Acronyms and Abbreviations
Chapter 3: Service Delivery Planning in Ndwedwe Local Municipality: Legislative and Policy Context
3.13. Theoretical framework
According to Van der Waldt (2017:188), a theoretical framework is a method of explaining the major phenomenon to be examined, either visually or narratively. Furthermore, it seeks to explore the interactions that occur amongst the hypotheses of the study and a theory itself. Thornhill (2010:96) believes that a theory encompasses one or more hypothesis. This outcome in considering a phenomenon, clarifying its features, and even forecasting the actual consequences. Msibi (2015:7) believes that theories play an important role as it assists researcher to explain phenomenon and draw new conclusion that facilitate the development of new theories.
3.13.1. Efficiency Service Delivery Theory
The study employed an Efficiency Service Delivery Theory William Mackenzie (1954), who is regarded as a leading advocate for efficient government services school of thought. William Mackenzie was the American political sociologists and local government scholar whose life was imbued by human efforts and commitment in influencing civilisation in societies. The formulation of the theory was influenced by increasing demands placed by citizens on their government to bring about changes to the lives of their community (Hemson, 2010:8).
The efficiency service delivery theory propose that local government exists to offer services, and its success in providing services up to a standard set by a national inspectorate (Odalomu, 2015:14). The main emphasis of the theory is that the delivery of resources such as water, sanitation and road infrastructure should be received by end-users (citizens) in a manner that is convenient, efficient, and effective. The tenets of the theory are aligned with the South African Constitution, which encourages good governance and the responsive nature of public institutions on service delivery matters.
80 The Efficiency Service Delivery Theory also stipulates that even if the population is too small, but requires efficient provision of basic services. This theory also resonates that, despite the size and various dimensions of the population, citizens require quality services that are allocative, distributive, and productive (Andrews & Entwistle, 2012:1). Moulin, another proponent of the theory points out that local government is constrained, but national ambitions are more expansive. Local knowledge and experience are unlikely to be useful in national affairs (Makinde, 2016:308).
Ndwedwe Local Municipality must guarantee that services are delivered in an effective way because it is closest to the community. Some scholars believe that this requirement is so significant that it should take precedence over other local government responsibilities, arguing that the need or function of encouraging democratic involvement is not as important as the need for efficient service delivery.
(Chukwuemeka, 2014:312). The efficient service school’s premise is that local government, because of its proximity to a community, can offer certain services significantly more efficiently than the state or the federal government. In some cases, local government acts as a superior avenue for implementing policies and initiatives from the federal or state governments (2014:312).
The scope of Efficiency Service Delivery Theory was deemed necessary to guide this study because its focus was on increasing efficiency of service delivery to benefit the majority of citizens who consumed government services in Ndwedwe Local Municipality. Furthermore, Ndwedwe Local Municipality must establish sufficient and efficient ways of communication with their citizens to ensure good governance and accountability.
Figure 3.1 illustrates the pillars for Efficiency Service Delivery Theory that the Ndwedwe Local Municipality needs to adopt to ensure an efficient and effective service delivery plan.
81 Figure 3.1. Efficiency Service Delivery Theory
Source: Mbecke (2014) 3.13.1.1. Six factors of efficiency service delivery theory
For the purpose of this study, six factors of efficiency service delivery theory were considered in this study that is good governance, public participation good governance and e- governance, G policies, regulations and practices, planning monitoring and evaluation and sufficient government resources.
i. Good governances through transparency and accountability. The term good governance comes from the term governance, which refers to how an organisation conducts itself to achieve its mission and vision. As a result, Ndwedwe Local Municipality’s goal is to ensure that provision of services is provided to its residents. Ndwedwe Local Municipality is governed by the Local Government Structures Act No.117 of 1998, which ensures effective and efficient services. Good governance requires the presence of effective and responsible institutions and mechanisms, as well as established laws that encourage improvement by ensuring that citizens are involved in all aspects of service delivery that touch their lives.
ii. Public participation. Section 152 of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996, envisages the participation of community members, local structures, and organisations in
82 matters of local administration. Local governments benefit from public participation because it fosters a culture of good governance (Mbecke, 2014:268). The municipality of Ndwedwe consults with the municipality through community forums such as Izimbizo, Ward committees, and municipal councils.
iii. E-governance. The term e-governance refers to interactions between the federal government, local governments, and the general public. It is a method of ensuring service delivery over the internet or other ICTs such as mobile phones (Mbecke, 2014:268). To make certain that information is passed on to the public, the Ndwedwe Local Municipality employs communication strategies such as the usage of a website, where information is regularly uploaded.
iv. Laws, policies, regulations, and practices. Mbecke (2014:269) emphasises the importance of policies and legislative framework that guide and strengthen citizen’s improvement. To promote effective and efficient service delivery, such strategy must be integrated with the MDGs and citizens’ fundamental rights. A five-year strategic plan which is in-line with Millennium Development Goals has been drafted by the municipality of Ndwedwe (Ndwedwe IDP 2018).
v. Monitoring and evaluation. Monitoring and evaluation are critical components in ensuring that services are delivered according to plan (Mbecke, 2014:269). Monitoring and evaluation confirms that the local municipality’s aims and objectives were met or not. The Infrastructure Portfolio Committee of the Ndwedwe Local Municipality visited projects that the municipality had already completed to assess if they satisfied the required level of service delivery.
vi. Sufficient government resources. Adequate financial resources are required for the execution of laws, policies, regulations, and procedures for service delivery, as well as monitoring and evaluation systems. Sufficient finance is always a concern in many local municipalities since rural local governments are unable to produce revenue. It is vital that the municipality plan in accordance with the available resources and certify that all project that is included in the IDP has budget allocation (Mbecke, 2014:269).