Municipal governance and environmental crises: threats and thoughts
Abstract
Local government in South Africa (SA) has come a long way from the period
when there were over 1200 racially segregated municipalities. From more than 800
municipalities after 1996, they have been merged to currently 284 municipalities which
now cover every ‘millimetre’ of the country, and are focused on growing local economies
and maintaining the provision of a lot more diverse and complex basic municipal
services to all their citizens and especially to geographical areas and citizens that were
previously neglected. This transformed local government environment has brought about
many changes in the nature and extent of basic public services delivered at the grassroots
level of this developing country with its limited resources and unlimited needs –
especially in the areas of potable water supply and sanitation services.
This article will firstly highlight the changed environmental context of public service
delivery in the local government sphere of the country before the transformation in
relevant legislation will be reported on. Subsequently the nature and extent of current
realities of local governance, dynamics and challenges regarding the diverse and complex
public services by a typical Category B Local municipality will be identified in the real
SA out there. The use of the Politics – Administration System Model by Easton for
environmental management analysis will also be illustrated. Lastly, for easy classification
of typical characteristics and challenging issues in the dynamic municipal government
sphere of SA, the SWOT-analysis format will be used.