Description
On this paper talk the 2010 turnaround strategy to strengthen developmental local government in south africa.
1
Title
The 2010 Turnaround Strategy to strengthen developmental local
government in South Africa: Aims, objectives and weaknesses of the
strategy.
Author: Derek Taylor
Institution:
Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University
Address: PO Box 77000, Port Elizabeth, South Africa, 6031
E-mail: [email protected]
Telephone: 27 415043812 (O) 27 0833211737 (Mobile)
2
Abstract
The primary purpose of this paper is to review the current challenges facing local
government structures in South Africa. This is done against the background of
the new “developmental” mandate that has been assigned to municipalities in an
effort to improve basic service delivery to communities. The new mandate was
perhaps viewed by many as a way of doing business differently with particular
emphasis on, inter alia, community consultation and participation. The main
theme of this paper is a review of the recently approved Local Government
Turnaround Strategy undertaken to further contextualise the challenges that
currently confront local government structures in South Africa. The importance of
community consultation and participation, as prescribed by a variety of legislative
prescriptions, are also highlighted in the paper.
It should be noted that as the Local Government Turnaround Strategy is a
relatively new initiative limited research appears to have been conducted on the
topic. The author of this paper has accordingly relied primarily on internet
sources.
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INTRODUCTION
The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, Act 108 of 1996, and the White
Paper on Local Government, 1998, contain specific prescriptions pertaining to
the need for enhanced community participation and consultation regarding local
government matters. In terms of new “developmental” local government
legislation such as, inter alia, the Local Government: Municipal Structures Act
117 of 1998, the Local Government: Municipal Systems Act 32 of 2000 and the
Local Government: Municipal Finance Management Act 56 of 2003, the
requirements for community participation are taken further.
Specific legislative prescription pertaining to the need for community consultation
and participation, particularly at the local sphere of government, are reviewed.
This is done against the background of the new developmental role assigned to
local government in South Africa which emphasises democratisation, citizen
participation and the empowerment of citizens and communities regarding local
government matters. In South Africa, ward committees are viewed as potential
structures to bridge the gap between local communities and their elected
representatives (councillors).
The South Africa government has made significant strides to ensure that
communities are able to enjoy an improved quality of life. Despite this, there
remain numerous problems that negatively influence service delivery such as
unemployment, brain drain leading to skills shortages, high crime rates and
poverty. All these problems were mainly caused by the one size fits all approach
that was adopted by the municipalities (White Paper on Local Government,
1998). Each municipality faces different social and economic conditions and has
different performance levels and support needs. Thus a more segmented and
differentiated approach was required to address the various challenges of
municipalities. This prompted the government to introduce the Local Government
Turnaround Strategy (LGTAS) to tackle the problems that each municipality
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faces. The notion of the Local Government Turnaround Strategy is that the
objectives would allow the various municipalities become developmental and
help to maximise the use of scarce resources.
The national government has acknowledged that the problems facing local
government structures are a result of internal and external factors over which
municipalities have limited control. The internal factors relate to issues such as
quality of decision-making by local government councilors, quality of
appointments, transparency in the tender and procurement systems and levels of
financial management and accountability. The external factors relate to the
revenue base and income generation potential, inappropriate legislation and
regulation, demographic patterns and trends, macro and micro economic
conditions, undue interference by political parties and weaknesses in national
policy, oversight and Inter-Governmental Relations (http://www.cogta.gov.za).
The LGTAS aims to rebuild and improve the basis requirements for a functional,
responsive, accountable, effective and efficient “developmental” local
government (http://www.foundation-development-africa.org).
As community consultation and participation are viewed as essentials in an effort
to achieve the aims and objectives of the new developmental mandate and Local
Government Turnaround Strategy, an overview of pertinent legislative
prescriptions pertaining to community consultation and participation, particularly
at the local government sphere, now follows.
LEGISLATIVE PRESCRIPTIONS PERTAINING TO PUBLIC CONSULTATION
AND PARTICIPATION
Shaidi (2007) states that the legacy of separate development (apartheid) in
South Africa is still visible in the segregated human settlement patterns, as well
as in the type and characteristics of municipal institutions. As such,
transformation from the former political era to the new democratic dispensation
5
requires an understanding of the historical role of local government in creating
and perpetuating local separation and inequality. Equally important is an
understanding of the impact that the policy of apartheid had on municipal
institutions as well as the history of resistance to apartheid local government
structures. Cloete (1996:13) states that from 1983 up to 10 May 1994, four
separate systems of local authorities (for Africans, coloureds, Indians, and
whites) were operating in all provinces of South Africa, each functioning on the
basis of segregated spatial development planning.
International experience has shown that citizen and community participation is an
essential part of effective and accountable local governance in South Africa
(Shaidi, 2007). The third sphere of government in South Africa can be regarded
as being the closest to communities and in terms of the new developmental
mandate assigned to it, public consultation and participation are of particular
importance. The following legislation is of importance in this regard. However, a
brief overview will be provided on selected Acts for purposes of this paper:
? The Freedom Charter adopted by the Congress of the People in Klip
Town, near Johannesburg in 1955;
? The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa Act 108 of 1996;
? The White Paper on Local Government, 1998;
? The Local Government: Municipal Structures Act, 117 of 1998;
? The Local Government: Municipal Demarcation Act, 27 of 1998;
? The Local Government: Municipal Electoral Act, 27 of 2000;
? The Local Government: Municipal Systems Act, 32 of 2000; and
? The Local Government: Municipal Finance Management Act, 56 of 2003.
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PUBLIC PARTICIPATION PROVISIONS CONTAINED IN THE WHITE PAPER
ON LOCAL GOVERNMENT, 1998.
The White Paper on Local Government, 1998 (Government Gazette, Vol. 18739,
13 March 1998) is based on the following premise:
? That apartheid had fundamentally damaged the spatial, social and
economic environments in which people live, work, raise families, and
seek to fulfill their aspirations; and
? That local government consequently has a critical role to play in rebuilding
local communities and environments, as the basis for a democratic,
integrated, prosperous and truly non-racial society.
As such, the White Paper on Local Government, 1998, examined the state of
local government at the time (1998) and made several recommendations.
Amongst these recommendations was the need to promulgate legislation that
would promote a new mandate for local government through public consultation
and participation. In terms of Section B of the White Paper on Local
Government, 1998, developmental local government is defined as local
government committed to working with citizens and groups within the community
to find sustainable ways to meet their social, economic and material needs and
improve the quality of their lives. In order to realise the concept of developmental
local government, Section B of the White Paper, 1998, stipulates the following
key components:
? Characteristics of developmental local government;
? Developmental outcomes of local government, and
? Tools and approaches for developmental local government.
The characteristics of developmental local government are prescribed as:
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? Maximizing social development and economic growth;
? Integrating and coordinating;
? Democratising development, empowering and redistributing; and
? Leading and learning.
With regard to democratising development, the White Paper on Local
Government, 1998, requires that municipal councillors should promote the
involvement of citizens and community groups in the design and delivery of
municipal programmes. It can therefore be argued that developmental local
government hinges on public consultation and participation. The White Paper on
Local Government, 1998, prescribes the provision of household infrastructure
and services, creation of livable, integrated cities, towns and rural areas and
promotes local economic development as the outcomes expected of local
government, in the context of a developmental state. The White Paper further
provides for the following tools and approaches for developmental local
government:
? Integrated Development Planning (IDP), budgeting and performance
monitoring;
? Performance management, and
? Working together with local citizens and partners.
One of the strengths of integrated development planning is that it recognises the
linkages between development, service delivery and democracy. The White
Paper on Local Government, 1998, requires municipalities to enhance public
consultation and participation at four levels, namely:
i) As voters, to ensure maximum democratic accountability of the elected
political leadership for the policies they are empowered to promote;
ii) As citizens who express, via various stakeholder associations, their
views before, during and after the policy development process in order
8
to ensure that policies reflect community preferences as far as
possible;
iii) As consumers and end-users, who expect value-for-money, affordable
services and courteous and responsive service; and
iv) As organised partners involved in the mobilisation of resources for
development via for-profit businesses, non-governmental organisations
(NGOs) and community-based institutions.
It is clear from the above that public participation takes place on four levels: the
public as voters; as citizens, as consumers and as organised partners in
development. It can be argued that as The White Paper on Local Government,
1998, was not an Act of Parliament it did not have the full force of law required to
enforce its provisions. Public participation structures such as ward committees
could not be established on the strength of the White Paper alone. As a result,
additional developmental legislation had to be promulgated to give effect to, inter
alia, strengthening community consultation and participation (Shaidi, 2007). A
brief review of selective legislative prescriptions pertaining to consultation and
participation by local communities now follows:
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION IN TERMS OF THE MUNICIPAL DEMARCATION
ACT, 27 OF 1998.
The Local Government: Municipal Demarcation Act, 27 of 1998, was
promulgated on 3 July 1998 to provide for criteria and procedures for the
determination of municipal boundaries by an independent authority. The Act can
be seen as developmental legislation that gives effect to provisions contained in
the White Paper on Local Government, 1998, published on 13 March 1998. The
Act also gives effect to the provisions of Chapter 7 of the Constitution of the
Republic of South Africa, 1996. In terms of Section 24(a) (i), one of the
objectives of the Municipal Demarcation Act is the provision of democratic and
accountable government for local communities. Sections 26(1) (b) and 28(1) both
9
provide for the involvement of the public in the demarcation process. As such, it
is evident that the Municipal Demarcation Act is “developmental” legislation as it
encourages public consultation and participation in matters of local government.
It should, however, be noted that the Act is not clear or specific as to the role of
ward committees in the demarcation process. The Act also makes it optional, in
terms of Section 28(1) for the Demarcation Board to hold public meetings during
the municipal demarcation process. Shaidi (2007) states that after the public
demarcation unrest experienced in Khutsong Township during the period leading
up to the local government elections of 1 March 2006, it was recommended that
government should consider amending the Act to make it mandatory for the
Demarcation Board to consult with the public prior to the demarcation of a
particular municipality.
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION PROVISIONS IN TERMS OF THE MUNICIPAL
STRUCTURES ACT, 117 OF 1998.
Because local government is regarded as the sphere of government closest to
communities, the core of related legislation is to establish measures to ensure
that citizens give input into the decisions that local municipalities make. The
Local Government: Municipal Structures Act, 117 of 1998, was the first
developmental legislation that dealt in specific terms with the structures and
processes required to effect public consultation and participation in the Republic
of South Africa.
In terms of Section 72 of Act 117 of 1998, only metropolitan and local
municipalities of certain types may have ward committees. This means that there
are a number of municipalities that need to develop public participation
mechanisms other than the ward committee participatory system. In terms of
Section 72(3) of the Act, the object of a ward committee is to enhance
participatory democracy in local government. This, in practice, is carried out
through public participation and consultation. According to Section 72(1) of the
10
Act, only metropolitan and local municipalities of the types mentioned in Sections
8(c), (d), (g), (h) and 9(b), (d), (f) of the Act may have ward committees.
Four important deductions related to ward committees can be made, viz:
? The object of ward committees is to enhance public participation and
consultation in matters of local government;
? Ward committees are structured communication channels between local
government and its communities;
? Ward committee members, with the exception of the ward councillor, are
community representatives who perform their duties on a voluntary basis;
and
? Although the Act empowers the metro to dissolve a ward committee that
fails to fulfill its objectives, it does not provide for a monitoring and
evaluation system required to measure performance indicators.
In the section that follows, an overview of the Local Government Turnaround
Strategy is undertaken against the background for enhanced service delivery by
municipalities.
DEFINITION AND NATURE OF THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT TURNAROUND
STRATEGY.
The Local Government Turnaround Strategy Report (November, 2009:4) defines
it as a country-wide programme created by the government to mobilize all of
government and society to embark upon a concentrated effort to deal with the
factors undermining Local government and aiming at restoring good performance
in the country’s municipalities. It is a high level government- wide response on a
path of responsive and accountable service delivery (www.led.co.za). The Local
Government Turnaround Strategy (LGTAS) applies largely to those forces
undermining local government, including those municipalities who have evidence
11
of performance failures or difficult social and economic circumstances to
manage.
AIMS AND DEVELOPMENTAL OBJECTIVES OF THE LGTAS
The strategy recommends a number of adjustments and reforms in the
leadership, policy, regulatory and oversight environments of municipalities (Local
Government Turnaround Strategy Report, 2009). It appears that the logic behind
the strategy is for government to turn struggling municipalities around and to
successfully execute basic service delivery mandates. Taken further the LGTAS
Report (2009) encourages communities to rise to the challenge of ensuring that
municipalities become sites of excellence and are led and staffed politically and
administratively with office bearers and public officials who are responsive,
accountable, efficient, effective and conduct their duties with civic pride. The
LGTAS is premised on the primary assumption that municipalities should be
everyone’s business and that they should be “owned” across society and be
made to work better for everyone by everyone.
It is proposed that the ultimate aims and objectives for municipalities in terms of
the LGTAS and the Local Government : Municipal System’s Act 32 of 2000 are to
provide democratic and accountable government for local communities, to build
clean, responsive and accountable government, to renew the vision of
developmental local government, to be responsive to the needs of the local
people, to ensure municipalities meet the basic needs of communities, to
improve the organizational and political performance of municipalities and in turn
the improved delivery of services, to ensure the provision of services to
communities in a sustainable manner, to promote social and economic
development, to encourage the involvement of communities and organisations in
the matters of local government, to strengthen partnerships between local
government, communities and civil society, to facilitate a culture of public service
and accountability amongst its staff, to assign clear responsibility for the
management and co-ordination of the administrative units and mechanisms, to
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aim at restoring the confidence of the majority of the citizens on public activities
and local government affairs.
Taken further the LGTAS (2009) requires that all municipalities are expected to
provide household infrastructure and services; to create a livable, integrated and
inclusive cities, towns and rural areas; to improve functionality, performance and
professionalism in municipality administration, to promote local economic
development, to foster community participation and consultation as well as
community empowerment and distribution and to create a healthy environment in
which vulnerable groups are supported and protected. Municipalities are also
required to mitigate the growing social distance between government and
communities, if any, and to plan and manage their built in environment in ways
that promote social cohesion, inclusive growth and sustainable development
(LGTAS, 2009).
Certain authors hold the view that while the LGTAS in itself cannot be faulted, it
is the successful implementation thereof that, at this stage, is still in doubt
(Venter and Landsberg, 2011: 151).
PROBLEMS THAT CONTRIBUTED TO THE INTRODUCTION OF THE LGTAS.
For purposes of this paper the following challenges are proposed as reasons that
led to the introduction of the Local Government Turnaround Strategy. These
challenges are based on information provided by an official government website
(www.dplg.gov.za):
1. Insufficient human and financial capacity to deliver on constitutional and legal
mandates and on citizen expectations.
2. Certain municipalities have failed to manage their powers and functions and
related responsibilities because of over-complexity in the system.
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3. Little positive impact on coordinated and cooperative governance through
either national inter-governmental systems, political leadership, Inter-
Governmental Forums, sector engagements which led to instability between
spheres of government and a lack of governance or policy coherence.
4. Weak oversight, supervision, support, intervention mechanisms across
government which led to weak council leadership and oversight over their
administrations in the best interests of certain municipalities;
5. Opportunities for fraud and corruption, poor ethical behaviour, poor values,
weak accountability frameworks and political factionalism which can result in
territorial economic elites.
6. Break-down of local democracy and community alienation resulting in
community protests and a possible breakdown in trust between government and
local communities. Challenges pertaining to weak community consultation and
participation are also mentioned.
7. Weak economic growth and opportunity, particularly in small towns and rural
as and weak integrative focus between Integrated Development Plans and Local
Economic Development Plans.
8. Uneven response to demands of rural and urban environments: No policy
focus on extraordinary measures to address funding and delivery capacity
requirements.
9. Insufficient revenue base generation, that is, the ratio between the demand for
services and the amount of revenue generated that is unsustainable.
14
It should be noted that the 283 municipalities in South Africa have different
capacities and are faced with different social and economic challenges.
Depending on the different challenges it will be necessary for the municipalities
to focus on those responsibilities that they are able to deliver on. This would
mean that certain municipalities ought to focus on a smaller set of functions while
other municipalities could extend their focus. In order to determine the level and
kind of support needed from the National and Provincial spheres of government
and other stakeholders to achieve the ideal municipality, the different capacities
and circumstances of municipalities need to be taken into account (Local
Government Turnaround Strategy, 2009:6).
OBJECTIVES OF THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT TURNAROUND STRATEGY
The following five strategic objectives of the LGTAS are proposed by the South
African government (www.dplg.gov.za) and echoed by Venter and Landsberg
(2011:151):
1. To ensure that municipalities meet basic needs of communities. This
implies that an environment is created, support provided and systems built
to accelerate quality service delivery within the context of each
municipality’s conditions and needs;
2. To build clean, responsive and accountable local government. Make sure
that systems and structures and procedures are developed and enforced
to deal with corruption, maladministration and ensure that municipalities
communicate and account more to communities;
3. To improve functionality, performance and professionalism in
municipalities and ensure that the core administrative and institutional
systems are in place and are operational to improve performance;
15
4. To improve national and provincial policy, support and oversight to local
government.; and
5. To strengthen partnerships between local government, communities and
civil society. Ensure that communities and other development partners are
mobilized to partner with municipalities in service delivery and
development.
Kahn, Madue and Kalema (2011:115) state that according to prescriptions in the
1996 Constitution, the key objective of Inter-governmental Relations in South
Africa is to ensure a system in which all three spheres of government operate
together to provide a coherent approach to service delivery, development and the
entrenchment of democracy. While this has been the ideal of the IGR in post-
apartheid South Africa, the reality is that this objective has not been realized to
the extent envisaged either by the drafters of the Constitution or the government
in power. It is proposed that the inherent weaknesses in the IGR system are
best illustrated in relation to the shortcomings of local government which, taken
as a whole, is failing to deliver services to the expectations of the general
population (Kahn et al, 2011:115).
Against the above background the following key interventions are proposed by
the current government to achieve the above five strategic objectives
(www.dplg.gov.za):
? National Government (including state enterprises) should be better
organised in relation to Local Government;
? Provinces should improve their support and oversight responsibilities over
local government institutions;
? Municipalities must reflect on their own performance and identify their
own tailor-made turnaround strategies;
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? All three spheres of government should, in practice, improve Inter-
Governmental Relations (IGR);
? Political parties promote and enhance the institutional integrity of
municipalities; and
? A social contract on local government should be instituted where all
citizens, including public officials at all levels, those in the private sector,
trade unions, professional bodies and traditional leaders are guided in
their actions and involvement by a common set of governance values.
THE PERCIEVED ADVANTAGES OF THE TURNAROUND STRATEGY
As highlighted in the Report on The Local Government Turnaround Strategy
(2009: 5 & 11) the strategy has certain salient recommendations to commend,
such as:
1. Understanding differences between various categories of municipalities
which in turn should assist municipalities to reflect on their respective
strengths and weaknesses and to take responsibility for identifying and
managing appropriate interventions;
2. Recognising that a “one fits all” approach is neither realistic nor desirable;
3. To implement a comprehensive but differentiated programmes of action
that will reach the objective of ensuring that all municipalities meet the
basic service needs of communities;
4. Proposes enhanced support interventions from the national and provincial
spheres of government with further assistance from other well- performing
municipalities;
5. Proposes improved effectiveness in performance and professionalism in
public administrative practices at all spheres of government;
17
6. Aims for clean and effective governmental structures;
7. Requires that partnerships between local government, communities and
civil society be strengthened;
8. Aims for prompt service delivery, financial viability, local economic
development and good governance, especially at the local sphere of
government;
9. Aims at eradicating backlogs relating to service delivery and to facilitate
improved local economic growth; and
10. Encourages innovative ways and more lateral thinking on how to do
things. This implies a strategy of “thinking out of the box” at times.
Boraine (2010) states that the focus by the national government on local
government is to be welcomed. It is after all the sphere of government that has
the greatest impact on the day-to-day lives of local communities. Of equal
importance is the stated abandonment of a “one size fits all” approach that has
predominated government thinking for the past 15 years. Boraine (2010) further
states that the adoption of a different approach means that the governance of
metropolitan areas which are the engine rooms of the South African economy as
well as areas of growing poverty and unemployment, can finally be taken
seriously. According to Boraine (2010), the jury is still out on whether the
government’s new local government strategy is going to succeed when previous
attempts, such as Project Consolidate, did not appear to have much of an
impact.
POSSIBLE WEAKNESSES RELATED TO THE LGTAS.
Mbele (2010) and Blake (2010) propose that the following could be potential
weaknesses of the LGTAS:
18
1. The implementation of the strategy will require resources, flexibility and
innovative thinking, which many municipalities are lacking;
2. Poor generic work ethics amongst certain government officials;
3. Structures such as ward committees and community development
workers, to enhance community participation, could pose a problem to the
strategy because they are often not encouraged or enforced;
4. Intolerance of opposition by certain local municipalities could impact
negatively on the proposed strategy;
5. Leadership and bureaucratic insecurity and the inexperience of many
public functionaries could pose a serious threat to its effective
implementation;
6. Poor capacity enhancement programmes at the sphere of local
government; and
7. Lack of a dedicated resource base and adequate capacity building
programmes.
It is further proposed that additional areas where the strategy appears to be weak
are its silence on the question of the approaches to be undertaken by
municipalities to manage diversity, global climate change, increasing
urbanisation problems, technology, research and training as well as the question
of management of change, management of conflict and information control. The
above points are important in relation to successful service delivery (Blundel and
Murdock, 1997: 94). Schwella, Burger, Fox and Muller (1996: 80) highlight the
problems of insufficient resources, problems of capacity building in many
municipalities, problems of implementation, accountability, transparency, too
much bureaucracy as well as a lack of control, monitoring and evaluation
measures by certain municipalities. Blake (2010) states that certain
municipalities appear to be run in an authoritative management style by the ruling
party thus undermining participatory development management; which is not in
19
keeping with prescriptions contained in “developmental” local government
legislation. Taken further there appears to be in certain government
departments and municipalities what Cloete (1996: 48) and Blake (2010)
describe as kleptocracy, lawlessness, patronage, payoffs, kick-backs, phony
contracts and nepotism. The LGTAS seems to be relatively quiet on such
activities, which is of concern. It also appears to be silent on the concerns of
rural local economic development as the strategy mostly addresses the dynamics
of urban municipalities.
Conclusion
As stated by Mbele (2010), the legislative configuration in respect of the
separation of powers between governance and administration has created a
fertile ground for the politicization of administration. Clear guidelines on the
delegation of authority must be reviewed to address gaps so that administration
and its associated powers are articulated. It is difficult to design effective
performance management system in the absence of a tight delegation
framework. The issues raised and the recent spate of protests signals systemic
and structural challenges. The pronouncement of their own municipal turnaround
strategies without addressing systemic issues can only lead to compliance
without material differences – service delivery is about ensuring material
difference in the lives of the communities (Mbele, 2010).
The LGTAS clearly aims to restore the confidence of local communities in their
respective municipalities’ abilities to deliver services as part of a developmental
state approach. This is especially true in light of the numerous and often violent
protest action that appears to be on the increase in South Africa because of poor
service delivery by certain municipalities. As Mbele (2010) states any strategy
has resource implications and therefore the impending municipal turnarounds are
no exception. For the strategies to be effective municipalities must implement
measures aimed at boosting income. Financial viability cannot be divorced from
20
vigorous revenue in the form of local rates. It is against this background that the
Local Government Turnaround Strategy will possibly face its greatest challenge
in terms of meeting its aims and objectives.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Blake, M. 2010. Local Government today; can the ANC turn the crisis around?
Paper presented to the APF Conference, 6-7 March 2010.
Blundel, B and Murdock, A. 1997. Managing in the Public Sector. Great Britain:
Biddles Ltd.
Cloete, J.J.N. 1996. Accountable Government and Administration for the
Republic of South Africa. Pretoria: J.L. van Schaik Publishers.
Craythorne, D. C. 1997. Municipal Administration, a Handbook. Cape Town:
Juta Publishers.
Kahn, S., Madue, S and Kalema, R. 2011. Intergovernmental Relations in South
Africa. Pretoria: J.L. Van Schaik Publishers.
Schwella, E., Burger, J., Fox, W and Muller, J.J. 1996. Public Resource
Management. Cape Town: Juta Publishers.
Shaidi, EW. 2007. An investigation of the role of Motherwell Ward Committees
in influencing community participation for the period 2000 to 2006: Motherwell,
Nelson Mandela Bay. Unpublished treatise for the MPA Degree, Faculty of Arts,
Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, Port Elizabeth, South Africa.
21
Venter, A. and Landsberg, C. 2011. Government and politics in South Africa.
Pretoria: J.L. Van Schaick Publishers.
South Africa. November 2009. The Local Government Turnaround Strategy
Report. Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs.
Pretoria: Government
South Africa. 2003. Local Government: Municipal Finance Management Act, 56
of 2003. Pretoria: Government Printers.
South Africa. 2000. Local Government: Municipal Systems Act, 32 of 2000.
Pretoria: Government Printers.
South Africa. 2000. Local Government: Municipal Electoral Act, 27 of 2000.
South Africa. 1998. Local Government: Municipal Structures Act, 117 of 1998.
Pretoria: Government Printers.
South Africa. 1998. Local Government: Municipal Demarcation Act, 27 of 1998.
South Africa. 1998. The White Paper on Local Government. Pretoria:
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South Africa. Government Gazette, Volume 425, 20 November. Cape Town.
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1996. Pretoria: Government Printers.
Internet
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Inter-governmental relations. http://www.cogta.gov.za. (Accessed on
15.03.2011).
Local Government Turnaround Strategy. http://.www.dplg.gov.za. (Accessed on
17.03.2011).
Local Government Turnaround Strategy by Boraine, A.
http://www.andrewboraine.com. (Accessed on 13.04.2011).
Turnaround Strategy Implication for Municipalities by Mbele. N.
http://www.regenesys.co.za. (Accessed on 07.04.2011).
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(Accessed on 28.02.2011).
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Local Government Turnaround Strategy Report. http://www.foundation-
development. Africa.org- turnaround strategy. (Accessed on 03.04.2011)
23
doc_412116461.pdf
On this paper talk the 2010 turnaround strategy to strengthen developmental local government in south africa.
1
Title
The 2010 Turnaround Strategy to strengthen developmental local
government in South Africa: Aims, objectives and weaknesses of the
strategy.
Author: Derek Taylor
Institution:
Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University
Address: PO Box 77000, Port Elizabeth, South Africa, 6031
E-mail: [email protected]
Telephone: 27 415043812 (O) 27 0833211737 (Mobile)
2
Abstract
The primary purpose of this paper is to review the current challenges facing local
government structures in South Africa. This is done against the background of
the new “developmental” mandate that has been assigned to municipalities in an
effort to improve basic service delivery to communities. The new mandate was
perhaps viewed by many as a way of doing business differently with particular
emphasis on, inter alia, community consultation and participation. The main
theme of this paper is a review of the recently approved Local Government
Turnaround Strategy undertaken to further contextualise the challenges that
currently confront local government structures in South Africa. The importance of
community consultation and participation, as prescribed by a variety of legislative
prescriptions, are also highlighted in the paper.
It should be noted that as the Local Government Turnaround Strategy is a
relatively new initiative limited research appears to have been conducted on the
topic. The author of this paper has accordingly relied primarily on internet
sources.
3
INTRODUCTION
The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, Act 108 of 1996, and the White
Paper on Local Government, 1998, contain specific prescriptions pertaining to
the need for enhanced community participation and consultation regarding local
government matters. In terms of new “developmental” local government
legislation such as, inter alia, the Local Government: Municipal Structures Act
117 of 1998, the Local Government: Municipal Systems Act 32 of 2000 and the
Local Government: Municipal Finance Management Act 56 of 2003, the
requirements for community participation are taken further.
Specific legislative prescription pertaining to the need for community consultation
and participation, particularly at the local sphere of government, are reviewed.
This is done against the background of the new developmental role assigned to
local government in South Africa which emphasises democratisation, citizen
participation and the empowerment of citizens and communities regarding local
government matters. In South Africa, ward committees are viewed as potential
structures to bridge the gap between local communities and their elected
representatives (councillors).
The South Africa government has made significant strides to ensure that
communities are able to enjoy an improved quality of life. Despite this, there
remain numerous problems that negatively influence service delivery such as
unemployment, brain drain leading to skills shortages, high crime rates and
poverty. All these problems were mainly caused by the one size fits all approach
that was adopted by the municipalities (White Paper on Local Government,
1998). Each municipality faces different social and economic conditions and has
different performance levels and support needs. Thus a more segmented and
differentiated approach was required to address the various challenges of
municipalities. This prompted the government to introduce the Local Government
Turnaround Strategy (LGTAS) to tackle the problems that each municipality
4
faces. The notion of the Local Government Turnaround Strategy is that the
objectives would allow the various municipalities become developmental and
help to maximise the use of scarce resources.
The national government has acknowledged that the problems facing local
government structures are a result of internal and external factors over which
municipalities have limited control. The internal factors relate to issues such as
quality of decision-making by local government councilors, quality of
appointments, transparency in the tender and procurement systems and levels of
financial management and accountability. The external factors relate to the
revenue base and income generation potential, inappropriate legislation and
regulation, demographic patterns and trends, macro and micro economic
conditions, undue interference by political parties and weaknesses in national
policy, oversight and Inter-Governmental Relations (http://www.cogta.gov.za).
The LGTAS aims to rebuild and improve the basis requirements for a functional,
responsive, accountable, effective and efficient “developmental” local
government (http://www.foundation-development-africa.org).
As community consultation and participation are viewed as essentials in an effort
to achieve the aims and objectives of the new developmental mandate and Local
Government Turnaround Strategy, an overview of pertinent legislative
prescriptions pertaining to community consultation and participation, particularly
at the local government sphere, now follows.
LEGISLATIVE PRESCRIPTIONS PERTAINING TO PUBLIC CONSULTATION
AND PARTICIPATION
Shaidi (2007) states that the legacy of separate development (apartheid) in
South Africa is still visible in the segregated human settlement patterns, as well
as in the type and characteristics of municipal institutions. As such,
transformation from the former political era to the new democratic dispensation
5
requires an understanding of the historical role of local government in creating
and perpetuating local separation and inequality. Equally important is an
understanding of the impact that the policy of apartheid had on municipal
institutions as well as the history of resistance to apartheid local government
structures. Cloete (1996:13) states that from 1983 up to 10 May 1994, four
separate systems of local authorities (for Africans, coloureds, Indians, and
whites) were operating in all provinces of South Africa, each functioning on the
basis of segregated spatial development planning.
International experience has shown that citizen and community participation is an
essential part of effective and accountable local governance in South Africa
(Shaidi, 2007). The third sphere of government in South Africa can be regarded
as being the closest to communities and in terms of the new developmental
mandate assigned to it, public consultation and participation are of particular
importance. The following legislation is of importance in this regard. However, a
brief overview will be provided on selected Acts for purposes of this paper:
? The Freedom Charter adopted by the Congress of the People in Klip
Town, near Johannesburg in 1955;
? The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa Act 108 of 1996;
? The White Paper on Local Government, 1998;
? The Local Government: Municipal Structures Act, 117 of 1998;
? The Local Government: Municipal Demarcation Act, 27 of 1998;
? The Local Government: Municipal Electoral Act, 27 of 2000;
? The Local Government: Municipal Systems Act, 32 of 2000; and
? The Local Government: Municipal Finance Management Act, 56 of 2003.
6
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION PROVISIONS CONTAINED IN THE WHITE PAPER
ON LOCAL GOVERNMENT, 1998.
The White Paper on Local Government, 1998 (Government Gazette, Vol. 18739,
13 March 1998) is based on the following premise:
? That apartheid had fundamentally damaged the spatial, social and
economic environments in which people live, work, raise families, and
seek to fulfill their aspirations; and
? That local government consequently has a critical role to play in rebuilding
local communities and environments, as the basis for a democratic,
integrated, prosperous and truly non-racial society.
As such, the White Paper on Local Government, 1998, examined the state of
local government at the time (1998) and made several recommendations.
Amongst these recommendations was the need to promulgate legislation that
would promote a new mandate for local government through public consultation
and participation. In terms of Section B of the White Paper on Local
Government, 1998, developmental local government is defined as local
government committed to working with citizens and groups within the community
to find sustainable ways to meet their social, economic and material needs and
improve the quality of their lives. In order to realise the concept of developmental
local government, Section B of the White Paper, 1998, stipulates the following
key components:
? Characteristics of developmental local government;
? Developmental outcomes of local government, and
? Tools and approaches for developmental local government.
The characteristics of developmental local government are prescribed as:
7
? Maximizing social development and economic growth;
? Integrating and coordinating;
? Democratising development, empowering and redistributing; and
? Leading and learning.
With regard to democratising development, the White Paper on Local
Government, 1998, requires that municipal councillors should promote the
involvement of citizens and community groups in the design and delivery of
municipal programmes. It can therefore be argued that developmental local
government hinges on public consultation and participation. The White Paper on
Local Government, 1998, prescribes the provision of household infrastructure
and services, creation of livable, integrated cities, towns and rural areas and
promotes local economic development as the outcomes expected of local
government, in the context of a developmental state. The White Paper further
provides for the following tools and approaches for developmental local
government:
? Integrated Development Planning (IDP), budgeting and performance
monitoring;
? Performance management, and
? Working together with local citizens and partners.
One of the strengths of integrated development planning is that it recognises the
linkages between development, service delivery and democracy. The White
Paper on Local Government, 1998, requires municipalities to enhance public
consultation and participation at four levels, namely:
i) As voters, to ensure maximum democratic accountability of the elected
political leadership for the policies they are empowered to promote;
ii) As citizens who express, via various stakeholder associations, their
views before, during and after the policy development process in order
8
to ensure that policies reflect community preferences as far as
possible;
iii) As consumers and end-users, who expect value-for-money, affordable
services and courteous and responsive service; and
iv) As organised partners involved in the mobilisation of resources for
development via for-profit businesses, non-governmental organisations
(NGOs) and community-based institutions.
It is clear from the above that public participation takes place on four levels: the
public as voters; as citizens, as consumers and as organised partners in
development. It can be argued that as The White Paper on Local Government,
1998, was not an Act of Parliament it did not have the full force of law required to
enforce its provisions. Public participation structures such as ward committees
could not be established on the strength of the White Paper alone. As a result,
additional developmental legislation had to be promulgated to give effect to, inter
alia, strengthening community consultation and participation (Shaidi, 2007). A
brief review of selective legislative prescriptions pertaining to consultation and
participation by local communities now follows:
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION IN TERMS OF THE MUNICIPAL DEMARCATION
ACT, 27 OF 1998.
The Local Government: Municipal Demarcation Act, 27 of 1998, was
promulgated on 3 July 1998 to provide for criteria and procedures for the
determination of municipal boundaries by an independent authority. The Act can
be seen as developmental legislation that gives effect to provisions contained in
the White Paper on Local Government, 1998, published on 13 March 1998. The
Act also gives effect to the provisions of Chapter 7 of the Constitution of the
Republic of South Africa, 1996. In terms of Section 24(a) (i), one of the
objectives of the Municipal Demarcation Act is the provision of democratic and
accountable government for local communities. Sections 26(1) (b) and 28(1) both
9
provide for the involvement of the public in the demarcation process. As such, it
is evident that the Municipal Demarcation Act is “developmental” legislation as it
encourages public consultation and participation in matters of local government.
It should, however, be noted that the Act is not clear or specific as to the role of
ward committees in the demarcation process. The Act also makes it optional, in
terms of Section 28(1) for the Demarcation Board to hold public meetings during
the municipal demarcation process. Shaidi (2007) states that after the public
demarcation unrest experienced in Khutsong Township during the period leading
up to the local government elections of 1 March 2006, it was recommended that
government should consider amending the Act to make it mandatory for the
Demarcation Board to consult with the public prior to the demarcation of a
particular municipality.
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION PROVISIONS IN TERMS OF THE MUNICIPAL
STRUCTURES ACT, 117 OF 1998.
Because local government is regarded as the sphere of government closest to
communities, the core of related legislation is to establish measures to ensure
that citizens give input into the decisions that local municipalities make. The
Local Government: Municipal Structures Act, 117 of 1998, was the first
developmental legislation that dealt in specific terms with the structures and
processes required to effect public consultation and participation in the Republic
of South Africa.
In terms of Section 72 of Act 117 of 1998, only metropolitan and local
municipalities of certain types may have ward committees. This means that there
are a number of municipalities that need to develop public participation
mechanisms other than the ward committee participatory system. In terms of
Section 72(3) of the Act, the object of a ward committee is to enhance
participatory democracy in local government. This, in practice, is carried out
through public participation and consultation. According to Section 72(1) of the
10
Act, only metropolitan and local municipalities of the types mentioned in Sections
8(c), (d), (g), (h) and 9(b), (d), (f) of the Act may have ward committees.
Four important deductions related to ward committees can be made, viz:
? The object of ward committees is to enhance public participation and
consultation in matters of local government;
? Ward committees are structured communication channels between local
government and its communities;
? Ward committee members, with the exception of the ward councillor, are
community representatives who perform their duties on a voluntary basis;
and
? Although the Act empowers the metro to dissolve a ward committee that
fails to fulfill its objectives, it does not provide for a monitoring and
evaluation system required to measure performance indicators.
In the section that follows, an overview of the Local Government Turnaround
Strategy is undertaken against the background for enhanced service delivery by
municipalities.
DEFINITION AND NATURE OF THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT TURNAROUND
STRATEGY.
The Local Government Turnaround Strategy Report (November, 2009:4) defines
it as a country-wide programme created by the government to mobilize all of
government and society to embark upon a concentrated effort to deal with the
factors undermining Local government and aiming at restoring good performance
in the country’s municipalities. It is a high level government- wide response on a
path of responsive and accountable service delivery (www.led.co.za). The Local
Government Turnaround Strategy (LGTAS) applies largely to those forces
undermining local government, including those municipalities who have evidence
11
of performance failures or difficult social and economic circumstances to
manage.
AIMS AND DEVELOPMENTAL OBJECTIVES OF THE LGTAS
The strategy recommends a number of adjustments and reforms in the
leadership, policy, regulatory and oversight environments of municipalities (Local
Government Turnaround Strategy Report, 2009). It appears that the logic behind
the strategy is for government to turn struggling municipalities around and to
successfully execute basic service delivery mandates. Taken further the LGTAS
Report (2009) encourages communities to rise to the challenge of ensuring that
municipalities become sites of excellence and are led and staffed politically and
administratively with office bearers and public officials who are responsive,
accountable, efficient, effective and conduct their duties with civic pride. The
LGTAS is premised on the primary assumption that municipalities should be
everyone’s business and that they should be “owned” across society and be
made to work better for everyone by everyone.
It is proposed that the ultimate aims and objectives for municipalities in terms of
the LGTAS and the Local Government : Municipal System’s Act 32 of 2000 are to
provide democratic and accountable government for local communities, to build
clean, responsive and accountable government, to renew the vision of
developmental local government, to be responsive to the needs of the local
people, to ensure municipalities meet the basic needs of communities, to
improve the organizational and political performance of municipalities and in turn
the improved delivery of services, to ensure the provision of services to
communities in a sustainable manner, to promote social and economic
development, to encourage the involvement of communities and organisations in
the matters of local government, to strengthen partnerships between local
government, communities and civil society, to facilitate a culture of public service
and accountability amongst its staff, to assign clear responsibility for the
management and co-ordination of the administrative units and mechanisms, to
12
aim at restoring the confidence of the majority of the citizens on public activities
and local government affairs.
Taken further the LGTAS (2009) requires that all municipalities are expected to
provide household infrastructure and services; to create a livable, integrated and
inclusive cities, towns and rural areas; to improve functionality, performance and
professionalism in municipality administration, to promote local economic
development, to foster community participation and consultation as well as
community empowerment and distribution and to create a healthy environment in
which vulnerable groups are supported and protected. Municipalities are also
required to mitigate the growing social distance between government and
communities, if any, and to plan and manage their built in environment in ways
that promote social cohesion, inclusive growth and sustainable development
(LGTAS, 2009).
Certain authors hold the view that while the LGTAS in itself cannot be faulted, it
is the successful implementation thereof that, at this stage, is still in doubt
(Venter and Landsberg, 2011: 151).
PROBLEMS THAT CONTRIBUTED TO THE INTRODUCTION OF THE LGTAS.
For purposes of this paper the following challenges are proposed as reasons that
led to the introduction of the Local Government Turnaround Strategy. These
challenges are based on information provided by an official government website
(www.dplg.gov.za):
1. Insufficient human and financial capacity to deliver on constitutional and legal
mandates and on citizen expectations.
2. Certain municipalities have failed to manage their powers and functions and
related responsibilities because of over-complexity in the system.
13
3. Little positive impact on coordinated and cooperative governance through
either national inter-governmental systems, political leadership, Inter-
Governmental Forums, sector engagements which led to instability between
spheres of government and a lack of governance or policy coherence.
4. Weak oversight, supervision, support, intervention mechanisms across
government which led to weak council leadership and oversight over their
administrations in the best interests of certain municipalities;
5. Opportunities for fraud and corruption, poor ethical behaviour, poor values,
weak accountability frameworks and political factionalism which can result in
territorial economic elites.
6. Break-down of local democracy and community alienation resulting in
community protests and a possible breakdown in trust between government and
local communities. Challenges pertaining to weak community consultation and
participation are also mentioned.
7. Weak economic growth and opportunity, particularly in small towns and rural
as and weak integrative focus between Integrated Development Plans and Local
Economic Development Plans.
8. Uneven response to demands of rural and urban environments: No policy
focus on extraordinary measures to address funding and delivery capacity
requirements.
9. Insufficient revenue base generation, that is, the ratio between the demand for
services and the amount of revenue generated that is unsustainable.
14
It should be noted that the 283 municipalities in South Africa have different
capacities and are faced with different social and economic challenges.
Depending on the different challenges it will be necessary for the municipalities
to focus on those responsibilities that they are able to deliver on. This would
mean that certain municipalities ought to focus on a smaller set of functions while
other municipalities could extend their focus. In order to determine the level and
kind of support needed from the National and Provincial spheres of government
and other stakeholders to achieve the ideal municipality, the different capacities
and circumstances of municipalities need to be taken into account (Local
Government Turnaround Strategy, 2009:6).
OBJECTIVES OF THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT TURNAROUND STRATEGY
The following five strategic objectives of the LGTAS are proposed by the South
African government (www.dplg.gov.za) and echoed by Venter and Landsberg
(2011:151):
1. To ensure that municipalities meet basic needs of communities. This
implies that an environment is created, support provided and systems built
to accelerate quality service delivery within the context of each
municipality’s conditions and needs;
2. To build clean, responsive and accountable local government. Make sure
that systems and structures and procedures are developed and enforced
to deal with corruption, maladministration and ensure that municipalities
communicate and account more to communities;
3. To improve functionality, performance and professionalism in
municipalities and ensure that the core administrative and institutional
systems are in place and are operational to improve performance;
15
4. To improve national and provincial policy, support and oversight to local
government.; and
5. To strengthen partnerships between local government, communities and
civil society. Ensure that communities and other development partners are
mobilized to partner with municipalities in service delivery and
development.
Kahn, Madue and Kalema (2011:115) state that according to prescriptions in the
1996 Constitution, the key objective of Inter-governmental Relations in South
Africa is to ensure a system in which all three spheres of government operate
together to provide a coherent approach to service delivery, development and the
entrenchment of democracy. While this has been the ideal of the IGR in post-
apartheid South Africa, the reality is that this objective has not been realized to
the extent envisaged either by the drafters of the Constitution or the government
in power. It is proposed that the inherent weaknesses in the IGR system are
best illustrated in relation to the shortcomings of local government which, taken
as a whole, is failing to deliver services to the expectations of the general
population (Kahn et al, 2011:115).
Against the above background the following key interventions are proposed by
the current government to achieve the above five strategic objectives
(www.dplg.gov.za):
? National Government (including state enterprises) should be better
organised in relation to Local Government;
? Provinces should improve their support and oversight responsibilities over
local government institutions;
? Municipalities must reflect on their own performance and identify their
own tailor-made turnaround strategies;
16
? All three spheres of government should, in practice, improve Inter-
Governmental Relations (IGR);
? Political parties promote and enhance the institutional integrity of
municipalities; and
? A social contract on local government should be instituted where all
citizens, including public officials at all levels, those in the private sector,
trade unions, professional bodies and traditional leaders are guided in
their actions and involvement by a common set of governance values.
THE PERCIEVED ADVANTAGES OF THE TURNAROUND STRATEGY
As highlighted in the Report on The Local Government Turnaround Strategy
(2009: 5 & 11) the strategy has certain salient recommendations to commend,
such as:
1. Understanding differences between various categories of municipalities
which in turn should assist municipalities to reflect on their respective
strengths and weaknesses and to take responsibility for identifying and
managing appropriate interventions;
2. Recognising that a “one fits all” approach is neither realistic nor desirable;
3. To implement a comprehensive but differentiated programmes of action
that will reach the objective of ensuring that all municipalities meet the
basic service needs of communities;
4. Proposes enhanced support interventions from the national and provincial
spheres of government with further assistance from other well- performing
municipalities;
5. Proposes improved effectiveness in performance and professionalism in
public administrative practices at all spheres of government;
17
6. Aims for clean and effective governmental structures;
7. Requires that partnerships between local government, communities and
civil society be strengthened;
8. Aims for prompt service delivery, financial viability, local economic
development and good governance, especially at the local sphere of
government;
9. Aims at eradicating backlogs relating to service delivery and to facilitate
improved local economic growth; and
10. Encourages innovative ways and more lateral thinking on how to do
things. This implies a strategy of “thinking out of the box” at times.
Boraine (2010) states that the focus by the national government on local
government is to be welcomed. It is after all the sphere of government that has
the greatest impact on the day-to-day lives of local communities. Of equal
importance is the stated abandonment of a “one size fits all” approach that has
predominated government thinking for the past 15 years. Boraine (2010) further
states that the adoption of a different approach means that the governance of
metropolitan areas which are the engine rooms of the South African economy as
well as areas of growing poverty and unemployment, can finally be taken
seriously. According to Boraine (2010), the jury is still out on whether the
government’s new local government strategy is going to succeed when previous
attempts, such as Project Consolidate, did not appear to have much of an
impact.
POSSIBLE WEAKNESSES RELATED TO THE LGTAS.
Mbele (2010) and Blake (2010) propose that the following could be potential
weaknesses of the LGTAS:
18
1. The implementation of the strategy will require resources, flexibility and
innovative thinking, which many municipalities are lacking;
2. Poor generic work ethics amongst certain government officials;
3. Structures such as ward committees and community development
workers, to enhance community participation, could pose a problem to the
strategy because they are often not encouraged or enforced;
4. Intolerance of opposition by certain local municipalities could impact
negatively on the proposed strategy;
5. Leadership and bureaucratic insecurity and the inexperience of many
public functionaries could pose a serious threat to its effective
implementation;
6. Poor capacity enhancement programmes at the sphere of local
government; and
7. Lack of a dedicated resource base and adequate capacity building
programmes.
It is further proposed that additional areas where the strategy appears to be weak
are its silence on the question of the approaches to be undertaken by
municipalities to manage diversity, global climate change, increasing
urbanisation problems, technology, research and training as well as the question
of management of change, management of conflict and information control. The
above points are important in relation to successful service delivery (Blundel and
Murdock, 1997: 94). Schwella, Burger, Fox and Muller (1996: 80) highlight the
problems of insufficient resources, problems of capacity building in many
municipalities, problems of implementation, accountability, transparency, too
much bureaucracy as well as a lack of control, monitoring and evaluation
measures by certain municipalities. Blake (2010) states that certain
municipalities appear to be run in an authoritative management style by the ruling
party thus undermining participatory development management; which is not in
19
keeping with prescriptions contained in “developmental” local government
legislation. Taken further there appears to be in certain government
departments and municipalities what Cloete (1996: 48) and Blake (2010)
describe as kleptocracy, lawlessness, patronage, payoffs, kick-backs, phony
contracts and nepotism. The LGTAS seems to be relatively quiet on such
activities, which is of concern. It also appears to be silent on the concerns of
rural local economic development as the strategy mostly addresses the dynamics
of urban municipalities.
Conclusion
As stated by Mbele (2010), the legislative configuration in respect of the
separation of powers between governance and administration has created a
fertile ground for the politicization of administration. Clear guidelines on the
delegation of authority must be reviewed to address gaps so that administration
and its associated powers are articulated. It is difficult to design effective
performance management system in the absence of a tight delegation
framework. The issues raised and the recent spate of protests signals systemic
and structural challenges. The pronouncement of their own municipal turnaround
strategies without addressing systemic issues can only lead to compliance
without material differences – service delivery is about ensuring material
difference in the lives of the communities (Mbele, 2010).
The LGTAS clearly aims to restore the confidence of local communities in their
respective municipalities’ abilities to deliver services as part of a developmental
state approach. This is especially true in light of the numerous and often violent
protest action that appears to be on the increase in South Africa because of poor
service delivery by certain municipalities. As Mbele (2010) states any strategy
has resource implications and therefore the impending municipal turnarounds are
no exception. For the strategies to be effective municipalities must implement
measures aimed at boosting income. Financial viability cannot be divorced from
20
vigorous revenue in the form of local rates. It is against this background that the
Local Government Turnaround Strategy will possibly face its greatest challenge
in terms of meeting its aims and objectives.
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