1. Introduction
2.12. Operation Sukuma Sakhe
2.12.5. Challenges in Operation Sukuma Sakhe
There are a number of problems that affect the functionality of OSS. As structures charged with fast tracking service delivery and addressing the challenges of poverty in the province as well as taking government to the people, OSS structures need to be seen to be not only well-organised but also well-coordinated and in complete synch with all other structures within communities so that the ultimate objective of OSS can be fulfilled127. In the MWRRU (2012) report, it was discovered that there are fundamental problems that continually overwhelm the system or model. Chief among them are problems associated with coordinating, in particular the disjuncture in information flows caused mainly by lack of technological access especially to structures such as War Rooms, YAs and CCGs128. Secondly, poor understanding of OSS by local structures and political perceptions ruin the process further. There are also challenges caused by continuous lack of financial resources for operational and transport costs, associated with the fact that OSS has no funding of its own. The Maurice Webb (2012) report further outlines that the fact that OSS does not have its own budget was a serious detriment to its functionality and an extra burden to already short-staffed departments, such as, DOH, DBE etc129. The study furthermore explains that OSS was often referred to as falling outside of official job descriptions130.
The other problems affecting the functionality of OSS can be summarized into three challenges, the first one is non-attendance of stakeholders, the second is the profiling form known as the War on Poverty form, and the third is lack of commitment from key stakeholders (see below).
1. Non-attendance
All government departments are expected to be present in all OSS structures meetings.
However, from the report by the MWRRU (2012) it is clear that government departments
127 Maurice Webb Race Relation Unit’s Report on the Functionality of OSS in KZN (2012) for the Office of the Premier
128 Maurice Webb Race Relation Unit’s Report on the Functionality of OSS in KZN (2012) for the Office of the Premier
129 Maurice Webb Race Relation Unit’s Report on the Functionality of OSS in KZN (2012) for the Office of the Premier
130 Maurice Webb Race Relation Unit’s Report on the Functionality of OSS in KZN (2012) for the Office of the Premier
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sometimes do not attend OSS meetings. Non-attendance of government departments can cause OSS to dysfunction as they are the main drivers of development. Not only is poor attendance by representatives of government departments a major problem, the obsolescence of the communication system is also a source of frustration when engaging different stakeholders on a constant basis is the critical aspect of OSS success.
2. The Profiling form
When participants in the training provided by Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) and University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) for Department of Social Development (DSD) were asked whether the “War on Poverty Survey” (profiling tool) instrument was an effective tool in measuring the extent and nature of poverty in the province, most indicated that the instrument was partially effective in measuring the extent and nature of poverty131. The participants’ responses were as follow132,
• The tool needs to be translated to isiZulu in order for the results to be valid and reliable
• The questionnaire is too long and it has irrelevant and unrealistic questions
• The top-down approach without consultation with field workers is a problem
• Some questions are too sensitive. (e.g. what is your monthly household income)
• Questionnaire is too long and time consuming.
• Not effective because some departments are not represented
• The question on eating patterns can be offensive to some, especially if you are not going to bring food there and then.
• Not all stakeholders participate in the information that has been collected.
• There is no monitoring and evaluation.
131 Khalema, E (2012) Enhancing the Research Capacity of Local Government Planners, Community Health Workers, and Community Development Practitioners Engaged in “War on Poverty Survey” in KwaZulu-Natal: A Training Report, Human Sciences Research Council in Collaboration with
Development & Population Studies, University of KwaZulu-Natal
132 Khalema, E (2012) Enhancing the Research Capacity of Local Government Planners, Community Health Workers, and Community Development Practitioners Engaged in “War on Poverty Survey” in KwaZulu-Natal: A Training Report, Human Sciences Research Council in Collaboration with
Development & Population Studies, University of KwaZulu-Natal
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• It is effective in the sense that it gives an idea of the extent and nature of poverty and it measures the living standards of the community
• It also identifies gaps that exist within the government departments
3. Lack of commitment
Above and beyond, absenteeism and a problematic profiling form, lack of commitment from key stakeholder is also a problem. Lack of commitment is manifested through delayed interventions and no interventions. When departments do not respond to problems identified through OSS structure, it renders the whole idea of OSS useless. This is because OSS speaks to services delivery. Participants, in the MWRRU study (2012) saw the concept of service integration as creating possibilities for different stakeholders to share information, resources and promote partnerships at municipal level133. The study was conducted in focus group format and they were five types of focus groups, Each focus group comprised distinctively of members of the hierarchical structures of OSS i.e. DTT, LTT, WTT, YAs, CCGs.
Participants of the MWURR study, however, also acknowledged that the system in its entirety is fraught with structural problems relating especially to the levels of commitment shown by government departments to activities of OSS. Government departments received a negative rating on this and were described as reluctant to attend meetings134. At the same time it is clear that government departments have a crucial role to play in achieving the ultimate objective of escalating service delivery and fighting poverty in communities, considering they have the authority to deploy the necessary funds.
According to the findings of the MWRRU (2012) report there was also a feeling that senior managers in government departments have not bought into OSS which in turn affects OSS capabilities135. This was evidenced not only in the physical absence of senior departmental managers but also in their delegation, to OSS activities, of junior staff or interns with no
133 Maurice Webb Race Relation Unit’s Report on the Functionality of OSS in KZN (2012) for the Office of the Premier
134 Maurice Webb Race Relation Unit’s Report on the Functionality of OSS in KZN (2012) for the Office of the Premier
135 Maurice Webb Race Relation Unit’s Report on the Functionality of OSS in KZN (2012) for the Office of the Premier
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powers of decision–making. Whether this is a function of a lack of basic understanding of OSS or a question of competing demands (a silo mentality syndrome), or even political perceptions, it is unclear136. The report further suggest that the “Office of the Premier as well as HODs did not come out intact for their habit of by-passing the knots in the chain of command and using subordinate structures to deliver information instead of following departmental protocols”137.