Assessing community participation in the Integrated Development Plan to enhance service delivery at Mbizana Local Municipality
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Date
2021
Authors
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Journal ISSN
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Publisher
University of Zululand
Abstract
This study was undertaken to assess the community participation in the Integrated
Development Plan. The study aimed to identify the causes for poor service delivery in
the Mbizana Local Municipality. The study attempted to comprehend if this poor
service delivery is caused by the inadequate management of an Integrated
Development Plan (IDP) or the lack of community participation in local government
affairs, particularly in the Integrated Development Plan. The existing literature reveals
that poor service delivery could be caused by aspects, such as a lack of
communication, participation, corruption, fraud, political interference in administration,
elevated levels of unemployment and inadequate institutional capacity. Data was
collected from both municipal officials and community citizens to understand the
causes of poor service delivery in Mbizana Local Municipality. This was conducted by
employing the qualitative approach. Semi-structured interviews served as a device to
collect data from the study participants, representing community citizens, and
municipal officials. This device was chosen attributable to its ability to collect as much
information as possible from the study participants; therefore, participants were not
limited when responding to the interview questions. The study findings reveal that the
poor service delivery at Mbizana Local Municipality is caused by a lack of community
participation and inadequate management of the Integrated Development Plan
formulations. First, this is because the community citizens do not understand the
processes of an Integrated Development Plan formulation and its importance to their
lives. Second, the municipal officials also fail to adequately deliver municipal services
attributable to concerns, such as internal political conflicts, corruption, and failure to
maintain open communication with the local constituents. The study provides
recommendations suggesting potential solutions for poor service delivery in Mbizana
Local Municipality, which can also be adopted by all South African municipalities.
Description
A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Commerce, Administration and Law in fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Public Administration in the department of Public Administration at the University of Zululand, South Africa, 2021.
Keywords
Community, Community participation, Integrated development plan