One of the very first 'kiddies laws' my parents taught me was the 'pinky promise law'. I had to learn very quickly that when you promise something, it should be in your best interest, to keep that promise. Today, I understand the importance of keeping ones promises. It builds trust which is the cornerstone of every relationship...may it be between two people or between a ruling party and it's people!

 

We have had some very pleasant experiences in the community up to today when we got to experience the frustration of poor service delivery in the community. We got caught between a cross fire of the agitation of a totally disappointed community  member and our government which is when I realised that I was confronted with the reality of the frustrations some people are living with, in the communities.

 

 

The frustrations of poor service delivery can be felt all over the country through mainly the action of protests and strikes. This we can relate to as we get to witness it every year at our university! Koelble and LiPuma (2009) in 'Unfulfilled promises and their consequences' stated that individuals express their frustrations through violent and angry acts. (Managa, A., 2012)

 

 What is the cause of these protests and the unhappiness I ask myself? ' Population growth and urbanisation are argued to be determining factors which are linked to protests.' (Managa, A., 2012) The elections are coming up soon which means that many promises are being made to the people in order to 'win' people over. this results in parties making promises and not following through with them. The government is wrestling with things like 'institutional capacity, high levels of corruption, mismanagement of funds and a lack of public participation.' (Managa, A., 2012) One of the main problems is that many important managerial positions in the relevant field are inadequately equipped for the positions that they are filling. This causes an 'overwhelming service delivery backlog'. Staff with skills such as 'financial expertise' which should allocate the funds accordingly to the different needs are lacking, meaning that the service delivery finances are not being met. Then there are the 'political elites' that tend to enrich themselves with 'state resources'. A good example at the moment is the case about the presidents home that is under investigation due to 'over spending'. (Managa, A., 2012) 

 

OT's pry on finding solutions which the 'Unfulfilled promises and their consequences' article lays out very well. Take a look;

 

 

●● Strengthen human and resource capacity,

which will enable local government to deliver

its constitutional mandate to the public,

●● Recognise and address the fact that the ‘one

size fits all’ approach does not work for all

municipalities, as communities have different

needs according to their geographical areas.

●● Strengthen national and provincial oversight

and supervision of local government affairs,

which will enable prompt intervention to take

place.

●● Make and honour commitments to root out

nepotism and corruption in areas such as

recruitment for municipal positions and the

awarding of tenders for services.

●● Hold senior officials accountable when they

fail to disclose their business or pecuniary

interests.

●● Strengthen government procurement procedures

and policies and accountability mechanisms; and act on recommendations resulting from audits. Punitive action should be taken against transgressors,

●● Use public-private partnerships to extend

efficient and affordable services to all citizens.

(Managa, A., 2012)

References

 

 Managa, A. (2012) Unfulfilled promises and their consequences: A reflection on local government performance and the critical issue of poor service delivery in South Africa. Africa Institute of South Africa, 76, 1-9

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

  



AFRICA INSTITUTE OF SOUTH AFRICA