African Journal of Public Affairs Volume 5, Number 2 (2012)

Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://hdl.handle.net/2263/59612

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Front matter, African Journal of Public Affairs, Volume 5, Number 2
(African Consortium of Public Administration, 2012)
Varied impacts of compensation on employee performance in the public sector : a case of the Premier Medical Aid Society of Zimbabwe
(African Consortium of Public Administration, 2012) Hofisi, C.; Mago, S.
Compensation administration in a highly inflationary environment has proved to be a major challenge to most organisations. While employees need reasonable amounts of disposable income on their side, organisations need super profits for their sustenance hence the paradoxical nature of compensation administration. This study is meant to ascertain the relationship between compensation and employees’ performance. The study hypothesises that satisfactory compensation enhances employee performance. A case study approach was used to ascertain this relationship. Interviews with key informants in a sample drawn from a population of the parastatal’s employees were administered. This article presents the following arguments. Compensation can only have a positive impact on employee performance if it is not only linked to employee performance but democratised to incorporate the input of employees, properly installed and maintained. The influence of compensation administration on employee performance can be applicable to those who derive their motivation from it. Therefore, to say that compensation drives employees to perform may be an overstatement and fictitious. Human needs are dynamic in nature let alone complex. For the sake of sustainability, a remuneration strategy should also clarify the relationship between salaries, wages and benefits to the key success factors of the organisations. Issues of equity and fairness of compensation should be adhered to for compensation to achieve desired results. For remuneration to drive the performance of employees it should clearly portray those behaviors that need to be rewarded.
A critical need for ethical leadership to curb corruption and promote good governance in the public sector of South Africa
(African Consortium of Public Administration, 2012) Naidoo, Goonasagree
Corruption is recognised as a major hindrance to good governance in the South African (SA) public sector. The government has prompted the public sector to focus on anti-corruption measures as part of their mechanisms to prevent and curb corruption. Some departments have considered these controls. However, it is evident that these mechanisms are insufficient to prevent and curb corruption, due to poor governance practices, such as weakness and gaps in legislation. Furthermore, the public sector has seen that there are unethical and even toxic leaders, who exploit the loopholes in the systems and processes and seek to fulfil their personal desires at the expense of their departments. It is therefore argued that there is increasingly a need for ethical leadership in the public sector. This article therefore suggests the need for ethical leadership to prevent and curb corruption and to promote good governance in the SA public sector. Ethical leadership is associated with leader effectiveness and good governance. Leaders need to demonstrate ethical leadership in their daily behaviour, decisions and actions. By sending out strong messages about ethics and establishing clear reward and sanction systems to hold the employees accountable for their actions, leaders can promote good governance in the public sector.
Governance nexus and service delivery in Uganda
(African Consortium of Public Administration, 2012) Nambalirwa, S.; Sindane, A.M.
Based on empirical research, it is apparent that frameworks of good governance exist in Uganda, i.e. effective participation observed in the decentralisation policy, accountability and transparency promoted through the establishment of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), the Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets Authority (PPDA), as well as the Inspectorate of Government (IGG), among others. However, in spite of the existence of these frameworks of good governance, service delivery tends to remain somewhat uneven, and below the citizen’s expectations. This article complements the existing empirical literature on service delivery in Uganda. The article employs a qualitative approach and data is collected through the use of literature review of public documents, academic analysis and findings on governance and service delivery in Uganda.
Skills development and professionalism to promote food security policy implementation in South Africa
(African Consortium of Public Administration, 2012) Pillay, P.; Sayeed, C.M.
The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996 contains clear guidelines within which government has to determine its policies and how the administration of the public sector has to be conducted. South Africa, as a developmental state, has policies in place to guide development and service delivery, however, surveys and debate on policy and practice indicate that government is not adequately meeting developmental goals as a result of a failure in implementation. Agriculture Extension is critical for the implementation of government’s strategic priorities and programmes of action especially for the Food Security Policy Programme. The purpose of this article is to provide an overview of the extent to which Agriculture Extension Education in higher education institutions reflect the policy agenda. The overarching aim is to raise awareness of the need for skills development and professionalism to be incorporated into Agriculture Extension curricula for the successful implementation of the Food Security Policy. The article supports a need for academic debate on Food Security Policy and discussion on monitoring and evaluation as a key theme for contemporary curricula as a point of enquiry for effective policy implementation.
Decentralisation and service delivery : human resource issues in Wakiso and Nakaseke districts of Uganda
(African Consortium of Public Administration, 2012) Raga, K.; Taylor, J.D.
This article investigates human resource issues in the decentralised districts of Nakaseke and Wakiso in Uganda and the manner in which they pose a challenge to service delivery in local government. The article argues that human resource issues have implications for the empowerment of citizens and for service delivery in local communities in Uganda. While the decentralisation policy has been integral to the democratic government system that has taken root in Uganda since the 1990s, the link between decentralisation and empowering communities through service delivery is not automatic. The decentralisation policy has encountered a number of challenges relating to the legal and institutional framework, the political, financial and administrative issues. Some of the bottlenecks in service delivery are related to human resource issues because they determine the efficiency and the quality of services offered by local government structures. The article encompasses both primary and secondary data in analysing the relationship between decentralisation (specifically human resource aspects) and service delivery in Wakiso and Nakaseke. Data was collected through interviews, questionnaires and focus group discussions, as well as through a literature survey of relevant documents such as reports, minutes, legislation, journals, newspapers and textbooks. The findings reveal that districts are constrained by human resource challenges that entail inadequate staff, lack of competence among elected leaders, ambiguous legislation to guide district officials in their work and inappropriate training policies. The article recommends mitigation measures to address the human resource challenges in order to enhance efficiency in service delivery.
Decentralisation and capacity-building : paradigm shifts in local self-governance
(African Consortium of Public Administration, 2012) Vyas-Doorgapersad, Shikha
During the past two decades both developed and developing countries are delegating responsibilities to lower-level governments as a component of public service reforms. The earlier reforms emphasised decentralisation as improved administration at sub-national levels. In contrast, the most recent decentralisations are emphasising enhanced service delivery that demands capacitation of municipalities. The article endeavours to utilise the theoretical connection amongst decentralisation and capacity-building for a broadened analysis in a South African context. The article emphasises political, fiscal and administrative decentralisation in order to identify capacity gaps in the system. There are assumptions that “coupled with the inexperience and weak capacity of local governments, decentralisation is often blamed for not fulfilling its promises - and for not having a positive impact on development” (Yilmaz et al. 2010:286). Against this background the article analyses the relevant literature to argue that decentralisation can be considered as a causative factor to enhance local government capacities.
The public sector as a key enabler in sustainable rural tourism
(African Consortium of Public Administration, 2012-06) McLaren, Linde; Heath, Ernest Thomas
Rural tourism routes have the potential to contribute to poverty alleviation by channelling tourism to poor rural areas. Although tourism is essentially a private sector economic activity, the public sector is a key influence in the economic sustainability of rural tourism routes. This exploratory study examines the role of the public sector in the provincial, district and local government spheres in rural tourism route development and marketing. Semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with stakeholders in two rural tourism routes that traverse very poor rural areas in KwaZulu-Natal, a province of South Africa. The study revealed inadequate support for tourism, and rural routes in particular, especially in the district and local municipalities. Tourism and the potential benefits of tourism route development is, by all indications, poorly understood, hence the required infrastructure, funding and marketing support are in many instances still lacking. The study concludes that for rural route tourism to deliver benefits to poor rural areas in a sustainable manner, greater co-operation across municipal boundaries and support for rural tourism routes by the public sector will be required in the provincial and local government spheres.
The South African developmental state debate leadership, governance and a dialogue in public sector finance
(African Consortium of Public Administration, 2012-06) Kuye, Jerry O.; Ajam, Tania
The Constitution of South Africa, with its progressive realisation of justiciable socio-economic rights, is fundamentally transformative, and places a number of stringent requirements on the public finance management system to support that agenda. Furthermore, within the government and governance parameters set by the Constitution, a number of strategic orientations for the role of the state are possible, including the developmental state, which may place additional requirements on the public finance management system. This paper explores the implications for the public finance management system of the South African government’s aspiration to become a developmental state, as articulated in the newly released National Development Plan 2030: Our future – make it work (South Africa. National Planning Commission 2012). It concludes by delineating an analytical framework through which progress with budget reforms can be assessed, encompassing not only its technical dimensions, but also leadership and governance.
Public administration in Zimbabwe : critical overview of Mukonoweshuro’s contribution to public administration
(African Consortium of Public Administration, 2012-06) Nhede, Norman Tafirenyika
The late Professor Eliphas Mukonoweshuro, who had a passion for good governance, made a vital contribution to public administration in Zimbabwe. The new political dispensation after independence triggered the expansion of the Zimbabwean public service thereby creating a skills gap which the government had to address through encouraging school leavers to enrol for tertiary education. During this period Mukonoweshuro was the Dean of the Faculty of Social Studies at the University of Zimbabwe. In 2008, Mukonoweshuro was elected Member of Parliament for Gutu South and was subsequently appointed Minister of Public Service under the new Government of National Unity in 2009. His contribution to academia and government is appreciated by many who knew him. In order to have an appreciation of his contribution to public administration, relevant literature on the late professor, condolence messages, his publications and his curriculum vitae were perused and analysed. These documents show that the professor was an extraordinary educationist and professional bureaucrat who wanted to restore credibility to the public service. An urgent need exists in Zimbabwe for an efficient, accountable, transparent and professional officialdom. The public service must be motivated and depoliticised in order to improve service delivery.
Leadership and governance issues in the regional economic communities of the African Continent
(African Consortium of Public Administration, 2012-06) Kuye, Jerry O.; Shuping, M.C.
Most of the best-known models of leadership have been developed in the Western industrial contexts, particularly in the United State where the dictum that there is one best way has influenced the thinking around leadership issues across the world. The implicit philosophy that assumes that leadership competencies reside in individuals is not relevant in context to issues of leadership in the African continent. African leadership has always been built around partnership. The issues of leadership in Africa have often been marred by negative publicity from both Africans and non-Africans mainly because of the contemporary views of leadership that are entwined with notions of heroism. The society has often seen leadership as an inherently individual phenomenon. Western countries present themselves to Africans as all-knowing, when in fact their perspectives on issues of leadership in Africa are influenced by the often distorted views of Africa as a place of death, disaster, disease and despair, the so called four Ds of the African apocalypse (Hunter- Gault 2006:107). This article contends that Eurocentric models of leadership that facilitated the establishment of organisations such as the European Union (EU) cannot be replicated in the African Union (AU) and all the sub-regional economic communities (RECs) in the continent. This is because of the unique conditions in Africa. These conditions call for the leaders who see themselves as part of the shared trusteeship in partnership. This article is built around the notion of collective leadership that characterise true African leadership.
Revisiting participatory budgeting as a potential service delivery catalyst
(African Consortium of Public Administration, 2012-06) Fourie, D.J. (David Johannes); Reutener, Marcel
The main objective of this article is to argue the value of public participation in budgetary process to advance the delivery of public services. Various authors have written about participatory budgeting and some of their views differ considerably. The intention of this article is not to present participatory budgeting as the acme of service delivery initiatives, but rather to assess its applicability in a community environment to achieve a measure of success. Service delivery remains a contentious issue – from this perspective public participation in the budgetary process is vital, especially in identifying and delivering high quality services in the municipal sphere. As a point of departure, service delivery is briefly discussed as a governance deficit. Public participation and participatory budgeting are assessed as interrelated concepts, where after an assessment of the legislative environment provides a baseline reference regarding participatory governance in the municipal sphere. The article then focuses on participatory budgeting, examining its development and barriers to effective participatory budgeting and distinguishing between different kinds of participatory budget.
Developmental local government : issues, trends and options in South Africa
(African Consortium of Public Administration, 2012-06) Koma, Samuel Bogalebjapoo
This article presents an overview of the historical foundation and evolution of the system of local government and the notion of developmental local government in South Africa. This analysis covers the period prior to and post the 1994 democratic breakthrough. Related to this analysis is a reflection on the evolving policy development process that shaped the new local government dispensation informed by pieces of legislation, and policies inter alia the Local Government Transition Act, 1993 the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996, White Paper on Local Government, 1998, the Local Government: Municipal Systems Act, 2000 a nd the Local Government: Municipal Structures Act, 1998. The notion of developmental local government is succinctly described within the context of local economic development. Thus various reasons for undertaking local economic development by municipalities are advanced as well as the dimensions and mechanisms needed to realise local economic development objectives.
Critical dimensions for policy implementation
(African Consortium of Public Administration, 2012-06) Mthethwa, R.M.
Implementing any policy or making an intervention faces a range of challenges, especially for those endeavouring to benefit the poorest social groups. Policies are influenced by the contexts in which they are developed such as the content of the policy, the nature of the policy process, the actors involved in the formulation process and implementation. The purpose of this article is to describe and explain the dimensions of policy implementation through which the dynamic components of policy development and implementation can be explained and analysed. Therefore, a comprehensive literature review was conducted to arrive at an understanding of the theoretical approaches to policy implementation and the factors that act as barriers to effective implementation. For the implementation process to be improved, policy implementers must consider a number of factors associated with policy implementation. The article locates the dimensions of policy implementation within the wider policy literature and describes why each component of the dimension is important for effective policy implementation. The article concludes by arguing that a supportive policy environment can be regarded as one of the cornerstones of improved and effective policy implementation.

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