An implementation analysis of the Zibambele Road Maintenance Programme in the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Transport.

Abstract

The primary aim of the research study was to analyse the implementation of the Zibambele Road Maintenance Programme within the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Transport. The Zibambele Programme is one of South African government attempts to respond to social problems of poverty and unemployment. The Zibambele Programme identifies with the principles of Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP). The research study identifies and discusses the obstacles to and challenges of the implementation of the Zibambele Road Maintenance Programme. Programme monitoring or process evaluation is used as an analytical framework of the study. The study employs Rossi and Freemans (1989) approach by examining the admission of the contractors into the programme, their progression and exit strategies. In order to best accomplish the objectives of the study and to provide an informed and critical analysis on the implementation of the Zibambele Programme, the study used both qualitative and quantitative research methodologies i.e. triangulation. For the quantitative method data was collected using in depth interview questions (i.e. face-to-face interviews) with the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Transport officials. The officials that were interviewed fall under the development directorate within the Department and they are directly responsible for the implementation of the Zibambele Programme. Four officials participated in the interviews and purposive sampling was used. For the quantitative method, the survey data collection method was employed to collect data from the Zibambele contractors. The contractors were randomly collected from the Pietermaritzburg and Empangeni regions. The results of the interviews were not generalised to all Zibambele contractors. However, the findings collected were useful as far as the implementation process of the Zibambele Programme is concerned. Content analysis was used to analyse qualitative data and descriptive statistics using the SPSS programme was used to analyse the quantitative data.