THE LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT SKILLS FOR SERVICE DELIVERY IN SOUTH AFRICAN MUNICIPALITIES: A COMPROMISED REQUIREMENT?
Keywords:
Impact, Leadership, Management, Skills, Service delivery
Abstract
Municipal service delivery remains a persistent issue in South African municipalities, which has been a subject of both academic inquiry and political debate. Despite extensive attention, the roles of leadership and management as key variables influencing service delivery have not been thoroughly explored. This study investigates the impact of leadership and management on municipal service delivery inefficiencies. Using a conceptual approach, data were collected through a desktop study to examine the extent to which political leadership in South Africa overlooks the significance of leadership and management skills in service delivery. The findings suggest that the neglect of these skills within municipal administration contributes significantly to service delivery failures. The paper concludes that incorporating leadership and management competencies into the governance of South African municipalities is essential for improving service delivery outcomes.
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Author Biography
Mokoko Sebola, University of South Africa
References
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Thusi, X., Matyana, M., & Jilli, N.N. 2023. Lack of Political Will: A Barrier to Public Service Delivery in South Africa and a High Cost for Citizens. Journal of Studies in Social Sciences and Humanities, 9(2):137-147.
Twala, C. 2014. The African National Congress (ANC) and the Cadre Deployment Policy in the Post-Apartheid South Africa: A Product of Democratic Centralisation or a Recipe for a Constitutional Crisis? Journal of Social Sciences, 41(2):159-165.
Wajdi, B.N. 2017. The differences between management and leadership. SINERGI, 7(2):75-84.
Zulu, P., Yalezo, B., & Mutambara, E. 2022. An Assessment of Cadre Deployment Practices in KwaZulu-Natal Local Government. Academy of Strategic Management Journal, 21(2):1-22.
Atiku, S.O., Kurana, C.M., & Ganiyu, I.O. 2023. Leadership and Service Delivery in Times of Change. Administrative Sciences, 13(125)
Bassey, J.E., & Edemidiong, E.E. 2021. Patronage Versus Merit: Systemic Review of Recruitment Dynamics in the Nigerian Public Service. AKSU Journal of Administration and Corporate Governance, 1(2):71-83.
Bohoris, G.A. & Vorria, E.P. n.d. Leadership vs Management: Business Excellence/Performance Management view. Lund University, Sweden.
Bonga, W.G. 2021. Impact of Repetitive Protests on Economic Development: A Case of South Africa. Journal of Research in Humanities and Social Science, 9(8):34-39.
Botes, L. 2018. South Africa’s Landscape of Social Protests: A Way Forward for Developmental Local Government? African Journal of Public Affairs, 10(4):241-255.
Chiwarawara, K. 2022. Localised Protests in South Africa: A Rebellion or a Fight for a Relationship with the Government? Politeia, 41(1&2):1-21.
DahyarDaraba, I. 2021. Public Trust: What, Why and How to Apply it in Creating Excellent Service. PJAEE, 18(8):3136-3142.
Dike, V.E., Odiwe, K., & Ehojor, D.M. 2015. Leadership and Management in the 21st Century Organizations: A Practical Approach. World Journal of Social Science Research, 2(2):139-159.
Fagbadebo, O. & Dorasamy, N. 2021. Political Leadership, Corruption, and the Crisis of Governance in Africa. African Renaissance, 18(1):27-52.
Mabitsela, P. W., & Raseala, P. S. 2022. The Broken Relationship Between the Government Machinery and its People: A Reality or a Myth? International Conference on Public Administration and Development Alternatives: Polokwane
Madumo, O.S. 2012. Contexualising leadership challenges in municipalities. African Journal of Public Affairs, 5(3):82-92.
Mafunisa,MJ. 2008. Separation of politics from the South African public service: rhetoric or reality? 38(2)
Makwetu, K. 2016. Auditor-General Kimi Makwetu on government audit results. Government Printer, Pretoria.
Mlambo, V.H., & Thusi, X. 2022. Interrogating Governance and Cadre Deployment in South Africa. Cihan University-Erbil Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences, VI (1): 11-18.
Mongale, C.O. 2022. Social Discontent or Criminality? Navigating the Nexus Between Urban Riots and Criminal Activities in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal Provinces, South Africa (2021). Frontiers in Sustainable Cities, 4(2022): 1-19
Mottiar, S., & Bond, P. 2012. The Politics of Discontent and Social Protest in Durban. Politikon South African Journal of Political Studies 39(3)
Mbandlwa, Z., Dorosamy, N., & Fagbadebo, O. 2020. Leadership Challenges in the South African Local Government System. Journal of Critical Review, 7(13):1642-1653.
Naidoo, G. 2012. A critical need for ethical leadership to curb corruption and promote good governance in the public sector of South Africa. African Journal of Public Affairs, 5(2):25-35
Ndedi, A., & Kok, L. 2017. Roadmap for Effective and Efficient Cadre Deployment in South Africa. SSRN Electronic Journal, DOI:10.2139/ssrn.3026392
Nleya, N. 2011. Linking service delivery and protest in South Africa: an exploration of evidence from Khayelistha. Africanus, 50(1): 3-13.
Ngubane, M. 2021. An Investigation into Ethical Leadership in Municipalities: The South African Perspective. Journal of Public Administration, 3(11):1-10.
Ngqwala, N.S. & Ballard, H.H. 2020. Leadership Imperatives for Local Government Service Delivery: Case of a Selected Local Municipality in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. Administratio Publica, 28(2):118-131.
Perry, J. 2021. Trust in public institutions: Trends and implications for economic security. Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Policy Brief No 108. United Nations.
Pooe, D., & Munyanyi, W. 2022. Delivering public value by selected government departments in South Africa- Perceptions of senior managers. South African Journal of Economic and Management Sciences, 25(1):1-12.
Ruducan, R., & Ruducan, R. 2014. Leadership and Management. Social and Behavioral Sciences, 149 (2014): 808-812.
Ruscio, K.P. 1996. Trust, Democracy, and Public Management: A Theoretical Argument. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 6(1996):461-477.
Sancino, A. 2011. Between democracy and management: local government and the dilemma of spoils system. Economia Aziendale Online, 2 (3): 303-310.
Schmidt, D. n.d. Leadership and local governance and development. Good Governance Learning Network, Cape Town.
Sebola, M.P. 2023. Development And Service Delivery in Post-Apartheid South Africa: “Quality” Versus “Quantities” of the Pre and PostApartheid South Africa. Jurnal Administrasi Publik (Public Administration Journal), 13 (2): 123-132.
Shava, E. 2018. Cadre Deployment Policy and its Effects on Performance Management in South African Local Government: A Critical Review. Politeia, 37(1):1-18.
Skripak, S.J. 2016. Management and Leadership. Fundamentals of Business. Virginia Tech, Virginia.
Stancetic, V. 2019. Spoils System is not Dead: The Development and Effectiveness of the Merit System in Western Balkans. HKJU-CCPA, 20(3):415-438.
Susanti, G., Halwatiah, S., Rukmana, N.S., Yani, A.A., Hidayat, A. R., & Ahmad, S. 2017. Public Service Performance and Public Trust in Government: An Indonesian Case Study. Advances in Economics, Business and Management Research, 43(2017):86-89.
Swanepoel, C.F. 2021. The slippery slope to State capture: cadre deployment as an enabler of corruption and a blurred party-state lines. Law Democracy & Development, 25(2021):440-462.
Tanny, T.F. 2019. Trust in Government: Factors Affecting Public Trust and Distrust. Jahangirnagar Journal of Administrative Studies, Department of Public Administration, 12(2019) :49-63.
Thusi, X., Matyana, M., & Jilli, N.N. 2023. Lack of Political Will: A Barrier to Public Service Delivery in South Africa and a High Cost for Citizens. Journal of Studies in Social Sciences and Humanities, 9(2):137-147.
Twala, C. 2014. The African National Congress (ANC) and the Cadre Deployment Policy in the Post-Apartheid South Africa: A Product of Democratic Centralisation or a Recipe for a Constitutional Crisis? Journal of Social Sciences, 41(2):159-165.
Wajdi, B.N. 2017. The differences between management and leadership. SINERGI, 7(2):75-84.
Zulu, P., Yalezo, B., & Mutambara, E. 2022. An Assessment of Cadre Deployment Practices in KwaZulu-Natal Local Government. Academy of Strategic Management Journal, 21(2):1-22.
Published
2024-09-11
How to Cite
Sebola, M. (2024). THE LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT SKILLS FOR SERVICE DELIVERY IN SOUTH AFRICAN MUNICIPALITIES: A COMPROMISED REQUIREMENT?. Journal of Social Political Sciences, 5(3), 199-207. https://doi.org/10.52166/jsps.v5i3.212
Section
Articles
Copyright (c) 2024 Mokoko Sebola
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
