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