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Original Research
Uncovering the gaps in the provision of services in the rural Okhahlamba Municipality of KwaZulu-Natal province
Submitted: 28 February 2020 | Published: 21 December 2020
About the author(s)
Hlengiwe Mabizela, Department of Public Management, Economics and Law, Faculty of Management Sciences, Durban University of Technology, Pietermaritzburg, South AfricaNoluthando S. Matsiliza, Department of Public Management, Economics and Law, Faculty of Management Sciences, Durban University of Technology, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa
Abstract
Background: Despite the policies and guidelines supporting service provision at Okhahlamba, the municipality is experiencing a backlog in service delivery. The dissatisfaction of community members at Ukhahlamba indicates that there is a moral disengagement between them and the municipal officials.
Aim: The aim of this study is to examine gaps in service delivery at Okhahlamba Municipality. The intention of this study is to determine the strategies that can enhance municipal capacity and successfully provide basic services. A case study design was adopted to conduct this study.
Setting: The study was conducted at Ukhahlamba District municipality. The respondents included municipal officials, staff from the Ministry of Rural Development and Agriculture, community members and experts.
Methods: Data was collected using a mixed methodology. A purposive sample was drawn from a population of communities in Okhahlamba and Maswazini, and unstructured interviews and questionnaires were used to collect data and a thematic approach was followed to analyse the data including the use of the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software version 25.0.
Results: It was found that Okhahlamba Municipality is experiencing numerous challenges that stifle progress in as far as the provision of services is concerned, due to challenges related its capacity and resource management.
Conclusion: This study revealed that the municipality is not complying with various policies that mandate them to provide basic services to communities. The community members have lost trust in the government and municipal officials at Maswazini due to service delivery challenges. Therefore, this study recommends a thorough review, monitoring and evaluation of service delivery to improve the performance of Okhahlamba municipality.
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