Public participation, service delivery and development: a case study of Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma local municipality.

Abstract

Prior to 1994, the apartheid government had legislation and policies that where discriminatory and racially and oppressive to the black majority of the population of South Africa. After the 1994 democratic breakthrough, the democratic government devised strategies and plans to redress the atrocities of the apartheid system of government, hence the state engaged in a transitional stage. The main responsibility of the state in a transitional phase of reconstruction and development is service delivery so that all citizens can fulfil their basic needs and there is a suitable environment for economic growth. This is implemented by talking to and consolidating participatory democracy. The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa clearly stipulates that public are to be encouraged to participate in policy-making, and that transparency must be developed by supplying the public with sufficient timely, accessible and accurate information. The local government should be responsible for the social and economic development of communities. As a result, provision has been made for the government to nurture a new culture of developmental local government. For improved service delivery, the local government sphere has the responsibility to facilitate sustained accountability and confidence in the government by interacting with citizenry in a participatory manner. The research design used in this research was a case study of Dr Nkosazana Dlamini- Zuma (Dr NDZ) local municipality, where the researcher interviewed the residents of Ward 08 and municipal officials to establish an understanding of public participation, service delivery and development. It was found that although there are mechanisms of public participation such as an integrated development planning outreach programme and ward committee meetings in place in Dr NDZ local municipality, there was a gap when it came to the coordination and mobilization for these programmes. The lack of information for the community members about service delivery and development left them disgruntled and confused. As a result, they have resorted to other ways of attracting the attention of the government.