Nature and extent of Alternative Service Delivery and Sustainable Societal Responsiveness in and by municipalities of the developing Republic of South Africa
Liza Ceciel van Jaarsveldt1, Eric John Nealer2
1University of South Africa; 2University of South Africa
Discussant: Maréve Inge BILJOHN (University of the Free State)
Problem Statement and Purpose
his Paper explores the nature and extent as well as the implementation of Alternative Service Delivery (ASD) and Sustainable Societal Responsiveness (SSR) in municipalities of the Republic of South Africa, emphasizing municipal management issues such as cross-sector partnerships, capacity building, data-driven decision making, participatory planning, youth empowerment, and cultural heritage preservation.
Through case studies from various municipalities such as Johannesburg, Ekurhuleni, Tshwane, Cape Town, eThekwini, Nelson Mandela Bay, and others, the paper illustrates how municipalities collaborate with stakeholders to address complex societal challenges, promote inclusivity, and enhance community resilience through effective inter-governmental relations.
Methodology
The methodology is based on personal observations over a period of five years. In addition, scholarly research was conducted by making use of secondary sources such as journals, books, reports and legislation.
Findings
The significance of engaged scholarship and active community engagement in public administration and management education, emphasizing the need for effective partnerships, knowledge dissemination, and depoliticization of resource management for sustainable development can support local government in South Africa.
Proposals
Cross-sector partnerships though research collaboration and knowledge sharing. Evidence-Based insights: Through rigorous analysis and interpretation of the collected data, researchers generate evidence-based insights into the challenges and opportunities facing informal settlements in terms of service delivery such as disparities in service access, infrastructure deficiencies, governance issues, and socio-economic barriers to development. Participatory planning and governance can also play an important role as in the case of the City of Cape Town.
References
Du Plessis, P. 2020. Locality map of the municipalities and Dolomite rock areas in South Africa. Centurion: GPM Consultants.
GPM Consultants. 2018. Locality map of the Westonaria and Merafong local municipality Areas. Centurion: GPM Consultants.
Gregerson, H., Folliott, P.F. & Brooks, K.N. 2007. Integrated watershed management: Connecting people to their land and water. CABI: Amazon.com.
Jeeva, Z.I., Gumbo, T. & Cilliers, J. 2022. Unpacking the Municipal Demarcation Application in South Africa. The Thinker, 92(3):61-69.
Netswera, M.M. 2022. Impacts of municipal re-demarcations on service delivery in South Africa. Commonwealth Journal of Local Governance, 27 (0):17-36.
Pycroft, C. 1996. Local government in the new South Africa. In journal Public Administration and Development, Vol 16, Issue 3, pp. 233-245.
Republic of South Africa (RSA). 1996. The Constitution Act 108. Pretoria: Government Printer.
United Nations (UN) Water. 2008. Status Report on Integrated and Water Efficiency Plans for CSD16.
United Kingdom: Department for International Development.
Van Marrewijk, A. & Dessing, N. 2019. Negotiating reciprocal relationships: Practices of engaged scholarship in project studies. International journal of project management, 37(7), pp. 884-895.
SALGA. 2017 Municipal Innovation. Available at https://www.salga.org.za/Documents/Knowledge-products-per-theme/Municipal%20Innovation%20n%20Technology/IKNOWvation%203rd%20Edition.pdf Acessed on 16 February 2024.
ALTERNATIVE SERVICE DELIVERY MODELS IN AFRICA FOR TAMING WICKED RISKS
Danielle NEL
University of Johannesburg, South Africa
Problem Statement and Purpose
There are several hazards associated with wicked problems for society, some of which can worsen into more serious risks if they are not addressed. In this study, wicked problems are examined along with the role alternative service delivery plays in solving them. Wicked problems are intrinsically complicated; they display unpredictable behaviours and outcomes, as well as innumerable underlying causes linked to several social contexts, stakeholders, and actors (Cleland, Patterson, and Hanson 2018:1228). Wicked problems are viewed as a curse because they cause great harm to societies and fuel social unrest, politics, and the economy (Carayannopoulos and McConnell 2018). In order to reduce wicked risks, this study examines how governments might increase their efficiency by taking calculated risks and seizing the chance to invest in alternative service delivery.
Governments must take more risks to the management of wicked risks. Wicked problems can no longer be solved by bureaucratic governance using the outdated hierarchical techniques. The term alternative service delivery describes strategies for providing public services other than the traditional, hierarchical bureaucracy. Partnerships between the public, private, and/or nonprofit sectors, as well as between the public and private sectors, are examples of alternative service delivery possibilities. According to Furlong and Bakker (2010), alternative service delivery is an example of government changes intended to increase effectiveness, creativity, and efficiency.
Methodology
The research is based on a systematic literature review, which investigates alternative service delivery models that focus on addressing wicked risks. An evidence-based minimum set of items for reporting in systematic reviews was used in the study, namely, the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA). A large number of articles on alternative service delivery models shows that alternative service delivery is not a preferred approach in Africa.
Findings
This systematic literature review reveals that most of the work on alternative service delivery in alternative service delivery has been done in developed countries with developing African countries being left far behind on the research of alternative service delivery. Furthermore, most of the alternative service delivery efforts have not focused on addressing wicked problems. The findings of the research recommends an alternative service delivery model based on digital governance, social innovation and partnerships.
Proposals
The analysis of alternative service delivery's potential to reduce wicked risks in Africa employs a systems approach. Wicked risks are those that have no quick fixes, which makes it easy for them to spiral out of control and cause chaos. In conclusion, robust governance responses are required to reduce these wicked risks, and as alternative service delivery is more flexible, agile, adaptable, and decentralised than merely depending on traditional government responses, it offers strong features to reduce these risks. Lastly, the reform agenda for a super smart and sustainable society should focus on risk-informed decision-making.
References
Cleland, J.A.; Patterson, F. and Hanson, M.D. 2018. Thinking of selection and widening access as complex and wicked problems. Medical Education, 52:1228-1239.
Carayannopoulos, G. and McConnel, A. 2018. Bringing lessons from crisis management into the realm of wicked problems. Australian Journal of Political Science, 53(3): 353-369.
Furlong, K. and Bakker, K. 2010. The contradictions of “alternative” service delivery: governance, business models, and sustainability in municipal water supply. Environment and Planning C: Government and Policy, 28(2): 349-368.
Empowering Local Government to Cultivate a Culture Shift: Social Innovation Strategies towards Accelerating SDG 6 in South African Informal Settlements.
Takobe TLALE
University of Free State, South Africa
Problem Statement and Purpose
As the world nears the 2030 agenda for Sustainable Development target, there is an urgency to ensure no one is left behind (Stats SA, 2023). However, South African informal settlements, home to over 10 million residents, face significant challenges in accessing basic services, including water, sanitation, and waste removal. Despite various interventions, the escalating land grab crisis, urban migration, unemployment and population growth add to the proliferation of South African informal settlements daily, exacerbating local government capacity challenges and other societal challenges that hinder Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6. Stakeholders often work in silos, despite the call for collaboration and community-centric approaches. Local government emerges as a key player responsible for service provision, infrastructure development, and community participation. Exploiting social Innovation (SI) remains ambiguous due to the current top-down water delivery approach. SI whose ambitions align with the objectives of the SDGs (Millard, 2018), is theorized as bottom-up multi-actor collaborations, self-organizations, or co-creation, and has for many years underpinned SDG efforts, disguised as a variety of other concepts. Against this background, this study investigates the transformative role of local government in cultivating a culture shift towards empowerment of SI strategies aimed at accelerating the achievement of SDG 6 within South African informal settlements.
Methodology
This explanatory study employed an interpretivism paradigm and used inductive reasoning to analyze the literature. Underpinned by a qualitative research design, qualitative research methods were used to collect and analyze the data to answer the research question of how SI empowers local government to cultivate a culture shift or transformation in addressing water and sanitation challenges in informal settlements. Data collection included a review of literature from various sources, including academic journal articles, electronic books, conference proceedings, Asivikelane publications, relevant websites, and related theories. Keywords such as Social Innovation, Transformative Innovation, SDG 6, and South African informal settlements water delivery guided the searches.
Findings
South Africa is unlikely to achieve SDG 6 ambitions by 2030, due to a collapse of water services in numerous South African municipalities. Institutional capacity in local government remains one of the major reasons why service delivery is still an issue in almost all of South Africa’s municipalities. These capacity challenges necessitate a collaborative culture in local government and a need to enhance the skills of local government officials in SI collaboration and policy advancement to address collaboration barriers. Most importantly, there is a need to educate or empower underserved informal settlement communities to participate in water management decision-making processes.
Proposals
There is a need to foster a collaborative culture in local government. Actively involving residents of informal settlements in decision-making processes, IDP, and implementation ensures that interventions are contextually relevant, responsive, and sustainable. Most importantly, there is a need to enhance the skills of local government officials in SI collaboration and for policy advancement to address collaboration barriers.
References
Millard, J., 2018. How social innovation underpins sustainable development. Atlas of Social Innovation: New Practices for a Better Future, pp.41-43.
Stats SA, 2023. Sustainable Development Goals: Country Report 2023. [Online]
Available at: https://www.statssa.gov.za/MDG/SDG_Country_report.pdf
Tlale, T., 2023. Social Innovation As An Approach To Water Delivery During The Covid-19 Pandemic: Case Of City Of Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality, s.l.: Master of Public Administration. University of Free State.
Waste recycling in South African Local Government South Africa: Pitfalls and Prospects for Achieving Green Economy Accord
Nduduzo NDEBELE, Elvin SHAVA
University of KwaZulu Natal, South Africa
Problem Statement and Purpose
Although there are various technological advancements to promote valorisation and reuse
initiatives, almost 95% of the generated waste is landfilled, and 87% of municipalities need more infrastructure and capacity to manage and pursue minimisation strategies effectively.
Furthermore, even though increasing waste volumes at landfills is costly to municipalities and opening a new landfill after filling up is complicated, waste recycling is not well practised (DEFF, 2020). Cognisant of these challenges, the national and municipal governments are advocating for a trend toward waste minimisation, reuse, and recycling under the National Waste Management Strategy (NWMS). However, with increased awareness of these challenges, there needs to be a clear understanding of why green economy projects are not implemented at the local government level. Therefore, this project aims to understand technological, human, economic, and social capacity at the local government level to provide the best strategies and practices for waste recycling and reuse in South Africa. Given this background, the project aims to analyse how the South African local government’s best practice in waste recycling, reuse, and recovery is performing against the expectations of Commitment 5 of the Green Economy Accord. Pitfalls and prospects of waste recycling and reuse are also explored.
Methodology
A systematic review was conducted to understand the status quo of waste recycling by local
governments in South Africa and beyond. The review included government documents, peer-reviewed articles, and other grey literature (Tricco et al., 2016). The study drew on empirical data gleaned through interviews, surveys, for the online survey, the study drew from 137 respondents across five provinces namely KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Gauteng, Mpumalanga and North West. Interviews purposive sampling was employed, the participants included municipal managers, strategic services, and waste management managers. A total of eight interviews were conducted in eight different municipalities Thematic data analysis was used to analyse interview data. While descriptive statistics were used for the online survey data.
Findings
There is great potential for environmental sustainability, economic development and social
cohesion centred around all the waste value chains. However, this waste as a resource is not
being fully tapped and much of it is locked in illegal dumps. As a result, awareness campaigns and training programs to conscientize households on the opportunities centred around waste recycling and respective human health and environmental challenges associated with not recycling waste.
Proposals
Key recommendations for policy and practice emerging from this study should address the need to develop an integrated waste management policy environment that promotes and leverage cross-sectoral synergies in sanitation, waste management, and agriculture through circular bioeconomy initiatives such as co-composting could improve waste management in local municipalities.
References
DEFF (2020) National Waste management strategy. Pretoria, South Africa: Department of
Environment, Forestry, and Fisheries.
Tricco AC, Lillie E, Zarin W, et al. (2016) A scoping review on the conduct and reporting of scoping reviews. BMC Medical Research Methodology 16: 1-10.
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