
dc.identifier.issnOnline ISSN 1726-1368
dc.identifier.issnPrint ISSN 0258-7696
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10539/38498
dc.journal.titleTransformation: Critical Perspectives on Southern Africa, Volume 103
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherPublished by Transformation
dc.relation.ispartofseriesVolume 103
dc.schoolSchool of Social Sciences
dc.subjectDemocratic decentralisation
dc.subjectSouth African local government
dc.subjectLimpopo mining town municipalities
dc.subjectLephalale
dc.subjectMogalakwena
dc.subjectAdministrative decentralisation
dc.subjectFiscal decentralisation
dc.subjectPolitical decentralisation
dc.subjectConstitution of the Republic of South Africa
dc.subjectMunicipal Structures Act, 1998
dc.subjectIntergovernmental Relations Framework Act, 2005
dc.titleDecentralisation and recentralisation in South Africa's local government: case studies of two municipalities in Limpopo
dc.typeArticle
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