Department of Public Administration

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Browsing by Author "Bardill, John"

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    Accounting for economic disparities in financing municipal infrastructure in South Africa: a case study using data from the Cape Winelands District Municipality
    (University of Western Cape, 2011) Josie, Mervyn Jayaprakash; Bardill, John; Marysse, Stefaan
    In this thesis I argue that by taking account of economic disparities and backlogs in intergovernmental infrastructure grants to municipalities in South Africa, government will effectively meet its constitutional obligation to equitably allocate infrastructure grants to local government according to the principles of parity, proportionality and priority (Young, 1994). Municipalities will thus be able to provide basic services to households in keeping with the Bill of Rights of the Constitution of South Africa (1996). Adapting the Petchey et al (2004) provincial capital expenditure grant model to the provision of municipal services using secondary data and information from local municipalities in the Cape Winelands District, I evaluate whether government’s existing municipal grants are allocated equitably and, whether they account for disparities that differentiate municipalities from each other. The findings from my analysis show that the current approach to financing municipal infrastructure does not sufficiently account for disparities and thus, undermines the requirement for equitability, adequacy and efficiency of intergovernmental allocations. Consequently, the right of citizens to basic municipal services is compromised and the macroeconomic structure is weakened. Furthermore the institutional arrangements for local government autonomy is undermined because municipalities cannot ensure stability, predictability, flexibility and economic efficiency of infrastructure budgets. As municipalities receive part of their finance from national government through infrastructure grants, I used data from five local municipalities to examine the extent to which there is equitability and efficiency in the way this finance is allocated. To this end I constructed and applied a composite disparity index for each municipality to my adapted municipal infrastructure grant model to analyze and observe the impact of economic disparities in grant allocations. The findings show that a grant model that accounts for economic disparities satisfies the constitutional, economic and institutional considerations that should inform municipal grant allocation decisions. I conclude the thesis by highlighting the limitations and possibilities of using a municipal infrastructure grant model that accounts for economic disparities and, I propose some recommendations for applying such a model in South Africa.
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    Challenges of policing in the new millennium: a case of Nyanga SAPS
    (University of the Western Cape, 2000) Ngadlela, Mqondisi Abner; Bardill, John
    The Beginning of the paradigm shift in policing in the South African Police was first seen in 1993 when the concept of Community Policing was first introduced. The South African Police Service that was formed through the Police Act 68 of 1995 subsequently adopted Community Policing as a Corporate Strategy of the organisation. There is a question as to whether some of the efforts reflect the necessary elements of community policing or are merely reactions to a contemporary political thrust for police reform. This study seeks to critically analyse the challenges and contradictions in Community Policing in terms of strategy and organisation. Nyanga SAPS will be use as the case study. Nyanga is one of the Police Stations in the so-called Black Township that has been engulfed by Community-Police conflicts since the democratic dispensation came into existence in South Africa. The highest point of this animosity saw certain people within the community between 1998 and 1999 reporting criminal activities to Taxi Operators rather than to the police. This study will be approached through gap analysis. The author will first describe the desired state of affairs in terms where the SAPS should be, in relation to reform policies put in place by the government. This will be followed by the analysis of the present situation in Nyanga, which will highlight the shortcomings. Then the study will put forward recommendations which should address the identified shortcomings. Based on that, the strategy that should inform policing in the new millennium will be developed. The author will recommend an African approach to policing as it has become apparent that the policing approaches are different for different countries and different communities. The author will propose full participation of the public in policing, in terms of determining policing priorities in their areas.
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    Domestic Gun Control Policy in Ten Southern African Countries
    (University of the Western Cape, 2003) McKenzie, Katharine Mary; Bardill, John
    The proliferation of small arms and light weapons in southern Africa is wide spread, yet under researched. This research report sets out current debates with regard to small arms and domestic gun control and analyses the global and regional context. Debates about domestic gun control take place within both popular discourse and policy circles, and impact on one another. lnternationally and in domestic contexts the debate spans polar view points which see either the right to own and bear firearms as fundamental, or the right to life, bodily integrity and protection from firearms as fundamental. Between these extremes fall most domestic gun control policies and laws. Although international law regulates the usage of chemical, biological and nuclear weapons, there is no international legal instrument regulating the use of small arms. At the same time small arms are responsible for fueling the majority of the world's conflicts, with 47 of the 49 major conflicts in the 1990s waged with small arms as the weapons of choice. Small arms are also responsible for over half a million deaths per year. The closest the United Nations has come to regulating this area is its adoption in 2001 of the "Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the elicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All its Aspects". This Programme of Action, which also covers domestic firearm policy, is taken up by states on a voluntary basis only. ln southern Africa there is a growing awareness of the negative impact lax firearm controls have on regional security. Recent initiatives include the development by the Southern African Development Community (SADC) of a "Protocol on the Control of Firearms, Ammunition and Other Related Materials". This Protocol will enter into force once two thirds of the SADC members have ratified it. At present it has been ratified by seven states, while nine countries are required to ratify it for it to come into force. The varied approaches to domestic gun control policy and implementation are set out in a detailed account of gun control in 10 SADC states (Botswana, Namibia, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe). Policy, legislation and practice are analysed for each country and the relationship between gun crime, legislation and policy explored. Recommendations for the improved management of firearms, both legal and illegal, are set out in conclusion. These include the need for deeper regional co-operation and integration to tackle the problem of small arms flows in the southern Africa; the need for greater harmony within the region's firearm laws in light of the impact policy in one state has on its neighbors; the need for a stronger role for legislatures particularly with regard to oversight; the need to monitor the impact of trade liberalization on the availability of small arms; and the need for more joint operations between states in southern Africa to eradicate stockpiles of illegal firearms and ammunition. The success of such operations has been proven with the recent success of the joint South African/Mozambican Operation Rachel.
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    An exploratory study on the career stages and the career development needs of the Namibian police
    (University of the Western Cape, 2004-05) Shililifa, Wycliff; Bardill, John
    This exploratory study seeks to critically explore human resources development with regard to the career needs and stages of the Namibian Police (NAMPOL). Documents were perused on the issue of the current human resources development and its relevancy to the training and development within the Namibian Police. questionnaires were completed by a representative sample of NAMPOL officials from different departments of the police. Interviews were also conducted with selected officials on training and development of personnel. Recommendations are given as a model for improving the Namibian Police human resources development system as an effective training and capacity building system for members of the police force to perform their tasks effectively.
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    The new South African parliamentary committee system: its' role and effectiveness
    (University of the Western Cape, 1998) Fisher, Hilton; Bardill, John
    This study will focus on the Parliament of the Republic of South Africa with particular reference to the role and effectiveness of the new parliamentary committee. The committee system has been re-modelled. The historical roots and functions of committees will be traced so as to indicate to what extent their roles and functions have changed. Specific consideration will be given to the role of the committee system within the broader context of transformation in South Africa. The search for a system of government that is effective, accountable and transparent is in its teething stages. There needs to be a delicate balance between transformation and service delivery in order to effect a constitutionally - entrenched system of parliamentary democracy and administrative justice. The transformation of parliament is "work in progress" and the process will be guided by legislative as well as by operational changes.