Browsing by Author "Slabert, Nhlanhla"

Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Examining the influence of civil servant’s embeddedness in the provision of basic services in Msukaligwa Local Municipality
    (University of Zululand, 2024) Slabert, Nhlanhla; Mthethwa, R. M.
    English This study examined the influence of civil servant’s embeddedness in the provision of basic delivery of services to the communities. The Wesselton community under Msukaligwa Local Municipality in the Gert Sibande District was selected as the case study. The South African Constitution, 1996, Section 10 guarantees everyone the right to human dignity. The standard of living for humans must be respected and safeguarded. Water, better roads, and dwellings under the Rehabilitation Development Programme (RDP) must always be accessible. To safeguard this right, towns offer these services to the citizens. However, not all municipalities are able to distribute basic services successfully and economically. Because of poor distribution of municipal services, the residents live in poor conditions. Moreover, their right to human dignity is exacerbated and violated, which ultimately results in poverty. The Msukaligwa Local Municipality is perceived as an underperforming municipality in the Mpumalanga Province, particularly the Gert Sibande District Municipality. This is attributed to its poor levels of service delivery due to various reasons. This study was undertaken to describe the types of embeddedness at play between the civil servants and the Wesselton local communities in the Msukaligwa Local Municipality. This study endeavored to establish the influence of connections and the environment in which civil servants’ function to provide basic services at the Msukaligwa Local Municipality. The study proposed interventions to enhance the delivery of basic service provision to the Wesselton community under the Msukaligwa Local Municipality. Furthermore, the study also examined how civil servants conduct themselves when they execute their daily Data was gathered from both municipal officials and community members to determine motives for the poor delivery of resources. Qualitative investigation methodology was adopted which comprised of semi-structured interviews and questionnaires to gather data from the participants, namely, community members, and municipal officials. The study provides recommendations on how to resolve the delivery of poor services in Msukaligwa Local Municipality. These could also be considered by municipalities throughout the country although each municipality, due to its demographics, may experience varying challenges functions of distributing facilities to societies as per the instructions of the South African Constitution of 1996 and according to the Batho Pele principles which advocates that people come first when civil servants provide services. The study further examined the relationship of stakeholders involved in the delivery of services. The stakeholders included civil servants, politicians and the communities whom they are obligated to serve, e.g., the Wesselton community located in the Msukaligwa Local Municipality. The reviewed literature revealed that causes of poor distribution and meeting the needs of the people had frustrated the Wesselton community. Consequently, the community resorted to violent protest action with the hope that the Msukaligwa Local Municipality would be a better choice.