Leadership effectiveness in local government : the case of Amathole District Municipality
- Authors: Tshefu, Nolitha
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Leadership -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Municipal government -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: vital:8924 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1021142
- Description: Local government is a complex sphere of government that was established on the principles of deepening democracy and advancing developmental local government. This is premised on the fact that local government is highly legislated; furthermore it is the sphere that is the closest to the people. Local government has endured a lot of criticism ranging from lack of leadership, inexperienced and unqualified managers, lack of service delivery and the poor quality of the services provided. The critical question being asked in this research study is whether the current calibre of leadership is achieving the principles of local government. Councillors, by virtue of their establishment, were meant to be the voice of communities. Councillors have a supervisory role to play in the council, but the skills, capacities and experience of councillors are often lacking. The media reports daily on problems and crises called “challenges” facing municipalities. Government has acknowledged that there are challenges in local government. This raises the issue of cadre deployment, whether it assists government in achieving its developmental objectives. Cadre deployment is a strategy of the ruling party which was meant to bring the previously disadvantaged groups to a position of power. This was meant to try to balance the imbalances of the past. This research study argues that the high volume of dissatisfaction by communities may be aggravated by the non-effectiveness of the political bearers in the municipal councils. This study identifies a number of contributing factors to the challenge at hand, such as the deployment of people to council structures; requirement in terms of academic qualification; and lack of leadership. Furthermore, this study investigates what could be the problem with the cadre deployment strategy of the ruling party; asking whether the problem is with the strategy itself or with its implementation. This research study therefore seeks to evaluate the impact the political leaders have on local government, focusing on service delivery. The study will first outline the state of local government in South Africa; compare the design of SA local government to international and African countries as well as looking at the key variables that result in the lack of service delivery. The issue of woman empowerment will also be discussed, evaluating the role that the country up to local government has played in ensuring that the 50/50 representation is achieved. The conclusion from this research is that a framework for the selection of council candidates should be developed. The framework will outline the basic skills and qualification requirements. The recommendations include improvements in the processes of interacting with communities; enforcing the code of conduct; developing ways that the municipality can educate communities on government operations; improved community participation and increased accountability. The impact of the lack of leadership in councillors undermines the democratic principles of developmental local government.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
Exploring situational leadership as a key competence in driving the implementation of the integrated development plan of a South African municipality
- Authors: Nkosimbini, Aphiwe
- Date: 2020
- Subjects: Municipal government -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Leadership -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Corporate culture -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Organizational behavior -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Situational leadership , Integrated development plan
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/145302 , vital:38426
- Description: Situational leadership is relevant to any organisation responsible for the delivery of services. Senior public sector leaders must cultivate the characteristics necessary to drive the implementation of initiatives geared towards meeting the developmental objectives of local government. The introduction of the Integrated Development Plan (IDP) of the municipality for the political term beginning in August 2016 provided a prospect of investigating the management of the implementation of this strategic blueprint in the context of the type of leadership styles prevalent in the local government environment. This dissertation therefore elucidates the idea of situational leadership as a key competence in driving the implementation of the IDP. This is through an examination of the understandings of twelve managers involved in driving this implementation. This research took the form of an evaluation case study. The critical incident technique was used to establish from the managers, as part of the interviews, a particular incident relevant to the delivery of services in line with the IDP. The focus in engaging with research participants was on their exercise of leadership as managers through the various contexts/ situations that arise within their working environment. The perspective gleaned from the participants is one which demonstrates the application of the model of situational leadership in a given sector. Furthermore, the study pinpointed the need to consider situational leadership through situation-specific lenses that take on board the role of relationships, organisational culture and its perceived impact on the performance of the organisation. The Case Study of the application of situational leadership provides insight into the myriad of challenges faced by local government leaders in driving service delivery imperatives. This is achieved through interviews with participants and the use of inductive thematic analysis as a tool of analysis. It provides an example of the value to be derived from situational leadership for leaders wanting to reach new frontiers in the work that they do. Ultimately, the service delivery expectations must be satisfied by those on whom this responsibility falls.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2020