AN OVERVIEW OF CHALLENGES AND STRATEGIC MEASURES THAT WILL ENSURE EFFECTIVE AND SUSTAINABLE MUNICIPAL SERVICE DELIVERY WITHIN SOUTH AFRICAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Wendy Meadolance Madonsela and Mocheudi Martinus Selepe
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Wendy Meadolance Madonsela: University of Limpopo, South Africa
Mocheudi Martinus Selepe: University of Limpopo, South Africa

Annals of the University of Craiova for Journalism, Communication and Management, 2025, vol. 11, issue 1, 47-58

Abstract: Municipal service delivery is still one of the biggest issues facing the world, and public sector reforms haven't worked out so far. The public sector, a vital part of every economy, must effectively handle its problems to avoid limiting economic growth and development. Inadequate service delivery within the government environment has remained a major challenge since the new democratic dispensation. Therefore, this study aims to identify the challenges and strategic measures that will ensure effective and sustainable municipal service delivery. The study will further explore inefficiencies, particularly recurring problems that are not adequately resolved. The study adopted a qualitative research methodology utilizing a conceptual approach. Municipalities require resources like finances, well-trained employees, systems, and equipment to deliver on their constitutional mandate. One way to address the extent to which limited resources affect the ability to deliver on its constitutional mandate is to ensure that service excellence is maintained, which affects query resolution, collections, performance, and accurate data. The municipality can be seen as a vehicle with interrelated, interdependent, and interacting parts that work together to deliver the services required. Whilst some municipalities are managed very well and service delivery is excellent, the overall state of local government service delivery in South Africa is "precariously classified by increasing debtors, qualified audit reports, poor systems, poor performance, poor long-term planning, huge service delivery backlogs, and queries, increasing salary bills, unfunded mandates, government debt, concerns about sustainability, and greater demands and expectations by all stakeholders.

Keywords: municipality; service delivery; effectiveness; decentralization; sustainability (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: H72 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:edt:aucjcm:v:11:y:2025:i:1:p:47-58

DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.15851143

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