8 research outputs found
Agriculture, land reform and development in South Africa : public policy for social upliftment
The dislocation (within national borders) of indigenous Africans from their land, represents one of the most tragic and explosive remnants of colonialism to befall the African continent. In recent times, the Governments of Zimbabwe, Namibia and South Africa (among others) have been under immense pressure from their majority black population groups to address the 'land question' in an
attempt to reverse the negative outcomes of colonial exploitation.
European colonial rulers contributed greatly to poverty among Africa's majority populations, as they sought to enrich themselves and their settler populations at the expense of blacks. The legacy of poverty still persists to this day, as does the legacy of dis-enfranchisement of blacks from access to and use of land. Some have argued that land reform should take place as a matter of 'righting'
past wrongs' and also to alleviate poverty and contribute to development. The contrary argument is that returning land to indigenous Africans would be disastrous, as they do not have the necessary acumen and skills to make productive use of the land. Land reform in the South African context is
the focus of this paper. More specifically, the article assesses the appropriateness of Government's land reform policy
Evaluating projects and programs in the South African public sector
The discussion of the paper begins with a summarized discussion of some of the
major complexities involved in public sector performance evaluation. This is
followed by a discussion of the literature of the actual methods of evaluation
for public projects and programs (IRR, NPV, cost-benefit analysis and it’s many
considerations). The final section of the paper critically targets the approach being
taken in the South African public sector with regard to performance evaluation
The state of transformation in the South African public service : a case of the National Department of Agriculture
The exclusion of Africans, women and the disabled from employment and active participation in the economy, has until recent years been a defining characteristic of the South African private and public sectors. As far back as the founding of the Union of South Africa in 1910, laws were passed to improve the lot of the White minority at the expense of other population groups. Blacks, women and the disabled were considered second class citizens not deserving equal and fair treatment in employment or any other vital aspect of life. The post-1994 democratically elected government inherited the negative legacy
of apartheid and thus found itself responsible for correcting the many societal injustices and imbalances of the past. This article investigates the progress made by the post-apartheid government, if any, in promulgating and implementing policies to address the imbalances of the past. More specifically, the focus of the article is on assessing the effectiveness with which the Employment Equity Act, 1998 (no. 55 of 1998) is being implemented in the public service. The study demonstrates that progress has been made in employing Blacks and women, but not in employing the disabled. Possible causes and remedies to address the poor representation of disabled persons in the public service were also addressed. The former National Department of Agriculture is used as a practical case study to add empirical evidence in support of literature
survey and anecdotal data
Social responsibility and accountability : the case of multinational enterprises operating in South Africa
This article examines corporate social responsibility from the perspective of
documented cases of governmental institutional failures in holding foreign
multinational enterprises (MNEs) accountable in the host states in which
they operate. Such institutional failures are evident in a number of cases involving
multinational enterprises operating in South Africa and other developing host
countries. These cases demonstrate that with weak regulation, the foreign direct
investment (FDI) of MNEs can in some cases do more harm than good, resulting in
lapses in accountability; harming the environment and human health. Accordingly,
it is argued that special attention should be given to MNEs as a result of their unique
nature and characteristics, as well as for the dynamic global context within which
they operate. The focal area of the paper is concentrated on examining some of
the legal aspects and complications associated with the FDI of MNEs with the
expectation of exploring the prospects for regulatory reform in South Africa
Privatisation and ensuring accountability in the provision of essential services : the case of water in South Africa
Developing country governments are struggling to meet the basic needs
and demands of citizens, and especially so for the rural poor. With
tightly constrained budgets, these governments have followed the lead of
developed countries that have sought to restructure public service delivery through
privatisation, contracting out, public private partnerships and similar reforms.
Such reforms in service delivery are generally welcomed when it is believed
that private sector partners are better equipped to provide certain services
than are governments. With respect to basic and essential services however, a
higher degree of uncertainty and apprehension exist, as the focus shifts from
simply minimising the costs of delivering services to broadening access to all
citizens. Accordingly, the Bill of Rights (section 27(1)(b)) of the 1996 Constitution,
stipulates that everyone has the right to have access to sufficient food and water.
Affordable and/or subsidised water, then, is not a privilege but a basic right of all
citizens. Citizens elect political representatives to serve in office with their sole mandate being to provide for the needs of the citizenry. As governments pass on, some amount of responsibility for service delivery to private businesses, these
governments must be able to exercise control in order to account to the people for
the work done by private partners.
This paper examines the legislative and policy frameworks as well as the
environment within which PPPs take place in South Africa, and the extent
to which accountability can be strengthened in this environment. Within the
aforementioned backdrop of PPPs and accountability, the constricted focus area
of the paper aims to assess the extent to which the provision of clean and safe consumable water in South Africa are sustainable, cost-effective in terms of
provision, and affordable to all
Challenges of regional integration in Africa : policy and administrative implications
Regional integration, which encompasses efforts by a group of countries
to promote their political, economic, social and cultural integration and
development, has been pursued in Africa since the early 1960s. However,
there is near unanimous agreement that regionalization has failed in Africa to
produce effective frameworks within which poverty and underdevelopment can be
mitigated. While the resolution of a number of issues, such as, political instability
and weak infrastructures is imperative, and holds prerequisite for the development
of Africa, the focus of the paper is on institutional and administrative mechanisms
that serve as the critical conduit through which the aforementioned issues must be
addressed. The paper argues that effective implementation of regional programmes
requires an institutional apparatus that is capable of dealing with the complexity
of policy-making and implementation processes between a variety of state and
societal actors at all levels of governance – supranational as well as national levels,
which characterize regional integration
Restructuring the provincial sphere of government in South Africa : exploring options for sustainable reform for improved service delivery
The creation of nine provincial governments in 1994 held great promise as a key
reform towards meeting the ideals of democracy and inclusiveness, in addition
to representing an attempt to make government more efficient and effective.
Nine provinces superseded an apartheid-based system of governing that defined the
Republic of South Africa as four provinces containing self-governing territories and
independent homelands for Africans. In cognisance of emerging arguments that propose
that the South African government would operate more efficiently and effectively in
the absence of this middle sphere of government, this article seeks to challenge such
claims. Undoubtedly, provinces are hampered by a number of challenges, not the least
of which relates to their limited abilities to generate sufficient own revenue. At the same
time much of the responsibility for the provision of public goods and services rests with
the provinces in the manner specified in Schedules 4 and 5 of the Constitution of the
Republic of South Africa, 1996. The natural question arising from the latter situation is
– if not for Provinces, would either local government or national government be able
to fill the void that would be left behind by the exit (partial or otherwise) of provinces?
In light of the above-noted arguments and counter-arguments, the right of existence of
provincial government(s) is briefly explored
Development of a Budget Management Model for Managers in Public Hospitals in the Limpopo Province, South Africa
Budget management remains a challenge in public hospitals with regard to the delivery of cost effective health services. This article is based on a study undertaken to develop a budget management model for managers in public hospitals in the Limpopo Province of South Africa. The question is: How can the management of the budget in public hospitals be improved? The study investigates budget management in the public hospitals. The research methodology used for this study is both quantitative and qualitative research design to generate data required to achieve its aim and objectives. The targeted population for the study was all public hospitals in the Limpopo Province, which comprises 40 public hospitals. The findings showed that, as there is improvement in budget management, much needs to be done to improve budget management in the public hospitals. In this study a budget management model is recommended for consideration by managers