TABLE 3: CHOICE OF CASE STUDIES
Executive Ward
Municipality City Category Type Authority Committees
elson Port A Executive Executive Yes
Mandela Elizabeth Metropolitan Mayor powers exercised by an 52 Wards
Metropolitan Municipality System executive mayor
Council assisted by a mayoral
committee
eThekwini Durban A Executive Executive powers No
Metropolitan Metropolitan Committee exercised by an
Council Municipality System Executive Committee
Buffalo City East B Executive Executive powers Yes
local London Local Mayor System exercised by an 45 Wards
Council Municipality executive mayor
assisted by a mayoral committee
Msunduzi B Executive Executive powers Yes
Local
P.M. Burg Local Committee exercised by an 37 Wards
Council Municipality System executive committee
Reference was made at the beginning of this chapter to a threshold with a suggestion that efficiency in decision-making is likely to be impeded by democratisation only if the level of efficiency has reached a certain threshold. For the purpose of this thesis, threshold is recognised as the level which separates these municipalities which are able to fulfil their basic function and those which are not. Infonnation obtained from the Department of Provincial and Local Government, (DPLG) confinned that there are currently 139 municipalities which are unable to fulfil their basic functions.
The municipalities which have been selected as case studies as shown in the above table are all functioning above the threshold level.
submission of reports to council and committees. In addition executive policy made by the legislators usually does not provide sufficient detail for the implementation of such policy.
Officials make a multitude of decisions in order to implement policy effectively. Furthermore, elected representatives' activities are not confined to taking decisions and councillors are becoming more and more involved in implementation. The distinction between the role of the elected representatives and officials has accordingly become increasingly blurred and some discussion has been included in Chapter Two on the tensions that have emerged between mayors and municipal managers, and in general, between member of the executive and senior officials.
The role of citizens in municipal decision-making is less direct. Citizens are, however, involved in local government in a number of ways - as voters, as consumers of services, (for example electricity and water), as members of interest groups, as stakeholders, through specialised structures such as ward committees. It is necessary to identify appropriate members within the three components of local government to participate in this study. Firstly, participants from the elected representatives will include the mayor, and/or the deputy mayor; and/or the speaker; and the members of the executive committee or mayoral committee, ward and PR councillors (councillors elected by proportional representation). Secondly, participants from the ranks of the officials will include the city manager; and/or the manager in the city managers office; senior and middle management; and specialised staff (for example, legal advisors, secretariat managers, media liaison officers etc.). Thirdly, participants will be drawn from community structures and from the ranks of civil society, for example, the press and the chambers of commerce or business.
REFERENCES
1. Systems Act, Section 16 (1) (c).
2. Structures Act, Section 44 (2) (g).
3. Systems Act, Section 5 (1) (d).
4. Mouton, J and Marais, H.C.:Basic Concepts in the Methodology ofthe Social Sciences.
Pretoria, Human Sciences Research Council, HSRC Press, 1988, p.158.
5. Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary of Current English, Wehmeier, Sally. Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2000.
6. The Oxford English Dictionary, 2ndEdition, Volume IV, Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1989.
7. Websters 3rd International Dictionary, Unabridged, G and C Merriam Company Publishers, Springfield, Massachusetts, USA, 1961.
8. Walizer, M.H. and Wiener, P.L.: Research Methods and Analysis. Searching for Relationships,Harper and Raw, Publishers, New York, 1978, p.29.
9. Mouton and Marais,Ibidp.18.
10. Jackson, M.C. Systems Approaches to Management, London, Kluwer Plenum Publishers, 1988, p.l1.
11. Ibid.
12. Midgley, G.: Systematic Intervention: Philosophy, Methodology and Practice. New York, Kluwer Academic, 2000, p.171.
13. Jackson, p.lll 14. Ibid., p.107 15. Ibid., p.llO.
16. Ibid., p.111.
17. Ibid., p.112.
18. Ibid.
19. Ibid.,p.114.
20. Ibid., P 211.
21. Ibid.
22. Ibid.
23. Ibid.
24. Act108 of1996, Section 152 (2) 25. Ibid.
26. Mouton and MaraisIbid., p.155 27. Ibid.
28. House, E.: Integrating the quantitative and qualitative. In New Directions for Program
29. Ibid, p.14.
30. Ibid 31. Ibid 32. Ibid 33. Ibid
34. Marshall, C. and Rossman, G.B.: Designing Qualitative Research. (3rdEdition), London, Sage. Mason. J, 1995, p.139.
35. Reichardt, R.S and Rallis, S. F.: Qualitative and Quantitative Inquiries are not incompatible. In New Directions/or Program Evaluation, 061, Josey-Bass Publishers, 1994, p.85.
36. Mouton and Marais, Ibid, p.163.
37. Ibid.
38. Ibid 39. Ibid.
40. Marshall and Rossman, Ibid, p.138.
41. Ibid
42. Structures Act.Section 12.
43. Marshall and Rossman, Ibid., p.150.
44. Marshall and Rossman, Ibid., p.l13.
45. Bernard,H. Russell. : Research Methods in Anthropology: Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches,2ndEdition, Walnut Creek, Alta Mira Press, 1995, p.l77.
46. Municipal Demarcation Board. www.demarcation.org.za.
47. Municipal Demarcation Board. www.demarcation.org.za.
CHAPTER FOUR
THE MSUNDUZI LOCAL MUNICIPALITY
INTRODUCTION
The first case study is the Msunduzi Local Municipality. In Chapter Three this municipality was identified as a Category B municipality with a collective executive system. The research will attempt to produce sufficient evidence to support the hypothesis, formulated in Chapter Two which claims that "the efficiency in municipal decision-making is likely to be inversely proportional to the degree of democracy manifested in the decision-making structures and processes of that municipality."
The research will have as its bases that efficiency in decision-making is measured in terms of the time taken to make a decision and that democracy is operationalised in terms of the principles of Inclusivity, Transparency, Accountabilityand Participation. In this Chapter I intend to deal firstly, with the application of the research methodology, secondly, with issues of orientation, thirdly, with the outcomes of the empirical research into efficiency and democracy as they are manifested in the decision-making structures and processes of the Msunduzi Municipality and, fourthly, to draw conclusions from the findings yielded by the research.