Fourthly, there is overwhelming evidence that there is a direct correlation between participation levels and unhappiness and dissatisfaction around the levels of service delivery of the municipality. As a result of this study, the Council amended Section 12 of the Municipal Structure Act to ensure that eThekwini Municipality becomes a ward-participating type of municipality.
COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION POLICY 1. Introduction
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LIST FIGURES
Introduction
This paper aims to present the work done under the research project conducted between March 2004 and March 2005. The research question is how effective is the organizational design of the eThekwini Municipality in creating an enabling environment for community participation.
Succinct Statement of the Research Problem
In response to the situation the eThekwini Municipality established a unit called the Community Action Support and Participation Unit. These metaphors will be discussed in the next chapter. The organizational design for the eThekwini Municipality can determine which one or more of the above metaphors best describe this organization.
Understanding Local Government and Community Participation
Background and Context
The Municipal System Act announces that local government may no longer only play a role as a provider of services to the population. The new feature of local government is what is called developmental local government.
The unit established to ensure communities participate is the Community Participation and Action Support Unit. In this case, the Community Participation and Action Support Unit is a subsystem within the Governance cluster, a system that falls under eThekwini Muncipality, a supra-system.
Exploration of Key Concepts
- System
- Local Governance
- Citizens Participation
Rationale behind the topic chosen
The organisation of this document
Conclusion
Project management is one such literature that will also be added to this chapter.
Systems Thinking
- Systems Theoretical Breakthrough
- Barnard's Systems Thinking
- Sociological Systems Theory
- Contingency Theory
- General Systems
- Systemic Metaphors
- Machine Metaphor or "Closed System View
- Organic Metaphor or "Open System" View
- Neurocybernetic Metaphor or "Viable System" View
- Culture Metaphor
- Political Metaphor
- Synergy
- Holism versus Reductionism
Emergence: meaningful properties of a system are emergent in that they are properties of the whole and not of the parts that make up the system. Thus, as the parts (subsystem) of the system fail to fulfill the above, then the problem occurs.
Community Participation
- Participation
- Conceptualising Participation
- Citizen participation in local governance
- Governance
- Decentralisation
- Direct Democracy
- Representative Democracy
- Participatory Democracy
- Deliberative Democracy
Decentralization refers to the process in which authority and responsibility for public functions are transferred from central government to subordinate levels of government. In terms of the relationship between citizens and the local state, direct democracy can provide the space for traditionally excluded groups to gain access to the state and to make decisions that affect their Iives - decisions that would normally be made by their political representative.
The Debate Around Citizen Participation, Local Governance and Service Delivery
Needham argues that in the North this has led to a situation of the misleading dichotomization of the ideas of citizen and client based on narrow and single-model conceptions of citizenship. The Reconstruction and Development Program states that: "..the empowerment of civil society institutions is the fundamental objective of the government's approach to building national consensus.
Some of the enablers to citizen participation
- Innovations Around Citizen Participation in Planning
- Focussing on Citizen Education and Awareness Building
- Training and Sensitising Local Officials and Political Representatives
- Teaching Skills in Advocacy, Alliance Building and Collaboration
- Participatory Budgeting
- Promoting Accountability of Elected Officials to Citizens
Also noteworthy in relation to the Municipal Structure Act of 1998 is the provision for the participation of traditional authorities who observe a system of customary law in the territory of the municipality. While a number of participatory methods focus on promoting direct participation of citizens in the governance process, others focus on maintaining accountability of elected officials and government agencies to the citizenry.
Project Management
- Definitions
- Development Phase
- Implementation Phase
- Termination Phase
- Project Management Knowledge Areas
- Project Integration Management
- Project Scope Management
- Project Time Management
- Project Cost Management
- Project Quality Management
- Project Human Resource Management
- Project Communications Management
- Project Risk Management
- Project Procurement Management
The process that ensures that the project meets the needs for which it is undertaken. The process that makes most effective use of the people involved in the project. It consists of organizational planning, staff recruitment and team development.
Conclusion
Terms of reference of the study
Research Methodology
- Why Action Research Method?
- Research Framework
- Procedure of the stud y
- The Information Collection Process
- Critical Questions
- Sub-questions
A qualitative data analysis was conducted using the relevant research themes and questions. What are the experiences of the above categories of citizens in terms of participatory processes. What should be the role of the key participants in a public process (including the citizens, general public, political representatives and parties and consultants).
Sampling
Government programs and actions can then be more clearly based on the reality of people's lives. These findings address the nature of citizen participation in the areas selected for the study. The main finding of this research indicates that when communities are institutionally connected to the municipality, they have a greater tendency to participate and are likely to demonstrate greater long-term commitment to participatory processes.
Participation Dynamics in each Ward
Understanding of Participation
But there is also recognition of the role of political parties in the development process. In this regard, some participants were of the opinion that participation is not a one-way process where citizens are empowered, but that it would also be empowering for. Seventh, participation is about developing local citizens and understanding their rights, obligations and responsibilities as citizens and about their rights as citizens to be meaningfully involved in local government activities.
The role of the Municipality in facilitating and enabling environment for community participation
In this context, the interviewee's feeling was that participatory processes should involve communities at all stages of the project cycle - it should not 'start and end with identifying needs and problems'. Secondly, however, it was recognized that there had been a significant change in the council's participation processes compared to historical practices. The process then continues and ends with the production and approval/rejection of the plan.
Decision-making in Citizen Participation Process
This is important because a policy must explicitly recognize the political context within which resource allocation decisions are made within local government and the varying levels of institutional complexity within which decisions are made. The issue thus points to the inherent tension that exists between the inputs and contributions made by the citizenry and how these are reflected in the product that emerges at the end of the process. First, some participants felt that it is the legal right, role and responsibility of the municipality, in that its elected political representatives, namely councillors, make the final decision on the allocation of resources.
The Role of Key Participants in Citizen Participation Process
Second, many participants felt the need for mechanisms that allowed local communities real decision-making power on issues that affected them most. Participation processes should be inclusive of all stakeholders, especially historically excluded stakeholder groups, and that processes should consciously seek the participation of such groups. Council members are also seen as crucial in playing a role in increasing and promoting public participation, especially because they can communicate directly with the people they serve.
Institutional Provision for Citizen Participation and Action
Public participation structures should therefore vary depending on the needs and challenges faced by the community. In communities where councilors make an effort to be available to the people, participation is likely to increase. In some cases there is a general lack of trust between the councilor and part of the community.
Barriers to Citizen Participation
In general, there is a lack of understanding from the community about how local government works. People who feel they are unlikely to be treated fairly are unlikely to participate enthusiastically in local government processes. If these issues are not fully addressed/~ they are likely to cause problems and hinder public participation.
Conclusion
Finally, overwhelming evidence is found that there is a direct correlation between participation levels and unhappiness and dissatisfaction around the levels of service delivery of the municipality. It is claimed that without understanding what the purpose of the organization is and who it is intended to serve, any organizational change process will be meaningless. The first way (which currently exists), which is typical of many change methodologies, which is driven by "activity-based, parts thinking" (rather than result-oriented, process thinking), involves assigning each of the problem areas to separate, relevant departments (e.g. .Community Participation and Action Support) to analyze and generate possible solutions independently of each other.
GENERAL
The problem with this approach is that symptoms often persist because the parts are treated alone - and in isolation from each other.
THE WHOLE
PROCESS
PARTS
Deepening Mindset Analysis: Defining the direction of the solution
Why does the Municipality measure the heads of departments for compliance with the rules if some rules endanger the needs of the client. The starting point is actually that the Auditor General actually determines much of the organizational behavior, since he is ultimately responsible for the administration of all municipalities. The Auditor General, as the "boss" of the Municipality, has measured the performance of all municipalities on how well they lead a clean administration.
ANALYSIS OF THE MINDSET
Why did the Municipality not establish local community participation structures so as to enhance participation?
The answer to this question is that the eThekwini Municipality has been the type of municipality that has not been able to establish Neighborhood Committees. In the framework of the transformation of local government, Neighborhood Committees serve as an innovative mechanism for the continuous participation of communities in local government. The policy on ward committees set out in the White Paper corresponds closely to the provision relating to ward committees which can be found in the Local Government Municipal Structures Act, 1998.
Why is it the case that the Municipality's design shows grouping like functions units together and not around delivering complete outputs to customers -
In the second degree, it is claimed that the other contributing factor responsible for the functional structure of the Municipality is the description of the Municipal Ordinance that defines exactly how the organization should be organized. The mistaken assumption to be exposed here is that the organization chart is a model for undertaking both the operation and management of the organization. An alternative view (and the one advocated in this analysis of organizational design) is the "system view" of the organization.
Reductionist Thinking
Individual units are therefore seen as a resource in the chain that provides output to the next resource in the same chain. If this understanding of the organization is accepted, measurements will not be based on measuring local efficiency of parts of the chain separately. Instead, measurements are based on how well each resource contributed to the overall effectiveness of the entire chain that delivers results that meet customer needs.
The Direction to the solution
- Making new assumpt ions & engendering new mindsets are the beginning of the process
Therefore, rules must be written around community needs and give room for community participation. The new policies will allow new measurements to be developed that focus on results to be achieved - ie. City's new policies should now allow the budget to be allocated to the process owner, e.g.
Conclusion
The specific objectives of this policy include the following: First, strengthening democracy by increasing citizen participation in local government decision-making. Third, improving communication to allow citizens access to information and feedback to local government. Second, citizens who have full access to local government and are able to meaningfully engage and influence local government policy, planning, budgeting and decision-making processes.
Practice Principles for community participation
Third, youth, women, the elderly and the disabled are empowered to participate effectively in the social and economic development of their lives. Fifth, well-informed consumers who receive municipal services delivered in accordance with the eThekwini Municipality Citizen Charter, which is based on the Batho Pele principles, consumer rights and the local government legislation and policy framework. Finally, citizens who are proud of their city and willingly honor their civic duties to contribute to community development and the sustainability of their local government.
Structured participation
First, citizens who use their skills and abilities to improve their quality of life, with the support of the municipality and other development agencies.
Clarity of Purpose
Commitment
Communication
Flexibility and Responsiveness
Timelines
Inclusiveness
Collaboration
Diversity
- Citizens Participation levels
- Active citizenship
- Citizens as owners or shareholders
- Citizens as customers or consumers
- Citizens as policy makers and issue framers
- Vision Builders
- Citizens as service quality evaluators
- Citizens as co-producers of services and co-mobiliser of resources
- Citizens as independent outcome trackers
- Processes of community participation
- Information
- Consultation
- Involvement
- Participation
- Empowerment
- Non-negotiable and negotiable issues
- Zonal Level
- Area Level
- Citywide Level
- Political and Administration Officials
- Civil Society
- Participation Institutionalisation
- Community Participation programmes ensuring local governance
- Participation tools and techniques for Good governance
- Tools
- Techniques
- Conclusion
- Limitations of the Study
- Additional Lessons
- Participation Dynamics
- Key Participation Challenges
- Key Participation Challenges
- Participation Dynamics
- Participation Dynamics
- Key Participation Challenges
- Background to Ward Committees
- Capacity Building and training
- Composition of Ward Committees
- Ward Committee Meetings
- Administrative Support
- Term of Office
- Vacancies
- Termination of membership
- Budget
- Accountability
- Dispute Resolution
- Dissolution
- Annexures
An annual capacity building and training program should be developed for each ward committee member. A neighborhood committee decides on the portfolios assigned to the other eight members of the committee. Members of the district committee must submit topics to be discussed to the chairman at least seven days in advance.
A member of the Ward Committee must accept the principle of accountability towards the community and other political parties. A member of the Ward Committee must embrace all views and opinions in the process of community participation.
