Transforming water resources management in South Africa. 'Catchment management agencies' and the ideal of democratic development

This article addresses the dilemma of the democratic development of water resources management in the context of Post-Apartheid South Africa and unequal access to water. Using a political sociology of public policy approach as a conceptual framework, this article focuses on the actual functioning of the catchment management agencies (CMAs). On the basis of case studies’ analysis, it is argued that CMAs are essentially political arenas although the semi-structured interviews conducted reveal that this political dimension is mainly denied by most of CMAs members and staff as well as by policy makers. Finally, the risks of professionalising interest representation within CMAs are evoked.The French Embassy of South Africa and the South African Department of Science and Technology as part of the Joint South African–French network for research in science and technology—SAFeWater Arise project : New Water Governance over Water Resources for Sustainable Rural Development : Research on Social, Economic and Institutional Aspects.http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1099-1328hb2016Agricultural Economics, Extension and Rural Developmen

Local municipality productive efficiency and its determinants in South Africa

This paper assesses the technical efficiency of 231 local municipalities in South Africa for 2007 and investigates the potential determinants of efficiency gaps using the non-parametric data envelopment analysis technique. Efficiency scores are explained in a second-stage regression model using a Tobit regression model. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first attempt, using such a technique, to assess technical efficiency at the local government level in the African context. The results show that, on average, B1 and B3 municipalities could have theoretically achieved the same level of basic services with about 16% and 80% fewer resources respectively. Furthermore, fiscal autonomy and the number and skill levels of the top management of a municipality’s administration were found to influence the productive efficiency of municipalities in South Africa. Perhaps most importantly, the results depict a bleak picture of the democratic behaviour at the local level in South Africa. It appears that higher income and highly educated households do not feel the incentive to be active participants in public decision-making processes. The paper findings raise concerns over the future of local municipalities in the country, especially about their capability to efficiently deliver expected outcomes on a sustainable basis.http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/cdsa202015-07-31hb201

Planning and Participation in Cities that Move: Identifying Obstacles to Municipal Mobility Management

The dual processes of rapidly transforming cities and administrative decentralisation demands that local government address human mobility as a means of countering urban poverty. Despite this imperative, local authorities are often poorly equipped to address the needs of poor and transient residents. Through an examination of four South African municipalities, this article helps to identify three critical factors working against effective responses: poor data and conceptual bias; institutional ambiguities and budgeting processes; and, ironically, participatory planning. Although any one of these could serve as a basis for an article, by taking them together, we better summarise the challenges' scope and outline areas for further research and policy intervention. The article concludes by considering these findings' practical and scholarly implications. Copyright (c) 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd