Research Articles (School of Government)

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Between supply and demand: the limits to participatory development in South Africa
(SAGE, 2013) Tapscott, Chris; Thompson, Lisa
Much of the focus in the literature on participatory development has been on the demand side and on the extent to which citizens succeed in pressuring the state to deliver basic services. Less attention has been focused on the supply side of participatory development, namely on how state institutions give effect to development policies. Post-Apartheid South Africa is replete with policies and legislation supporting participatory processes and yet in practice this has seldom lived up to the ideals espoused. This article examines the delivery of public housing in poor communities in three municipalities in South Africa and argues that there is a mismatch between how the formulators of policy understand participation and how it is interpreted by beneficiary communities and local officials. It concludes that considerably more attention needs to be focused on why officials fail to translate national policies into action if participatory democracy is to attain any legitimacy in the population at large.
Changing people, changing lives through public participation and social transformation: A south African case study of a rural development programme
(Routledge, 2020) Roman, Allan; Ruiters, Greg
During 2009, in what seemed to be a return to RDP-style thinking, the Comprehensive Rural Development Programme (CRDP) was adopted nationally to tackle not only underdevelopment, poverty, unemployment, and other social ills, but also to enable ‘rural people to take control of their destiny’ with the support of ‘well-structured community organisations’ called Council of Stakeholders (CoS). Most existing studies, however, tend to devalue the CRDP, describing it as ill-conceived. This study investigated three Western Cape wards in South Africa, finding that both governmental and non-governmental actors had a less negative view and were actively trying to pursue a new form of co-operation. It is the only programme that attempts to be truly intergovernmental and community-based. The study’s results suggest that the CRDP can contribute to a deep process of change and empowerment. This change, in turn, could contribute to desired larger-scale changes and concerted collective action to drive development in locally appropriate ways.
Citizenship, community participation and social change: The case of area coordinating teams in Cape Town, South Africa
(Wiley, 2004) Williams, John J.
Social change does not roll in under the wheels of inevitability On the contrary; we have to organize for it, mobilize for it, struggle for it and indeed, plan for it. This is especially so in a country such as South Africa, where centuries of colonial-cum-apartheid thought and practices have led planning bureaucracies to create and perpetuate socioeconomic patterns of uneven development and neglect. Amidst the geographies of largely "white" affluence, fear and collective "othering", those others, i.e. predominantly "black", unemployed, homeless, destitute, angry and alienated, are increasingly demanding their basic rights, rights that are enshrined in the post-apartheid Constitution (RSA 1995). One of the many structures that have been created in order to make available constitutionally guaranteed opportunities for participation in governance has been Areas Coordinating Teams (ACTs), established in the late 1990s as a vehicle through which government agencies could engage local communities in development planning. The ACTs were established in order to encourage consensus among politicians, bureaucrats and communities with regard to specific planning issues such as housing, health care and overall infrastructure at grassroots level. This article addresses the question of whether the ACTs, as spaces for participation in development planning available to the local communities of Cape Town, do indeed contribute towards grassroots- oriented, bottom-up programmers in post-apartheid South Africa. It draws on two complementary studies. The first consists of informal interviews with councilors and officials. In these interviews, the politicians and the bureaucrats expressed their views and understanding of ACTs. The second study was based on a structured questionnaire directed at community-based organizations (CBOs) attending the ACTs initiated/coordinated meetings. My focus here is on the relationships between the official, "invited" spaces of the ACTs and other spaces within the community and on the relationships that officials and elected representatives have with these spaces, in order to assess their potential for democratizing the development planning process.
Development policy planning in Ghana: The case of health care provision
(European Scientific Institute, 2014) Alatinga, Kennedy A.; Williams, John J.
This paper examines the historical development of health policy in Ghana within the framework of financial, geographical accessibility and the availability of health care. Historically, health policy has been urban biased, and largely focused on financial accessibility. Even Nkrumah's free health care policy could not adequately address the problem of inadequate health professionals and facilities in the rural areas.The study also established that poverty is also largely a rural phenomenon.The poor benefit less from the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS). This situation makes the NHIS lack social equity, the very reason for its being. We recommend that government should expand health facilities in the rural areas, and introduce attractive incentive packages to attract and retain health professionals in such areas. There is an urgent need for rigorous criteria to be developed by the NHIS to identify the very poor for health insurance premium exemptions.
Does membership in mutual health insurance guarantee quality health care? Some evidence from Ghana
(EJBSS, 2012) Alatinga, Kennedy A.
Access to health care and quality of health care are inextricably linked. Not merely is access to health care important, but also its quality: hence the apparent increasing demands for health care services where they are perceived by citizens to be offering quality services. The inverse situation also seems to exist, that is, when health systems are perceived to deliver health services that are of 'poor' quality, attendances at such facilities tend to be low. In light of this, this study seeks to examine the nascent National Health Insurance Scheme in Ghana (NHIS) and how the NHIS addresses the issue of quality health care delivery for its patients. Using mixed methods research; focus group discussions and household surveys, the study compares two groups (insured and non-insured) with respect to the quality of health each group receives in attempt to providing reliable information to policy and decision-makers about the areas that need attention for improvement in quality of healthcare in the Kassena-Nankana District in Northern Ghana. While the household survey results do not establish any difference in the quality of health received by either the insured or uninsured, findings from the FGDs strongly suggest that the uninsured received better quality care than the insured. These findings provide a fertile ground for policy action. It is thus, recommended amongst other things, that health authorities investigate further alleged illegal extortions of monies by some nurses from uninsured patients.
Evaluating Family as an Instrument for Policy in Human Capabilities
(macrothink Institute, 2021) Bidandi, F.; Roman, N
The capabilities" approach has overtime offers instructive insights into the improvement of human capabilities in various fields such as behavioural change, social inequalities, poverty, unemployment, and education. To this end, the capability approach may influence the achievement of social cohesion in the family. The family is an important unit that may be used to inform social policies and aid social cohesion. This article evaluates the use family as an instrument of policy in drawing out human capabilities. First, it defines and unpacks a family in South Africa"s context. Secondly the value addition that a family adds as an instrument for policy is done. Thirdly, the concept of human capabilities with the aid of the capabilities approach is done. The final step is a qualification of the capabilities approach in South Africa"s context. A conclusion and recommendations follow. The article utilised secondary data to evaluate how policies on family impact human capabilities in South Africa by aid of capability approach.
Evaluating social housing intervention strategies in a South African municipality
(African Consortium of Public Administration, 2013) Makiva, Msuthukazi; Ile, Isioma
According to the Department of Human Settlement Annual Report (2010:5) accelerating the delivery of housing opportunities by 2014 by providing proper basic services and land tenure to households currently living in informal settlements, is the government’s mandate that must be realised. Following this objective, the Western Cape devised strategies to accelerate housing delivery and service improvement in the informal areas. For example, an Integrated Human Settlement Plan was developed to contextualise the City of Cape Town’s strategy for the provision of equitable and affordable shelter to all, (City of Cape Town Service Delivery Report 2005/6:177). This plan sparked the development of a City-wide Spatial Development Plan, involving various role players and integrated planning processes. The Five Year Integrated Housing Plan, (2007/8 – 2011/12:7) recognises this as it argues that the City of Cape Town’s objective is accelerating housing provision and ensuring that land utilisation is well planned, managed and monitored. To achieve all this on a broader scale, the City has adopted the national Breaking New Ground plan (BNG) for the development of sustainable human settlements and has also aligned itself with the Provincial Government’s Western Cape Sustainable Human Settlement Strategy called ‘Isidima’, (Five Year Integrated Housing Plan, 2007/8 – 2011/12: 7). According to the Five Year Integrated Housing Plan (2007/8 – 2011/12:7), these two instruments are a shift from traditional approaches to the holistic provision of housing, with the aim of developing and improving integrated human settlements. Despite these joint initiatives, it appears that Cape Town is still experiencing a huge housing backlog. This could be blamed on the failure to plan for migration into the Western Cape. This article, examines the extent to which the housing intervention strategies are effective in dealing with the housing dilemma in Cape Town.
Evaluation innovation in Africa: towards indigenously responsive evaluation (ire) philosophies, methods and practices in Ghana
(African journal of science, technology, innovation and development, 2023) Boadu, Evans Sakyi; Ile, Isioma
Evaluation within an indigenous society is a social activity. Thus, it requires both tangible and intangible or hidden factors such as cultural values, norms, communal relational structures, power dynamics, attitudes, consensus-building, community aspirations, empowerment and other practical knowledge to develop an inclusive evaluation framework. Utilizing a culturally responsive evaluation (CRE) approach, this study examined evaluative instincts rooted in indigenous values, relational patterns, knowledge systems and other cultural realities. Indigenous evaluation impulse exists in native ideas, social structures and other cultural realities but could these indigenous evaluative impulses augment and shape contemporary evaluation philosophies, approaches and practices in Ghana? The study observed that there are several tangible and intangible evaluative dimensions that are deeply-rooted in cultural values, maxims, norms and other social patterns within the indigenous communities. Consequently, comparable dimensions could be advanced and established in the present evaluation research to add further depth and rigour to the study in this field.
The Everyday at Grassroots level: poverty, protest and social change in post-apartheid South Africa
(CLACSO, 2009) Williams, John J.
This paper posits that social change derives from how the everyday is encountered, analyzed and experienced at the grassroots level. Drawing extensively from the seminal work of Henri Lefebvre, the paper argues that for ordinary people in post-apartheid South Africa, the everyday is often an instantiation of multiple contradictions, tensions, conflicts and struggles as the promises of a “better life for all”, the mantra of the Mbeki government, would appear to remain largely rhetorical as evidenced by the increasing levels of homelessness and unemployment since the creation of the democratic State in 1994. The failure to substantively improve the everyday reality experienced by the poor, homeless and unemployed, has given rise throughout the country, especially from 2004 to 2009, to massive protests by communities against local authorities (municipalities). The paper concludes by considering the question whether or not this type of community discontent could serve to transform the everyday into a more equitable and democratic dispensation at the grassroots level.
An exploration of the concept of community and its impact on participatory governance policy and service delivery in poor areas of Cape Town, South Africa
(Taylor & Francis, 2018) Thompson, Lisa; Tapscott, Chris; De Wet, Pamela Tsolekile
The inclusion of citizen participation as a means to the equitable delivery of public services has distinguished South Africa’s democratic development trajectory over the last 20 years. While equitable resource allocation remains high on the agenda of more recently democratised states, most of which have highly diverse and unequally resourced populations. Influencing the design of more inclusive participation is the notion of a universal citizenship that applies the concept of the equality of individuals to the needs, identities and sense of agency of citizens both between and within states. The liberal democratic theoretical conceptualisation of the individual centres on the notion of universal citizen, who is the recipient and embodiment of democracy through the rights bestowed through the democratic model. This conceptualisation has been criticised for its inability to deal with the imprecision of individual and collective political identities, especially as these evolve in newly democratic contexts. The construction of a single identity citizen living in communities imbued with homogenous characteristics is carried forward into the policy construction of participatory governance. This article explores and challenges the notion of the single identity citizen that belongs to one homogenous community that can be identified and drawn into formally constructed government spaces. The paper explores the construction of political and socio-economic identities and how notions of community are constructed by citizens, on the one hand, and government policies, on the other.
Family political socialisation and its effect on youth trust in government: a South African perspective
(Taylor & Francis, 2018) Esau, Michelle Vera; Rondganger, Carol Hilary; Roman, Nicolette V.
Current debates on citizenship and democracy highlight the salience of cooperative relations between government and its citizens. Scholars observe that governments and its institutions function better where there is cooperation and trust. However, evidence suggests that political interest is waning and trust in government, dwindling. More especially, concerns about the effects of youth disengaging from political life are increasing. This phenomenon is more worrying in young democracies, where democratic traditions and principles are still evolving. This study examines the effect of family politicisation on youth trust in government. This quantitative study used a cross-sectional correlational research design. A two-level approach was adopted. At the first level we examined the prevalence of political discussions in the home and the trust attitudes of the family (as indicators of family politicisation) and youth towards government. At a second level we conducted a regression analysis to determine relationships between parent-adolescent communication and youth trust in government; family trust in government and youth trust in government; and finally, parent-adolescent communication and family trust on youth trust in government. The results suggest that a combination of parent-adolescent communication and family trust in government in a model, significantly positively predicts youth trust in government.
Gerwel taught us that theory without application is useless
(IOL, 2012) Williams, John J.
This tribute to Prof Gerwel has been triggered by a picture on p 2 of the Cape Times, 29 Nov 2012, of a group of students, he addressed in 1977 [not 1973] as I was reading for my Honours degree in Geography. As students we admired him deeply for his seemingly effortless ability to apply profound theoretical insights to the existential reality of apartheid and its nefarious effects on society as a whole. He usually addressed us during lunch-hour, in the Science Block. Every student leader of the different student organizations on campus was usually there, even the deeply- spiritual students, like myself [I headed the Anglican Student Society of Southern Africa [ANSOC/ASF] in the Western Cape, at UWC, US and UCT.
Keystones affecting sub-Saharan Africa's prospects for achieving foodsecurity through balanced diets
(Elsevier, 2018) May, Julian
Socio-economic dynamics determine the transition from diets characterized by the risk of famine, to thosecharacterized by the risk of diet-related non-communicable disease (DR-NCD). This transition is of particularconcern in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) in which key socio-economic interactions that influence diet includeeconomic growth and rapid urbanization; inequality and a growing middle class; and obesogenic food en-vironments and an increasing prevalence of DR-NCD. In each case, countries in SSA are among those experi-encing the most rapid change in the world. These interactions, styled as‘keystones’,affect the functioning ofother components of the food system and the diets that result. Data from the wealthiest quartile of countries inSSA suggest that these keystones may be increasing the risk of DR-NCD, widening inequalities in health out-comes due to unbalanced diets. To address this, new consumer and government capabilities that address thesekeystones are required. Food sensitive urban planning, supporting food literacy andfiscal management ofconsumption are examples.
Land for housing: A political resource – reflections from Zimbabwe’s urban areas
(Routledge, 2015) Muchadenyika, Davison
When the Zimbabwean government launched the Fast Track Land Reform Programme (FTLRP) in 1999, an international outcry followed, with Zimbabwe described as an international pariah state. Zimbabwe entered a prolonged socio-economic and political crisis. While conventional opposition attacks the FTLRP for its negative impacts on agriculture, food security and economic growth, this article argues that the programme has also had widespread impacts on access to housing land. Over the years, the main political tool used by the ruling Zimbabwe African National Union (Patriotic Front) (ZANU[PF]) was land, especially in rural areas. Later, especially in urban and peri-urban areas, ZANU(PF) used peri-urban farms to bolster its waning support in the urban constituencies. Through ZANU(PF)-aligned co-operatives and land barons, the party became a major player in deciding who had access to land for housing. On the other hand, the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) tried to use its majority control of urban areas to give its supporters land for housing, albeit with limited success. MDC-controlled urban administrations were incapacitated, as most urban land was under a de facto ZANU(PF) administration. This article focuses in particular on the allocation of housing land between 2000 and 2012 in Zimbabwe’s major cities. The ZANU(PF) approach to housing bypassed urban planning regulations, with catastrophic effects on urban infrastructure planning.
Local government revenue leakages through corruption during the Covid-19 pandemic in Africa: The case of Zimbabwe
(University of the Western Cape, 2022) Tashu, Keith Tichaona; Makiva, Msuthukazi
Zimbabwe has over the years experienced rampant corruption in all sectors of the economy. At local government level, there have been several allegations of corruption in areas such as revenue collection, procurement and land acquisitions among others. The magnitude of corruption is extreme especially in revenue collection. Most funds collected by local government revenue officials hardly reach municipalities’ coffers and are not accounted for. The advent of the COVID-19 pandemic has further created a breeding ground for corruption in revenue collection at local government level due to economic doldrums. Measures imposed by governments to contain the COVID-19 pandemic such as closure of all non-essential business activities, closure of borders and travel restrictions among others have reduced trade and economic activities. This has negatively affected income of businesses and governments leading to retrenchments and salary cuts.
Localising decent work for poverty reduction in Africa: a case study of the decent work pilot project in Ghana
(Sprimger Link, 2024) Eric Nordjo; Meron Okbandrias
As the risk of climate change increases, robust fire monitoring methods become critical for fire management purposes. National-scale spatiotemporal patterns of the fires and how they relate to vegetation and environmental conditions are not well understood in Zimbabwe. This paper presents a spatially explicit method combining satellite data and spatial statistics in detecting spatiotemporal patterns of fires in Zimbabwe. The Emerging Hot Spot Analysis method was utilized to detect statistically significant spatiotemporal patterns of fire occurrence between the years 2002 and 2021. Statistical analysis was done to determine the association between the spatiotemporal patterns and some environmental variables such as topography, land cover, land use, ecoregions and precipitation. The highest number of fires occurred in September, coinciding with Zimbabwe’s observed fire season. The number of fires significantly varied among seasons, with the hot and dry season (August to October) recording the highest fire counts. Additionally, although June, July and November are not part of the official fire season in Zimbabwe, the fire counts recorded for these months were relatively high. This new information has therefore shown the need for revision of the fire season in Zimbabwe. The northern regions were characterized by persistent, oscillating, diminishing and historical spatiotemporal fire hotspots. Agroecological regions IIa and IIb and the Southern Miombo bushveld ecoregion were the most fire-prone areas. The research findings also revealed new critical information about the spatiotemporal fire patterns in various terrestrial ecoregions, land cover, land use, precipitation and topography and highlighted potential areas for effective fire management strategies.
Mixed methods research for health policy development in Africa: The case of identifying very poor households for health insurance premium exemptions in Ghana
(SAGE, 2019) Alatinga, Kennedy A.; Williams, John J.
Despite the utility of applying mixed methods research to understand complex phenomenon, few studies have applied this approach to health policy and in Africa. This article illustrates the application of mixed methods research to inform health policy in Ghana with the intent of complementarity. Through an exploratory sequential mixed methods research design involving 24 focus group interviews and 417 household surveys, we developed criteria for identifying very poor households for health insurance premium exemptions in Ghana. The qualitative procedures identified communities’ concerns regarding being very poor: food insecurity, lack of seeds to sow, compromised access to education, financial insecurity, and status as unemployed widows with children. The survey findings illustrated the distribution and predictors of poverty in the Kassena-Nankana District. Based on these findings, the authors proposed a four-question survey for the Kassena-Nankana District Health Insurance Scheme to administer to determine extreme poverty. Based on these recommendations, the local government has a unique opportunity to increase the very poor’s access to and utilization of health care services.
The moving line between state benevolence and control: Municipal indigent programmes in South Africa
(SAGE, 2018) Ruiters, Greg
free in South Africa. Having registered as municipal indigents, the poor not only gain access to free basic services but also embark upon a voyage into a bureaucratic underworld where policies are changed and eligibility criteria and sanctions are unevenly applied. Various preconditions and limits on services, as well as social surveillance of indigent households, has turned indigency programmes into a ‘regime’. The policy has swung from hard cost recovery (mass disconnections) during the period 1994–2000 to ‘free’ basic services and, more recently, to social-shaming and criminalisation. This paper provides a thematic account of recent municipal indigent processes in order to explore the ‘moving boundary’ between benevolence and control regarding this crucial citizen–state interface. Based on recent interviews with government officials, a review of relevant government documents, and describing the administrative complexities, the paper reveals aspects of what the poor confront in day-to-day experiences of the state. It is argued that there are lessons for all municipalities seeking a more sustainable and democratic path to citizenship rather than an ongoing low-level war with poor citizens.
Organising Somalian, Congolese and Rwandan migrants in a time of xenophobia in South Africa: empirical and methodological reflections
(Springer, 2018) Uwimpuhwe, Denys; Ruiters, Greg
Xenophobic practices pervade civil society and the state in South Africa. But its victims are not passive. Academic scholarship has not sufficiently recognised the multiple roles of refugees and asylum seekers migrant organisations in a context where refugees are required to "self-settle”. The dominant methodological focus of existing research has been on the migrant as the individual. This paper’s main research objectives are to question this focus and examine evidence of the collective responses to struggles faced by foreign African migrants and refugee groups in Cape Town. Eleven refugee and asylum seeker associations formed by Somalians, Congolese and Rwandan asylum seekers and refugees were investigated, based on extensive interviews with 11 leaders of refugee organisations. These organisations not only strongly defend migrant interests but also project a long-term view of integration into South African society. In addition, the paper concludes by arguing for a shift in the focus of research in order to show that migrant organisations are crucial in an individual’s collective security concerns, in advocacy with government institutions and in initiatives to build relationships with South Africans.
The paradox of youth empowerment: Exploring youth intervention programme in Ghana
(Cogent OA, 2018) Ile, Isioma; Boadu, Evans Sakyi
Empowerment is a necessary determinant of young people’s participation in national, regional and district or local level decision-making processes. For inclusiveness in any social intervention programme, the policy process should be allembracing sharing of knowledge and active stakeholders’ participation which includes the youth. This paper delineates the context of Local Enterprise and Skills Development Programme (LESDEP) by focusing on the extent to which the programme beneficiaries (youth) were empowered to play active roles in the decision policy processes which goes beyond the rhetoric. In particular, to unpack the perception that young people empowerment in a youth-oriented programme has the potential of curbing the problem of exclusion. Inferences from the concept of an empowerment might be the premise for rethinking the debate surrounding youth empowerment in the initiatives oriented towards young people. Youth in Ghana has a very little aptitude and plays an inconsequential role in policy design; therefore, the need arises for youth empowerment to enable them to engage in the broader national policies. Having assumed a negative deviation after a further analysis using empowerment perception index (EPI), the study revealed that youth marginal involvement and consultation in decision making cannot constitute empowerment to any degree. Given the crucial implications of this for youth policy implementations at the national as well as subnational level, the paper recommended some pathways for ensuring youth empowerment in youth-oriented programmes in Ghana.

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