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The post-1994 democratic developmental South African state opted for a strong local government system which has been constitutionalised, in terms of Chapter 7 of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa Act 108 of 1996. The politicisation of the local bureaucracy was inevitable as the ruling party sought to ensure that the executive leadership of municipalities shared the same political ideology and vision to facilitate local development. This raises the question, where does politicisation commence and end, and what is the ideal local political interface for efficient and effective service delivery and, more importantly, to ensure good governance? These questions have to take cognisance of the fact that South Africa is a 'struggle democracy' and development has to take place in historically disadvantaged areas, where services have been poor or non-existent. The historically advantaged areas have to also be maintained and upgraded, as they are key to financial sustainability of the municipalities. The increasing service delivery protests is a matter for concern, if one has to take cognisance of the popular adage highlighted in official literature, 'if local government fails, South Arica fails'. Given that the struggles for a democratic South Africa were fought at the grassroots level, this has to translate to an improved quality of life for local communities. Consequently, sound political management is key to enhanced municipal service delivery and ultimately good local governance. This paper reviews political trends and developments up to 2016, but excludes any discussion on the recent local government elections.

The post-1994 democratic developmental South African state opted for a strong local government system which has been constitutionalised, in terms of Chapter 7 of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa Act 108 of 1996. The politicisation of the local bureaucracy was inevitable as the ruling party sought to ensure that the executive leadership of municipalities shared the same political ideology and vision to facilitate local development. This raises the question, where does politicisation commence and end, and what is the ideal local political interface for efficient and effective service delivery and, more importantly, to ensure good governance? These questions have to take cognisance of the fact that South Africa is a 'struggle democracy' and development has to take place in historically disadvantaged areas, where services have been poor or non-existent. The historically advantaged areas have to also be maintained and upgraded, as they are key to financial sustainability of the municipalities. The increasing service delivery protests is a matter for concern, if one has to take cognisance of the popular adage highlighted in official literature, 'if local government fails, South Africa fails'. Given that the struggles for a democratic South Africa were fought at the grassroots level, this has to translate to an improved quality of life for local communities. Consequently, sound political management is key to enhanced municipal service delivery and ultimately good local governance. This paper reviews political trends and developments up to 2016, but excludes any discussion on the recent local government elections. ; https://doi.org/10.4102/td.v12i1.337

Intergovernmental relations have become particularly significant in South Africa in the past five years. (...) The ushering in of democracy and the advent of a new government has necessitated a paradigmatic shift in the approach, content and thrust of intergovernmental relations. The new Constitution refers to "spheres" instead of "tiers" of government and seeks to emphasise the new relationship of cooperation among the levels of government. In this regard, it should be noted that the principles of cooperative governance have been constitutionalised. National legislation may establish structures and institutions to promote and facilitate intergovernmental relations. Furthermore, it must provide for appropriate mechanisms and procedures to facilitate the settlement of intergovernmental disputes. A framework for intergovernmental relations is currently being developed. (...) (Politeia/DÜI)

Creating a culture that considers monitoring and evaluation as an essential tool for performance improvement is not an easy task. Some employees are likely to resist due to a lack of awareness of the value of monitoring and evaluation while others could do so due to fear of the accountability and transparency implicit in the implementation of such a system. Nonetheless, it is imperative that performance management is prioritised in municipal development interventions. This article is based on a doctoral study that used qualitative participatory research techniques to gather data from evaluation practitioners' municipalities in KwaZulu-Natal. It presents these practitioners' perspectives on fostering a culture of performance management in local government. The article expounds on their lived experiences that reflect on how performance management could facilitate an effective monitoring and evaluation culture within this sector. The study found that monitoring and evaluation practitioners were sloppy towards their responsibilities and this contributed to poor tracking of the impact of municipal interventions, thereby compromising their abilities to fulfil their constitutional mandates. Furthermore, the study found that there is no political will to enforce performance in most municipalities. The implication of this study is that a culture of performance management must be enforced by government as a critical institutional norm towards achieving accountable, effective, efficient and responsive developmental local government. Municipalities must harness the necessary political will for this to become a reality in municipalities towards promoting good governance in local government supported by a culture of performance.

Chapter 1: The Political/Administrative Interface in African Countries -- Chapter 2: The governance and management of African cities: Alternative approaches and models towards transforming into successful cities of the future -- Chapter 3: Urban decay and regeneration in the African city -- Chapter 4: Local Economic Development as an Alternative Development Strategy in Southern African Cities -- Chapter 5: Evaluating the Aerotropolis Model for African Cities: The case of the Durban Aerotropolis -- Chapter 6: African Local Governments and Cities in the Implementation of the 2030 Agenda to Achieve Sustainable Development Goals -- Chapter 7: The Changing Notion Of Democracy And Public Participation In Cities In Africa: A Time For An Alternative -- Chapter 8: South African Cities and Corruption: A Tale of Two Cities -- Chapter 9: E-Participation as a Mechanism of Stakeholder Engagement in the City of Harare -- Chapter 10: Urbanisation and Future Smart Cities: Challenges of Water and Sanitation Services -- Chapter 11: The dynamics of councillor versus traditional leadership in South African Local Government. : A study of understanding, attitudes and perceptions -- Chapter 12: Disaster Risk Management at the Local Level: The Case of Ethekwini City Council in South Africa -- Chapter 13: Urbanisation and the quality of growth in Uganda: The challenge of structural transformation and sustainable inclusive development -- Chapter 14: African Cities in Transition: Solutions and the Way Forward.

Cover -- Title Page -- Copyright -- PREFACE -- TABLE OF CONTENTS -- INTRODUCTION -- 1. INNOVATIVE GOVERNANCE IN THE URBAN ERA: Goos Minderman -- 1.1 INTRODUCTION -- 1.2 THE STRUCTURE OF THIS BOOK -- REFERENCES -- SECTION A: CIVIC RIGHTS, BUILDING CITIZENSHIP AND SERVICE DELIVERY -- 2. FROM THE FREEDOM CHARTER, THROUGH THE BILL OF RIGHTS TO THE 'RIGHT TO THE CITY': WHAT IS THE RELEVANCY FOR A SUSTAINABLE SOUTH AFRICA?: Anneke Muller -- 2.1 INTRODUCTION -- 2.2 HUMAN RIGHTS PERSPECTIVES -- 2.3 HUMAN RIGHTS IN SOUTH AFRICA -- 2.4 CONCLUSION -- REFERENCES -- LAWS AND POLICIES -- COURT CASES -- 3. THE NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN AND CORRUPTION: THE SIGNIFICANCE OF INNOVATIVE LEADERSHIP: Pregala Pillay and Evangelos Mantzaris -- 3.1 INTRODUCTION -- 3.2 THE NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN ON CORRUPTION -- 3.3 ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE -- 3.4 LEADERSHIP, ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE AND THE CREATION OF INNOVATIVE CLIMATE -- 3.5 THE NDP AND THE SOUTH AFRICAN CIVIL SERVICE -- 3.6 THE CRUCIAL ROLE OF COLLECTIVE LEADERSHIP -- 3.7 CONCLUSION -- REFERENCES -- 4. TRANSDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH FOR INNOVATION IN INFORMAL SETTLEMENT UPGRADING: Lorraine Amollo Ambole -- 4.1 INTRODUCTION -- 4.2 METHOD -- 4.3 REVIEW OF RELEVANT LITERATURE -- 4.4 RESULTS -- 4.5 CONCLUSION -- REFERENCES -- 5. INNOVATION IN RURAL DEVELOPMENT WITHIN SOUTH AFRICA: A CRITIQUE OF SOFT SYSTEMS METHODOLOGY: Cheryl Mohamed Sayeed, Pregala Pillay and Purshottama Sivanarain Reddy -- 5.1 INTRODUCTION -- 5.2 RURAL DEVELOPMENT AND INNOVATION -- 5.3 INNOVATION MODELS FOR RURAL DEVELOPMENT -- 5.4 SYSTEMS MODELLING -- 5.5 SYSTEMS THINKING -- 5.6 CASES OF SSM IN RURAL DEVELOPMENT IN SOUTH AFRICA -- 5.7 CRITIQUE -- 5.8 CONCLUSION -- REFERENCES -- 6. WHAT STRUCTURAL FACTORS INFLUENCE PUBLIC SERVICE DELIVERY? LESSONS LEARNED FROM A STUDY OF SWISS MUNICIPALITIES: Reto Steiner, Claire Kaiser and Lukas Reichmuth.

Metropolitan municipalities are largely regarded as the catalysts of economic development. The main finding of the paper globally. Eight metropolitan municipalities were introduced in the then new democratic South African state, post 1994. The article only reviewed the primary and secondary literature impacting on metropolitan financing and development, drawn from the desktop literature review and documentary analysis in the larger study. This article focussed on the three largest metropolitan municipalities, namely eThekwini; Cape Town and Tshwane City Councils. Increasing urbanisation and infrastructural decay has placed considerable pressure on these municipalities to deliver on their service delivery mandate, in the broader context of redistribution/equity. The accumulated developmental backlogs pre and post 1994 in South Africa are interrogated and the required funding for additional growth/development in metropolitan municipalities are explored. Public-private partnerships and alternative service delivery models are also examined as an option for enhancing service delivery. The issue of unfunded mandates has to be given serious consideration as they are currently impacting negatively on the finances of local government. The notion of a "smart city" and public private partnerships in the broader context of local economic development and financial sustainability has to be prioritised in terms of the overall socio – economic impact on local communities. A main finding of the paper was a funding gap in local government South Africa and the development of a model to address such a funding gap.Keywords: Development, Financing, Income, Metropolitan, Municipalities, South Africa

Adequate country capacity is a key consideration in global efforts to meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The Organization for Economic Co – operation and Development (OECD) has pointed out that even if there were greater financial resources for capacity development in many developing countries, it is still likely to fail. Capacity development has also moved beyond the individual level in terms of knowledge and skills to a focus on the quality of leadership and management of the public institution and organization. However, irrespective of the governmental structure, it is a given that local governments globally play a critical role in local governance by promoting local development and ultimately the MDGs. However, the level of public governance in many countries is still too weak to make a significant impact in terms of accelerating the pace to reach the MDGs. This paper will critically review the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Region with a particular emphasis on the local sphere of government. There are currently twelve countries in the SADC Region; however, this study will focus on a representative sample of countries, notably South Africa, Botswana, Malawi, Mozambique and Zimbabwe. The countries chosen vary in size, physical attributes and political dynamics and more importantly in terms of levels of development. Adequate capacity is one of the critical missing factors in current interventions to attain the MDGs and other national development goals. ; Adekvatūs šalies gebėjimai yra svarbiausia globalinių pastangų aplinkybė pasiekti Tūkstantmečio vystymosi tikslus. Ekonominio bendradarbiavimo ir plėtros organizacija pastebėjo, kad net jei būtų didesni finansiniai ištekliai gebėjimų vystymui, vis viena šis procesas, tikėtina, sužlugtų. Gebėjimų vystymas iškilo virš individo lygmens žinių ir įgūdžių požiūriu į viešosios institucijos ir organizacijos lyderystės ir vadybos kokybės dėmesio centrą. Tačiau nepriklausomai nuo valdžios sandaros, globaliai vietos valdžios atlieka krtitinį vaidmenį vietos valdyme skatindamos vietos vystymąsi ir galiausiai Tūkstantmečio vystymosi tikslų(TVT) siekimą. Vis dėlto viešojo valdymo lygis daugelyje šalių vis dar yra per silpnas, kad darytų reikšmingą poveikį spartinant TVT pasiekimą (UNDP 2011:1). Šis straipsnis kritiškai apžvelgia Tūkstantmečio vystymosi tikslų siekimą Pietų Afrikos Vystymo Bendruomenės (PAVB) regione su ypatingu vietos valdžios išskyrimu. PAVB regioną šiuo metu sudaro dvylika šalių, tačiau ši studija amalizuoja reprezentatyvų šalių pavyzdį, būtent Pietų Afriką, Botsvaną, Malavį, Mozambiką ir Zimbabvę. Šios šalys skiriasi savo dydžiu, fiziniais požymiais, politine dinamika ir išsivystymo lygiu. Adekavtūs gebėjimai yra vienas kritinių trūkstamųjų veiksnių dabartinėse pastangose pasiekti TVT ir kitus nacionalinio vystymosi tikslus. Politinė valia, stebėsena ir vertinimas yra esminės aplinkybės palengvinančios vystymosi procesą ir TVT pasiekimą.

Adequate country capacity is a key consideration in global efforts to meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The Organization for Economic Co – operation and Development (OECD) has pointed out that even if there were greater financial resources for capacity development in many developing countries, it is still likely to fail. Capacity development has also moved beyond the individual level in terms of knowledge and skills to a focus on the quality of leadership and management of the public institution and organization. However, irrespective of the governmental structure, it is a given that local governments globally play a critical role in local governance by promoting local development and ultimately the MDGs. However, the level of public governance in many countries is still too weak to make a significant impact in terms of accelerating the pace to reach the MDGs. This paper will critically review the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Region with a particular emphasis on the local sphere of government. There are currently twelve countries in the SADC Region; however, this study will focus on a representative sample of countries, notably South Africa, Botswana, Malawi, Mozambique and Zimbabwe. The countries chosen vary in size, physical attributes and political dynamics and more importantly in terms of levels of development. Adequate capacity is one of the critical missing factors in current interventions to attain the MDGs and other national development goals. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.ppaa.14.3.13432