African Journal of Public Affairs Volume 5, Number 3 (2012)

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Front matter, African Journal of Public Affairs, Volume 5, Number 3
(African Consortium of Public Administration, 2012)
The effect of corruption on administration of justice in Uganda : lessons from two chief magistrates’ courts in Kampala and Mukono districts
(African Consortium of Public Administration, 2012) Atukwasa, J.; Basheka, Benon C.; Gadenya, Paul Wolimbwa
A well functioning judiciary remains a key pillar for administration of justice in any government pretentious of being democratic. The legal system ought to be characterised by impartiality, consistency, openness, predictability, and stability. Citizens ought to be equal before the law. Unfortunately, the judiciary in many African countries is a poisoned institution due to the corruption malaise. In this article, two case studies of Buganda Road and Mukono Chief Magistrates Courts to show how specific forms of corruption affect the administration of justice, are discussed. Use was made of a cross-sectional descriptive survey design that included a sample size of 86 respondents. Both qualitative and quantitative techniques were used in the study. The analysis was done using correlation to establish the relationships between the study variables. The article identifies theoretical and policy implications that appeal to both local and international audiences.
The role of civil servants and political leaders in combating public procurement corruption in Uganda : an empirical analysis
(African Consortium of Public Administration, 2012) Basheka, Benon C.; Nagitta, P.O.; Namara, R.B.
Public procurement is a key tool for improved governance and poverty reduction. However, the procurement function is seriously affected by direct and indirect corruption, which is presumably perpetuated by the political leaders and the civil servants. The politicians approve the procurement plan and budgets as well as do the monitoring of the process while the civil servants technically manage the procurement process. With an increase in the levels of public procurement corruption, a strategy to minimize the trend requires a collaborative approach between these two key stakeholders.
Leadership imperatives for improving policy monitoring and evaluation in the South African Public Service
(African Consortium of Public Administration, 2012) Ile, I.U.
The role that leadership plays in the process of policy monitoring and evaluation cannot be overemphasised. As with most human activities, leadership is a central theme that could initiate and support policy performance and management, including policy monitoring and evaluation (M & E). Leadership, in this context is all about the art of influencing people with a view to getting them to strive willingly towards the attainment of prescribed goals through effective monitoring and evaluation. In theory, this vision of effective monitoring and evaluation could be embraced by all spheres of government. The extent to which leadership is working towards the actualisation of this vision by putting in institutional processes to support the function across the South African government (national, provincial and local government) especially in local municipalities is yet to be seen. This article presents the current status of the institutionalisation of M & E across a selection of local municipalities, and provides suggestions for improvement. The argument made is that without strong leadership to institutionalise this culture of M & E through the translation of the vision and without adequate preparation and contextual readiness for the implementation of government wide monitoring, much will not materialise. The article presents and analyses literature on M & E in South Africa, the extent to which M & E has been institutionalised particularly in the local sphere and advance arguments for strengthening leadership for effective monitoring and evaluation in the South African context.
Long-serving mayors in Japan : an alternative leadership?
(African Consortium of Public Administration, 2012) Matsunami, J.
There are negative images if one particular politician stays for a long period in one public position. Long-serving is usually associated with nepotism, patron-client relations, corruption, low quality of public service and inefficiency. A survey in two Japanese city halls reveals that civil servants are of the opinion that personnel administration was fair and they were given freedom to implement policies under long-serving mayors. They could keep good relations with local legislative bodies. Thus civil servants did not experience strong pressure from the legislature’s members. Long-serving mayors could use their long-serving experience as political resource. There is an alternative style of leadership at the local government level in Japan. Maybe a bottom-up and consensus-based, i.e., invisible leadership, is old-fashioned. However, an alternative leadership style can provide an alternative, resolving complicated problems through real results.
South African Deputy Presidential speech by Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe at the 5th Annual SPMA International Conference on Public Administration and Management, University of Pretoria, Pretoria
(African Consortium of Public Administration, 2012) Motlanthe, Kgalema
South African Deputy Presidential speech by Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe at the 5th Annual SPMA International Conference on Public Administration and Management, University of Pretoria, Pretoria on the16th of November 2012. Programme Director and Convener of this Conference, Professor Jerry Kuye; Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the University of Pretoria, Professor Cheryl de la Rey; The Dean of the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences, Professor Elsabe Loots; Academics and Administrators from various Universities; Under-graduate and Post-graduate Students; International Guests.
Towards a developmental state : implications for local government globally
(African Consortium of Public Administration, 2012) Saloojee, A.
Local government is one critical component of governments globally, charged with the responsibility of discharging services to the citizens. The significance of local government lies in power concentration within a state. The article will focus on the assessment of the local government level/tiers/spheres towards the achievement of a developmental state, in various countries. The article highlights a discourse on the centralisation and decentralisation in developmental states. Thus, the debate focuses on the importance of using local government as the immediate agents for achieving a developmental state.
Certification or qualification : an analysis of formal and non-formal higher education in South Africa
(African Consortium of Public Administration, 2012) Van Dijk, Hilligje Gerritdina
The South African National Qualifications Framework is a comprehensive system which makes provision for the classification, registration, publication and articulation of quality-assured national qualifications. The purpose is to ensure an integrated national framework of learning achievements through the registration of qualifications and part qualifications by the South African Qualifications Authority. Furthermore, the Skills Development Act, 1998 (Act 97 of 1998) makes provision for the development of skills programmes which are occupationally based and creditbearing. Many higher education institutions have opted to offer these educational opportunities to learners who would not have access or time to participate in formal qualifications programmes. These short learning programmes (SLPs) are usually created in response to a needs analysis and have a specific focus, such as leadership development or financial management. The intent of the article is to contribute towards the current discussion whether SLPs are a viable and efficient mechanism to ensure capacity building within the South African public sector, with specific reference to local government
Leading through servant-hood in the Democratc Republic of the Congo : the African context
(African Consortium of Public Administration, 2012-12) Tshiyoyo, Mudikolele Michel
The African continent demands true leaders who can change the patterns of how actions had been performed and who can put the continent on the path of development. How can true leaders emerge since the continent is faced with so many crises on every hand? To answer this question the article briefl y compares and contrasts characteristics commonly and universally recognised to leaders. This analysis will assist in determining whether there is a difference between characteristics portrayed by leaders among different cultures. In this article, it is found that different cultures have different conceptions of what leadership should entail. The critical question in cross-cultural analyses of managerial infl uences is whether individuals’ responses to organisational practices are more or less universal. Leadership is a scarcity in Africa and that is because of some institutional and structural constraints which emanate from the lack of effective leaders. Considering the current confi guration of the African continent, the use of the servant-leader model becomes relevant. The servant-leader model, if well applied, can assist African leaders to reverse the dark picture that portrays the performance of the continent and enable them to place the continent on the path of development and prosperity.
Local economic development in South Africa : policy implications
(African Consortium of Public Administration, 2012-12) Koma, Samuel Bogalebjapoo; onkgopotse.madumo@up.ac.za
The purpose of this article is to locate and examine the effi cacy of the implementation of the policy on local economic development within the context of the sphere of local government in South Africa. The sphere of local government is currently faced with numerous challenges and bottlenecks that stem from high poverty and unemployment rates, shortage of skills required to propel local economic development, lack of administrative capacity and ineffective implementation of policies. The article further examines the alignment or lack thereof between national and, provincial government development policy frameworks in relation to the policy on local economic development implemented in the sphere of local government. The Emakhazeni local municipality is used as a case study. Pertinent and plausible strategies with a view to address the challenges facing the implementation of the policy are elucidated and explored in the article.
Contexualising leadership challenges in municipalities : a developmental impression
(African Consortium of Public Administration, 2012-12) Madumo, Onkgopotse Senatla; onkgopotse.madumo@up.ac.za
Municipal services are imperative in maintaining a reasonable standard of living of the people in a particular area of jurisdiction. In most African states, municipalities have a challenge as they are not achieving their predetermined developmental objectives. The role of a municipality is to inter alia create an environment conducive to the advancement of development by ensuring the delivery of the expected services. The failure to deliver services is often associated with the lack of proper leadership that might exist in municipalities, where both the elected offi ce bearers and administrative offi cials lack the necessary skills to perform the required tasks. This article will address the leadership quagmire that exists in local government in selected countries. Firstly the article will explain the local government environment and its purpose in a developing country. This will be done by explicating the nature and character of municipalities. Secondly, a literature review will assist in assessing the different leadership styles and consequently comparing them with the existing municipal offi cials present in municipalities. The assessment of leadership styles is necessary for the determination of the effectiveness of the delivery of services and the implementation of municipal programmes. Lastly, the article will provide suggestions to resolve the pertinent question of effective municipal government and subsequently ensure equitable service delivery.
Leading quality management for improved public service delivery
(African Consortium of Public Administration, 2012-12) Kruger, Mareli
If service delivery involves institutional performance, then it stands that the better the performance of government, the more likely actual service delivery will match expectations. The philosophy of quality management proposes that all aspects of an organisation have to be dedicated to the goal of achieving the highest standards of performance as required by customers. In so doing, quality management leads institutions to being committed to higher performance, thereby satisfying customers. Quality management provides the ideal foundation for the improvement of service delivery, as it is a philosophy of continuous improvement which can provide any institution with a set of practical tools for meeting and exceeding present and future customer needs, wants and expectations. This article addresses leading service delivery improvement efforts and quality management, with a view to achieving quality service delivery as outcome. It is not the intention of this article to propose that quality management is the answer to all challenges associated with the implementation of public service delivery improvement initiatives. Rather, it proposes that quality management is a natural progression from a service delivery focus and/or existing attempts to improve the products and services delivered by the public service to citizens as its customers, because the aims, philosophies and principles of service delivery improvement and quality management are so closely aligned. Even though quality management works horisontally across functions and departments, involves all staff members and extends backwards and forwards to include the supply chain and the customer chain, this article focuses on the role of the leader in the management of quality for the improvement of public service delivery.
Building a puzzle of Higher Education Institutions (HEI) in South Africa : competencies, graduateness and employability
(African Consortium of Public Administration, 2012-12) Holtzhausen, Natasja
A picture paints a thousand words. Higher Education Institutions (HEI) are under constant pressure to prepare students for the world of work. Competencies that make students more employable are needed, but in a changing world more and more are expected from those entering for example government departments. This requires that those leaving universities should be individuals epitomising the elements of graduateness. It is imperative that university programmes incorporate competencies into curricula that will make students more employable as well as embody graduateness. This article provides an overview of the concepts graduateness, employability and competencies. An exploration of the literature reveals how these concepts can be incorporated into the curriculum of HEI programmes. It can be concluded that if a university leaver needs to be more than just employable, a different competency skill base needs to be part and parcel of the curriculum. This article explores specifi cally the various competencies required for graduates entering the world of work.
Leadership development for developmental local government : challenges and prospects
(African Consortium of Public Administration, 2012-12) Nkwana, Hunadi Mapula
Local government is at the core of service delivery as it is the sphere of government closest to the people. The local sphere of government is tasked with the obligation of providing basic services to citizens in a sustainable manner. Within the context of a developmental state, developmental local government calls for new knowledge, skills and competencies from those in leadership positions in municipalities to promote service delivery. Developmental local government requires political leadership which creates opportunities to account to the community over and above regular elections. In this regard therefore the role of councillors as political leaders in local government is of signifi cance as councillors are elected to provide political direction and leadership in municipalities. This article focuses on the development of leadership capacity in local government in South Africa. With an emphasis on the knowledge, skills and competencies that councillors as the providers of political direction and leadership require. The article asserts the continuous development and improvement of leadership capacity in local government in order to enable councillors to meet local governance challenges in the 21st century and to promote the objectives of a developmental local government.
Developmentalism and the state of skills readiness : “The case for South Africa as the next African Giant Tiger”
(African Consortium of Public Administration, 2012) Kuye, Jerry O.; Sheoraj, Reshma
At a time when the global economy is still recovering from the aftermath of the Great Financial Crisis (“GFC”), the world is forced to pause and refl ect on the global economic imbalances between the Eastern and Western economies and the implications for emerging economies. Policy makers are questioning the traditional wisdom of free markets, the role of government in facilitating the development and growth of the economy, and the extent to which government can intervene in the economy to address market failures. In this article, while many emerging markets including South Africa (“SA”) were not directly affected by the GFC, SA it did however feel the effects of the European recession through a decline in trade exports. Notwithstanding the global recession and the gloomy outlook for Europe and United States of America, the economic outlook for the rest of the African continent and BRICS economies remains strong, with many African economies set to enjoy growth rates of 7%. It is recognised in this article that even though Governments cannot create wealth, they nevertheless can play a key role in the process of economic development. Economic growth represents an essential prerequisite for political stability in SA. However, efforts aimed at stimulating growth rates can be hampered by a lack of administrative capacity. The lack of administrative capacity can also impose a dominate constraint on policy making in contemporary SA. This article fi nally argues that a vibrant interventionist policy approach by governments will be the right step and balance to address the issues of a developmental state and those of skills acquisition.
Transformational leadership in the South African public sector
(African Consortium of Public Administration, 2012-12) Mthethwa, R.M.
In today’s fast changing world, countries and organisations need to have a sense of urgency to change in order to be competitive. There have been numerous dramatic changes in social, political, economic, environmental and technological areas. Notwithstanding these changes being mostly at international level, they also affected the national systems. These changes often blindsided the countries which especially failed in strategic planning and transformational leadership. The South African public sector is not spared. The public service is under considerable pressure to improve service delivery to meet this challenge and the ever increasing expectations of stakeholders and customers who are increasingly aware of new technologies, governance possibilities and practices. There is an urgent need for public sector transformation to deliver public goods meeting expectations and spearhead the country to achieve vision 2025 and possibly, to start charting the way forward beyond 2025 to meet even greater political, economic, technical and social challenges of the future. It is undoubtedly that the anticipation of these changes and taking the necessary precautions are closely intertwined with a public administration system. The variety, frequency and intensity of these changes and developments suggest that the detection of the problems and providing solutions for them are not as easy as it used to be. Principles such as public participation, transparency and accountability are now a part of our daily lives. The purpose of this article is to explore the complexity of the public sector and the variety of leadership challenges within the South African public service. Taking cognisance of the signifi cance of transformational leadership in the realisation of public sector transformation, a thorough investigation of the strategic issues is urgently needed in order to provide a co-ordinated and comprehensive strategic approach to address the issues of poor service delivery. The article concludes by arguing that bold, decisive and transformational initiatives by the public sector and its leaders are necessary to meet the complex current and future challenges of the country.
The Government of National Unity in Zimbabwe : challenges and obstacles to public administration
(African Consortium of Public Administration, 2012-12) Nhede, Norman Tafirenyika
This article analyses the challenges of the Government of National Unity (GNU) on public administration in Zimbabwe. Confl icts do not only affect the economy, but also adversely affect the liberties of the population of the affected country. In the absence of timely interventions, the effects of internal confl icts may eventually spread to the neighbouring countries. In the interest of regional peace and trade, regional blocs have an obligation to participate in the search for a lasting solution to confl icts in member states. The 29th March 2008 harmonised general elections failed to produce an outright presidential winner. Subsequently this led to the non-recognition of the results of the run-off pitting Robert Mugabe of the Zimbabwe African National Union – Patriotic Front (ZANU PF) and Morgan Tsvangirai of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC-T), by the local, regional and international communities. This in turn prompted the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) to intervene in order to avert a leadership crisis by brokering a power-sharing agreement involving ZANU PF and the two MDC formations. The 15th September 2008 agreement marked the historic signing of the Global Political Agreement (GPA) which paved the way for the consummation of the GNU on 13th February 2009. The power-sharing deal has its own problems too. To determine and explore the various challenges and obstacles to public administration arising from the power-sharing agreement, relevant literature was studied, analysed and contextualised. The solution which was meant to achieve political expediency has presented public offi cials with some unanticipated challenges arising mainly from political polarisation and the politicisation of public institutions. Nevertheless, the GNU has registered a few positive results, but such successes are not within the scope of this article.
Good governance for cost effective financial management : a public sector financial management approach
(African Consortium of Public Administration, 2012-12) Fourie, D.J. (David Johannes)
In their endeavour to achieve sustainable development, developing states face serious challenges in public governance, particularly in general and public finance management. This article focuses on the problems of holding the public service to account for the achievement of objectives, compliance with relevant laws, efficient utilisation of public resources and accurate financial reporting. To ensure that the public service acts in the interests of the public it serves and secures the public interest, a system of governance, including monitoring and evaluation, is required. Governance occurs at various levels from the State to particular public organisations. The paper addresses the accountability of public accounting officers and authorities for their public finance responsibilities on the basis of performance (including finance) reports in the State and public governance contexts. The article aims to examine appropriateness of public finance management in the State and public governance contexts. The article’s objectives are, firstly, to establish the nature of public sector finance in the context of State governance, secondly, to determine the requirements for public finance management in public organisations in the context of public governance and, thirdly, to address aspects such as the financial responsibilities, accountability, monitoring and reporting relevant to public organisations’ governing bodies.
Councillor’s role in service delivery : the case of Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality
(African Consortium of Public Administration, 2012-12) Thornhill, Christopher; Dlamini, K.
This article contributes to the debate and aims to increase policy-makers’ understanding of the dynamics of local government service delivery, with the ultimate goal of strengthening service delivery in South Africa. The motivation for the research comes from a realisation that policy interrogation efforts into local government have largely focused on the role of the community and/or the appointed municipal officials. There is a lack of research on elected office bearers who are a fundamental part of the local government system and whose role has a policyshaping influence. Political leadership and its effectiveness in the local government sphere is an important but often neglected aspect of government. According to the White Paper on Local Government (1998:12), local government in South Africa has, since the transition to democracy, undergone a series of changes to meet the needs of a consolidating democracy and the development of the country’s citizens. The challenges include: addressing apartheid-legacy underdevelopment of the regions and municipalities; fostering participatory governance in the local sphere; and consolidating local government to facilitate sustainable development and improving service delivery. This article investigates the role of a municipal councilor in ensuring that the municipality’s mandate is carried out.
Intergovernmental relations in South Africa : a revised policy approach to co-operative government
(African Consortium of Public Administration, 2012-12) Malan, Lianne Priscilla
The attainment of development goals in South Africa is heavily dependent on an effective system of intergovernmental relations (IGR) and also upon the degree to which the institutions of government can operate in mutual trust and good faith and in a state of institutional harmony. Where government institutions and organs of state, in the three spheres of government, have to exercise a statutory power or implement a policy that requires the undertaking of joint work or implementing concurrent functions, those organs of state must co-ordinate their actions and participate in an appropriate manner. Whereas intergovernmental relations consist of the horizontal and vertical relationships among institutions and individuals in the three spheres of government, the principles of co-operative government lock these relations into a particular normative framework. The core of this framework is that the decentralization of state power in terms of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996 is not based on competitive federalism but on the norms of co-operative government. In this article, the practice of intergovernmental relations and co-operative government in South Africa will be analysed. The suggestion of a new policy framework for co-operative government by the South African government will be scrutinized. Proposals will be made on how to develop a whole-of-government policy coherence, as well as to support an organisational form to promote cooperative government priorities.

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