Assessment of service delivery planning in local government with specific reference to Ndwedwe Local Municipality.
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Date
2021
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Abstract
The current study assessed the state of service delivery planning in the South African sphere of local
government with particular reference to the local municipality of Ndwedwe in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN)
Province. The general aim of the study was to investigate the commitment of the municipality towards
inclusive service delivery planning that involves a wide range of role-players, including communities
who are the main beneficiaries of government services, non-government actors and municipal
functionaries. The study adopted a mixed method approach, in which a set of 50 questionnaires were
administered to community members in Ward 12, 14, 17. and 19 and a total of 15 qualitative interviews
conducted with municipal officials. The quantitative findings were analysed using Social Package of
Social Sciences (SPSS), and qualitative findings through thematic analysis.
The outcomes of the study discovered that the community members lack knowledge about service
delivery processes and the Integrated Development Planning (IDP) process which serves as a strategic
guideline for service delivery planning. Furthermore, due to various institutional challenges that faced
the municipality, communities were unable to access quality service delivery that constitutes the vision
of Basic Human Rights (BHR) as envisioned by the 1996 Constitution of the Republic of South Africa.
Finally, the study recommended a strong service delivery planning initiative in the municipality that is
informed by the municipal IDP, policy implementation, and the continuous engagement of municipal
stakeholders in service delivery planning. The encouragement of the culture of public participation was
also considered a valid instrument in transforming municipal service delivery systems.
Description
Masters Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban.