IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/ssi/jouird/v5y2023i2p60-71.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Sending a message to the top: the influence of service delivery protests on service delivery planning in South African municipalities

Author

Listed:
  • John Mamokhere

    (University of Limpopo, South Africa)

Abstract

South Africa has seen a surge in service delivery protests in recent years. These protests are often due to the inadequate provision of services. Unemployment, poor housing, water and sanitation, electricity, corruption and municipal administration, health, and crime have all been cited as causes of the protests, which have been termed a "poor's rebellion". Given the service dissatisfaction, residents often use protest as a means of communication to influence policy and decision-making. However, this study sought to assess the influence of service delivery protests on service delivery planning using Bolobedu South under the jurisdiction of Greater Tzaneen Municipality. The study utilised a qualitative research approach to collect and analyse the primary results. The citizens residing at Greater Tzaneen Municipality have been interviewed using a face-to-face semi-structured interview guide and the data was analysed using thematic content analysis. The finding of this study shows that service delivery protests are a common phenomenon in South Africa, with citizens protesting over the inadequate delivery of basic services such as shelter, electricity, water and sanitation. Service delivery protests are legally recognised in South Africa. However, as much as they are legally recognized, they are often disruptive and undermine the maturity of democracy. The study recommends that it is essential to engage with the community regularly and ensure that they are aware of the municipality's plans and progress. This engagement should be ongoing and not just when protests erupt. When people feel that they are being heard and that their concerns are being addressed, they are less likely to resort to protests. It also recommends improved communication and engagement between the municipality and the communities they serve. This can involve regular meetings, consultations, and feedback mechanisms that allow community members to express their concerns and provide input on service delivery planning (IDP).

Suggested Citation

  • John Mamokhere, 2023. "Sending a message to the top: the influence of service delivery protests on service delivery planning in South African municipalities," Insights into Regional Development, VsI Entrepreneurship and Sustainability Center, vol. 5(2), pages 60-71, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:ssi:jouird:v:5:y:2023:i:2:p:60-71
    DOI: 10.9770/ird.2023.5.2(4)
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://jssidoi.org/ird/uploads/articles/18/Mamokhere_Sending_a_message_to_the_top_the_influence_of_service_delivery_protests_on_service_delivery_planning_in_South_African_municipalities.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://jssidoi.org/ird/article/132
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.9770/ird.2023.5.2(4)?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Tyanai MASIYA & Yul D. DAVIDS & Mary S. MANGAI, 2019. "Assessing Service Delivery: Public Perception Of Municipal Service Delivery In South Africa," Theoretical and Empirical Researches in Urban Management, Research Centre in Public Administration and Public Services, Bucharest, Romania, vol. 14(2), pages 20-40, May.
    2. Teresa Curristine & Zsuzsanna Lonti & Isabelle Joumard, 2007. "Improving Public Sector Efficiency: Challenges and Opportunities," OECD Journal on Budgeting, OECD Publishing, vol. 7(1), pages 1-41.
    3. John Mamokhere & Daniel F Meyer, 2022. "Including the excluded in the integrated development planning process for improved community participation," International Journal of Research in Business and Social Science (2147-4478), Center for the Strategic Studies in Business and Finance, vol. 11(4), pages 286-299, June.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Norman Gemmell & Patrick Nolan & Grant Scobie, 2017. "Public sector productivity: Quality adjusting sector-level data on New Zealand schools," Working Papers 2017/02, New Zealand Productivity Commission.
    2. John Mamokhere, 2022. "Accountability, inclusivity, effectiveness, and leaving no one behind: An exploration of effective governance principles in ensuring clean water and sanitation in South African municipalities," International Journal of Research in Business and Social Science (2147-4478), Center for the Strategic Studies in Business and Finance, vol. 11(10), pages 191-205, December.
    3. Panagiota Xanthopoulou & Vassilis Kefis, 2019. "Public Organisations and Public Management in Greece: The Implementation of Private Management Tools in the Public Sector," International Journal of Sciences, Office ijSciences, vol. 8(03), pages 45-54, March.
    4. Iwona Franczak, 2021. "Creative Accounting in Poland’s Sub-Sector of Local Governments," European Research Studies Journal, European Research Studies Journal, vol. 0(4 - Part ), pages 997-1017.
    5. Mindaugas Laužikas & Mindaugas Laužikas & Aistė Miliūtė & Aistė Miliūtė, 2019. "Transformational Communication via Evolving Ethical and Moral Norms of Lithuanian Civil Service Organizations," Entrepreneurship and Sustainability Issues, VsI Entrepreneurship and Sustainability Center, vol. 6(4), pages 1750-1761, June.
    6. Khondaker Golam Moazzem & ASM Shamim Alam Shibly & Sadab Rahman Chowdhury, 2024. "Ensuring the Welfare and Rights of Migrant Workers and Communities – Analysis of National Budget for Institutional Development," CPD Report 61, Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD).
    7. Zvimekria Clive Mukushwa & Enock Chikohora, 2022. "Times of COVID-19 Pandemic and its Impact: Rethinking the Public Sector Practices in Zimbabwe," International Journal of Research and Scientific Innovation, International Journal of Research and Scientific Innovation (IJRSI), vol. 9(2), pages 59-66, February.
    8. Bonson Alemu Hambissa & Worku Mekonnen Tadesse & Gemechu Ararssa Regassa, 2023. "Public Sector Performance Management: The Shift From Annual Performance Review To Regular Feedback," Social Sciences and Education Research Review, Department of Communication, Journalism and Education Sciences, University of Craiova, vol. 10(1), pages 212-217, July.
    9. Gianluca Bortoletto & Donata Favaro, 2019. "Healthcare efficiency across European countries during the recent economic crisis," ECONOMIA PUBBLICA, FrancoAngeli Editore, vol. 2019(2), pages 9-38.
    10. Suresh Chand Aggarwal & Divya Satija & Shuheb Khan, 2019. "Inclusive Growth in India – Learning from Best Practices of Selected Countries," Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER) Working Paper 375, Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER), New Delhi, India.
    11. Maruta, Admasu Asfaw, 2019. "Trade aid, institutional quality, and trade," Journal of Economics and Business, Elsevier, vol. 103(C), pages 25-37.
    12. Christodoulos K. Akrivos, 2019. "Managers’ Perception on Public Organizations’ Performance and New Public Management during Economic Crises," International Journal of Economics & Business Administration (IJEBA), International Journal of Economics & Business Administration (IJEBA), vol. 0(3), pages 57-69.
    13. repec:uii:journl:v:10:y:2018:i:1:p:32-39 is not listed on IDEAS
    14. Hans Pitlik & Kristina Budimir & Norbert Gruber, 2010. "Optionen einer ausgabenseitigen Budgetkonsolidierung," WIFO Monatsberichte (monthly reports), WIFO, vol. 83(3), pages 247-267, March.
    15. Md. Al-Fahad BHUIYAN & Md. Ashraful ISLAM, 2023. "Assessment Of Service Quality Of Urban Local Government In Bangladesh: The Case Of Pabna Municipality," Theoretical and Empirical Researches in Urban Management, Research Centre in Public Administration and Public Services, Bucharest, Romania, vol. 18(1), pages 85-105, February.
    16. Andrea Bonomi Savignon & Lorenzo Costumato & Benedetta Marchese, 2019. "Performance Budgeting in Context: An Analysis of Italian Central Administrations," Administrative Sciences, MDPI, vol. 9(4), pages 1-15, October.
    17. Karin Fischer & Rauf Gönenç & Robert Price, 2011. "Austria: Public Sector Inefficiencies Have Become Less Affordable," OECD Economics Department Working Papers 897, OECD Publishing.
    18. Liudmila Tkachenko, 2020. "Public Finance Management: Challenges and Opportunities," Athens Journal of Business & Economics, Athens Institute for Education and Research (ATINER), vol. 6(1), pages 73-98, January.
    19. repec:ers:journl:v:xxiv:y:2021:i:4:p:997-1017 is not listed on IDEAS
    20. Min-Hyuk Cho & Chan-Goo Yi, 2022. "Adaptive Social Innovation Derived from Digital Economy and Its Impact on Society and Policy," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(6), pages 1-20, March.
    21. John Mamokhere, 2022. "Pragmatic implementation and promotion of good governance principles in realizing Sustainable Development Goal Six (6) in South Africa," International Journal of Research in Business and Social Science (2147-4478), Center for the Strategic Studies in Business and Finance, vol. 11(6), pages 20-32, September.
    22. World Bank, 2024. "Determinants of Health Worker Performance," World Bank Publications - Reports 41760, The World Bank Group.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    service delivery; protests; disruptive; inadequate; planning; South Africa;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I28 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Government Policy
    • H12 - Public Economics - - Structure and Scope of Government - - - Crisis Management
    • H75 - Public Economics - - State and Local Government; Intergovernmental Relations - - - State and Local Government: Health, Education, and Welfare
    • H76 - Public Economics - - State and Local Government; Intergovernmental Relations - - - Other Expenditure Categories

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:ssi:jouird:v:5:y:2023:i:2:p:60-71. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Manuela Tvaronaviciene (email available below). General contact details of provider: .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.