No. 41: The Quality of Migration Services Delivery in South Africa

The South African Department of Home Affairs (DHA) is responsible for the implementation and management of migration policy and legislation, as well as the registration of births, marriages and deaths and the issuing of identity documents and passports. It is often criticised in the media and in private conversation for being administratively inefficient, cumbersome and unwieldy. South African and foreign customers reportedly regularly complain about the poor quality of services delivered by the Department. Such evidence and media reporting underpins the widelyheld belief that the Department is not easily accessible, is unresponsive to the needs of its customers, is riddled with corruption and, to the extent that systems are in place to provide efficient and quality services, is poorly managed. In recent years, the DHA has also been plagued by a number of incidents of corruption and mismanagement and a protracted and controversial process of drafting new immigration legislation. At the same time, several incidents were reported that suggested there was significant tension between former IFP Home Affairs Minister Buthelezi and the ANC Director-General of Home Affairs. These factors contributed to the general sense that the Department was in disarray, and had not made any progress in improving its ability to deliver services in a timely manner, or towards living up to the criteria set out in the Departmental Standards brochure published in 1997. The Southern African Migration Project (SAMP) therefore proposed to test current per ceptions of the Department through a study of the quality of services delivered: the Services Quality Survey (SQS) project. In SAMP’s view, the value of implementing such a project lies in assessing and comparing the views, preferences and expectations of service consumers with those of the service providers. By developing an understanding of the constraints that hinder performance and the factors that enhance performance, the results of the SQS are intended to be used as a baseline against which to assess and benchmark current performance and service standards, and to set realistic targets and objectives to improve service delivery in the future. In the SQS project, interviews were conducted with Departmental officials, citizens and non-citizens nationwide using structur ed questionnaires. The questionnaires administered to citizens and non-citizens were largely the same, though non-citizens were also asked about their country of origin, their reason for entering the country, and how frequently they visited South Africa. The questionnaire administered to officials included questions about length of service, job satisfaction, knowledge of policies and legislation administered by the Department, national ser vice standards principles such as Batho Pele, and internal Departmental regulations and procedures. Inter views with officials, citizens and non-citizens were conducted in and around the offices of the Department that had been pre-selected in each province. At the completion of the fieldwork component of the survey, 179 officials, 2 120 citizens and 968 non-citizens had been interviewed. The SQS first sought to establish the level of familiarity that officials have with key legislation, policies administered by the Department and their impact on service delivery, as well as knowledge of internal Departmental policies and regulations: Nearly 40% of officials indicated that they were “unfamiliar” with the Immigration Act of 2002. Of these, 66% had been employed by the DHA for six years or more. An even higher 60% of officials said they were unfamiliar with the Refugees Act of 1998. This included officials at offices where staff were most likely to come into contact with asylumseekers: 53% of officials at Border Posts and 55% at Airports. Officials are more familiar with the national Batho Pele Principles of 1998, perhaps due to widespread advertising and visibility in DHA Offices. Nearly 90% were familiar with the Batho Pele principles. However, when asked to list some of Batho Pele’s most important principles, many were unable to mention them directly. With regard to the Home Affairs Turnaround Strategy launched in October of 2003, only 40% of officials had heard of the Strategy. One of the central aims of the SQS was to compare customer perceptions about the DHA with those of officials working within the Department. Amongst the most frequent anecdotal complaints heard about the DHA is that office locations are inaccessible, infrastructur e and physical conditions are poor, and resources, in terms of facilities and available equipment, are limited. When asked about proximity to, and accessibility of, DHA offices, the majority of citizens (86%) reported that it took less than one hour of travel to arrive at the office where the interview took place. The majority of citizens either traveled by taxi (42%), drove in their own car (19%) or walked (19%) to the office. Amongst non-citizens, 94% of those visiting an office, as opposed to passing through a border post or airport, were able to reach the DHA in one hour or less. Some 83% of non-citizens interviewed at a Regional Office and 73% of those at District Offices were able to reach the DHA in one hour or less. A second common complaint about the DHA is a lack of good customer service, often linked to negative attitudes of officials at the front line of interactions with the public. As one of the main focuses of the Survey, officials and customers were asked about their perceptions and experiences of service delivery in the DHA. In answering a range of questions about customer service, the majority of respondents were surprisingly positive: they felt that they were treated fairly, there was little discrimination in terms of how different groups were treated, and officials were interested in hearing what they thought. Officials and customers sampled were asked a series of questions closely linked to the Batho Pele Principles, which address service delivery issues such as consultation on service quality and choice, information, access, courtesy in treatment, transparency, redress, and value for money. Here, while it was apparent that officials and customers were aware of the Batho Pele programme, familiarity with its principles, and the extent to which the Department was implementing these principles, was not as good. To further understand how DHA customers are treated, specific questions were asked about perceptions of the attitudes of Departmental staff. Official, citizen and non-citizen respondents were asked whether DHA staff within the office where the interview took place were: friendly or unfriendly, attentive or inattentive, cooperative or uncooperative, patient or impatient, helpful or unhelpful, considerate or inconsiderate, polite or impolite, at ease or anxious, honest or misleading, trusting or suspicious, knowledgeable or not knowledgeable, and interested or not interested in their jobs. Across the citizens and non-citizens sampled, the results of the survey show that customers felt the attitudes of DHA staff were extremely positive overall. Interestingly, officials themselves were somewhat less positive about the attitudes of DHA staff. Customers were asked a series of questions on their experiences with service delivery at the DHA on the day they were interviewed, as this was thought to have a likely impact on whether respondents viewed the Department positively or negatively overall. Rates of satisfaction with the customer service received were also consistently high, with 87% of citizens and 92% of non-citizens reporting that they were satisfied with the level of service they had received. Similarly, 85% of citizens and 92% of non-citizens responded that they were satisfied with their overall experience as a customer at the Department of Home Affairs on the day they were interviewed. In addition to examining satisfaction levels on the day they were interviewed, customers and officials were asked more generally about their opinions on the current performance of the DHA. Again, in terms of overall performance, efficiency, fair treatment and general satisfaction with service delivery, the majority of customers expressed positive views. Similarly, in terms of levels of corruption and trustworthiness, very few customers and officials believe that corruption is a widespread problem. At the same time, customers and officials expressed a low level of tolerance for practices that might constitute or lead to corruption, though non-citizens appear to have a slightly higher level of tolerance for such practices. Very few respondents reported actual experiences of corruption, either directly or indirectly. In overall terms, the survey results suggest that perhaps the DHA is not in such a crisis in terms of service delivery, customer relations, and attitudes of staff. The customers sampled were positively disposed towards the Department, and were optimistic regarding its ability to continue delivering quality services. It is not possible to explain exactly why these findings are so inconsistent with media depictions, anecdotal evidence of broader public opinion, and the negative assessment made by the Director-General himself. However, it is important to understand the contextual factors that may have contributed to shaping the opinions and perceptions of the respondents. Further, the positive results of the survey do not mean that there are no problems or issues to be addressed within Home Affairs. Although the results of the survey indicate a higher quality of service delivery than perhaps originally anticipated, the question to ask is whether there are measures that the DHA can take to further enhance the positive perceptions of its customers and officials and to improve service delivery. Finally, the results presented in this report provide baseline data and a benchmark against which to measure the future performance of the Department, particularly in terms of levels of customer satisfaction with service quality. One of the key recommendations made in this report is that consideration should be given to administering a similar survey at regular intervals as a means of continuous assessment and as a basis for ongoing efforts to improve performance and the quality of services

Poverty, survival and democracy in Southern Africa

One of the clearest findings of empirical political science is that the prospects of sustaining democratic government in a poor society are far lower than in a relatively wealthy one. Precisely why poverty undermines democracy, however, has been much less clear. In order to answer this question, we use data from seven 1999-20Afrobarometer surveys in Southern Africa to develop measures of poverty and well-being, as well as its possible consequences both in terms of day-to-day survival and political attitudes and behaviour

No. 41: The Quality of Migration Services Delivery in South Africa

The South African Department of Home Affairs (DHA) is responsible for the implementation and management of migration policy and legislation, as well as the registration of births, marriages and deaths and the issuing of identity documents and passports. It is often criticised in the media and in private conversation for being administratively inefficient, cumbersome and unwieldy. South African and foreign customers reportedly regularly complain about the poor quality of services delivered by the Department. Such evidence and media reporting underpins the widelyheld belief that the Department is not easily accessible, is unresponsive to the needs of its customers, is riddled with corruption and, to the extent that systems are in place to provide efficient and quality services, is poorly managed. In recent years, the DHA has also been plagued by a number of incidents of corruption and mismanagement and a protracted and controversial process of drafting new immigration legislation. At the same time, several incidents were reported that suggested there was significant tension between former IFP Home Affairs Minister Buthelezi and the ANC Director-General of Home Affairs. These factors contributed to the general sense that the Department was in disarray, and had not made any progress in improving its ability to deliver services in a timely manner, or towards living up to the criteria set out in the Departmental Standards brochure published in 1997. The Southern African Migration Project (SAMP) therefore proposed to test current per ceptions of the Department through a study of the quality of services delivered: the Services Quality Survey (SQS) project. In SAMP’s view, the value of implementing such a project lies in assessing and comparing the views, preferences and expectations of service consumers with those of the service providers. By developing an understanding of the constraints that hinder performance and the factors that enhance performance, the results of the SQS are intended to be used as a baseline against which to assess and benchmark current performance and service standards, and to set realistic targets and objectives to improve service delivery in the future. In the SQS project, interviews were conducted with Departmental officials, citizens and non-citizens nationwide using structur ed questionnaires. The questionnaires administered to citizens and non-citizens were largely the same, though non-citizens were also asked about their country of origin, their reason for entering the country, and how frequently they visited South Africa. The questionnaire administered to officials included questions about length of service, job satisfaction, knowledge of policies and legislation administered by the Department, national ser vice standards principles such as Batho Pele, and internal Departmental regulations and procedures. Inter views with officials, citizens and non-citizens were conducted in and around the offices of the Department that had been pre-selected in each province. At the completion of the fieldwork component of the survey, 179 officials, 2 120 citizens and 968 non-citizens had been interviewed. The SQS first sought to establish the level of familiarity that officials have with key legislation, policies administered by the Department and their impact on service delivery, as well as knowledge of internal Departmental policies and regulations: Nearly 40% of officials indicated that they were “unfamiliar” with the Immigration Act of 2002. Of these, 66% had been employed by the DHA for six years or more. An even higher 60% of officials said they were unfamiliar with the Refugees Act of 1998. This included officials at offices where staff were most likely to come into contact with asylumseekers: 53% of officials at Border Posts and 55% at Airports. Officials are more familiar with the national Batho Pele Principles of 1998, perhaps due to widespread advertising and visibility in DHA Offices. Nearly 90% were familiar with the Batho Pele principles. However, when asked to list some of Batho Pele’s most important principles, many were unable to mention them directly. With regard to the Home Affairs Turnaround Strategy launched in October of 2003, only 40% of officials had heard of the Strategy. One of the central aims of the SQS was to compare customer perceptions about the DHA with those of officials working within the Department. Amongst the most frequent anecdotal complaints heard about the DHA is that office locations are inaccessible, infrastructur e and physical conditions are poor, and resources, in terms of facilities and available equipment, are limited. When asked about proximity to, and accessibility of, DHA offices, the majority of citizens (86%) reported that it took less than one hour of travel to arrive at the office where the interview took place. The majority of citizens either traveled by taxi (42%), drove in their own car (19%) or walked (19%) to the office. Amongst non-citizens, 94% of those visiting an office, as opposed to passing through a border post or airport, were able to reach the DHA in one hour or less. Some 83% of non-citizens interviewed at a Regional Office and 73% of those at District Offices were able to reach the DHA in one hour or less. A second common complaint about the DHA is a lack of good customer service, often linked to negative attitudes of officials at the front line of interactions with the public. As one of the main focuses of the Survey, officials and customers were asked about their perceptions and experiences of service delivery in the DHA. In answering a range of questions about customer service, the majority of respondents were surprisingly positive: they felt that they were treated fairly, there was little discrimination in terms of how different groups were treated, and officials were interested in hearing what they thought. Officials and customers sampled were asked a series of questions closely linked to the Batho Pele Principles, which address service delivery issues such as consultation on service quality and choice, information, access, courtesy in treatment, transparency, redress, and value for money. Here, while it was apparent that officials and customers were aware of the Batho Pele programme, familiarity with its principles, and the extent to which the Department was implementing these principles, was not as good. To further understand how DHA customers are treated, specific questions were asked about perceptions of the attitudes of Departmental staff. Official, citizen and non-citizen respondents were asked whether DHA staff within the office where the interview took place were: friendly or unfriendly, attentive or inattentive, cooperative or uncooperative, patient or impatient, helpful or unhelpful, considerate or inconsiderate, polite or impolite, at ease or anxious, honest or misleading, trusting or suspicious, knowledgeable or not knowledgeable, and interested or not interested in their jobs. Across the citizens and non-citizens sampled, the results of the survey show that customers felt the attitudes of DHA staff were extremely positive overall. Interestingly, officials themselves were somewhat less positive about the attitudes of DHA staff. Customers were asked a series of questions on their experiences with service delivery at the DHA on the day they were interviewed, as this was thought to have a likely impact on whether respondents viewed the Department positively or negatively overall. Rates of satisfaction with the customer service received were also consistently high, with 87% of citizens and 92% of non-citizens reporting that they were satisfied with the level of service they had received. Similarly, 85% of citizens and 92% of non-citizens responded that they were satisfied with their overall experience as a customer at the Department of Home Affairs on the day they were interviewed. In addition to examining satisfaction levels on the day they were interviewed, customers and officials were asked more generally about their opinions on the current performance of the DHA. Again, in terms of overall performance, efficiency, fair treatment and general satisfaction with service delivery, the majority of customers expressed positive views. Similarly, in terms of levels of corruption and trustworthiness, very few customers and officials believe that corruption is a widespread problem. At the same time, customers and officials expressed a low level of tolerance for practices that might constitute or lead to corruption, though non-citizens appear to have a slightly higher level of tolerance for such practices. Very few respondents reported actual experiences of corruption, either directly or indirectly. In overall terms, the survey results suggest that perhaps the DHA is not in such a crisis in terms of service delivery, customer relations, and attitudes of staff. The customers sampled were positively disposed towards the Department, and were optimistic regarding its ability to continue delivering quality services. It is not possible to explain exactly why these findings are so inconsistent with media depictions, anecdotal evidence of broader public opinion, and the negative assessment made by the Director-General himself. However, it is important to understand the contextual factors that may have contributed to shaping the opinions and perceptions of the respondents. Further, the positive results of the survey do not mean that there are no problems or issues to be addressed within Home Affairs. Although the results of the survey indicate a higher quality of service delivery than perhaps originally anticipated, the question to ask is whether there are measures that the DHA can take to further enhance the positive perceptions of its customers and officials and to improve service delivery. Finally, the results presented in this report provide baseline data and a benchmark against which to measure the future performance of the Department, particularly in terms of levels of customer satisfaction with service quality. One of the key recommendations made in this report is that consideration should be given to administering a similar survey at regular intervals as a means of continuous assessment and as a basis for ongoing efforts to improve performance and the quality of services

Factors affecting the performance of South African municipal officials: stakeholders’ perspectives

Since the inception of the democratically elected post-apartheid government, South Africa has experienced growing numbers of protests about inadequate provision of basic municipal services. Recent studies have revealed that the poor performance of municipal officials contributes towards poor municipal service delivery. This article is based on a study which used qualitative key stakeholder interviews to analyse the performance of South African municipal officials, specifically in the delivery of services. It found that the following inter-related factors were responsible for the lack of performance: an unsupportive institutional environment, negative power struggles, over-regulation, political interference, a tense and bureaucratic environment, lack of coherent management systems, absence of a culture of excellence, poor skill utilisation, poor oversight mechanisms, weak capacity to engage in collaborations, and lack of trust between councillors from different political parties. The study concludes that for South African municipalities to meet their constitutional obligations to deliver optimal basic services to the people, the government must, inter alia, invest in building the capacity of municipal officials through the development of skills and other crucial local government interventions and transformations. The municipalities should also depoliticise local government and promote non-partisan appointment of municipal officials

Explaining poverty : a comparison between perceptions and conditions of poverty in South Africa

Thesis (DPhil (Political Science))--University of Stellenbosch, 2010.BibliographyENGLISH ABSTRACT: In this dissertation I explore people’s perceptions of the causes of poverty. Literature reveals that there are three broad theoretical explanations of perceptions of the causes of poverty: individualistic explanations, where blame is placed squarely on the poor themselves; structural explanations, where poverty is blamed on external social and economic forces; and fatalistic explanations, which attribute poverty to factors such as bad luck or illness. Furthermore, the findings of studies reviewed showed that these explanations interact with socio-economic and demographic variables such as race, geographical location, education, lived poverty index (LPI), living standard measure (LSM) and employment. I therefore critically examine explanations of poverty among South Africans as measured by individualistic, structural and fatalistic dimensions and how it interacts with the socio-economic and demographic variables. Employing a national representative survey of 3510 adults aged 18 and older conducted by the Human Sciences Research Council between 18 April and 30 May 2006 the findings of the present study confirmed most of the theoretical arguments cited in the literature. For instance, South Africans, in general, perceive the causes of poverty in structural terms, but a large proportion of respondents also perceive the causes of poverty in individualistic terms. Access to basic necessities influenced perceptions of the causes of poverty since the poor mostly perceived poverty in structural rather than individualistic terms. White South Africans in contrast to black Africans perceive the causes of poverty mostly in individualistic terms. Coloured respondents are the most fatalistic in their perceptions of the causes of poverty. Further analysis show that respondents living in traditional areas compared to those in urban formal areas are less likely to have structural perceptions of the causes of poverty. This is a very interesting finding because my examination on the extent of lived poverty in showed that the urban formal areas have the smallest proportion of respondents that have gone without basic necessities over the past year if contrasted to the traditional, rural formal and urban informal areas. I found that education had no significant impact on structural perceptions of the causes of poverty. In spite of my assessment of the extent of access to basic necessities which revealed that a large proportion of respondents with primary education compared to those with tertiary education go without these basic necessities. In addition, the study found that the relationship between the socio-economic and demographic variables and the structural, individualistic and fatalistic perceptions of the causes of poverty is considerably more complex and that it is possible for the race group, level of education, employment status and geographical location of the respondent all to interact in a multidimensional manner and have an impact on how the causes of poverty is perceived. However, the three linear regressions examining the relationship between the socio-economic and demographic variables and the structural, individualistic and fatalistic perceptions of the causes of poverty should be interpreted with caution because the explanatory power of the three regression models is quite weak (as indicated by Adjusted R²). In sum, the present study is extremely relevant in many ways and makes a unique contribution at both a methodological and policy level. Methodologically, the findings showed that the LPI may contribute to the proposed poverty line suggested for South Africa. As such, the findings offer a valuable message for the country’s decision makers about South Africans’ perceptions of the causes of poverty.AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie verhandeling ondersoek die persepsies van die publiek met verwysing na die oorsake van armoede. Die literatuur dui op drie breë teoretiese verklarings aangaande persepsies oor die oorsake van armoede: individualistiese verklarings wat die blaam vierkantig op die armes self plaas, strukturele verklarings wat armoede toeskryf aan eksterne sosiale en ekonomiese magte en dan fatalistiese verklarings wat armoede toeskryf aan faktore soos die noodlot of siekte. Navorsing toon dat hierdie verklarings in interaksie met sosio-demografies, ekonomiese veranderlikes soos ras, geografiese ligging, opvoeding, indiensneming; die ‘Lived Poverty Index’ en geslag verkeer. Die huidige verhandeling ondersoek dus krities die verklarings, in terme van armoede onder Suid-Afrikaners, soos gemeet deur die individualistiese, strukturele en fatalistiese dimensies en hul interaksie met sosio-demografiese en ekonomiese veranderlikes. ‘n Nasionale verteenwoordingende opname van 3,510 volwassenes, 18 jaar en ouer wat tussen 18 April en 30 Mei 2009 deur die Raad vir Geesteswetenskaplike Navorsing uitgevoer het die meeste van die teoretiese argumente waarna in die literatuur verwys word bevestig. Byvoorbeeld, Suid-Afrikaners het oor die algemeen armoede vanuit strukturele perspektief waargeneem. Groot proporsie van respondente het armoede egter aan individualistiese faktore toegeskryf. Toegang tot basiese noodsaaklikhede het die persepsies van armoede beïnvloed aangesien die armes armoede meestal toegeskryf het aan strukturele eerder as individualistiese dimensies. Blankes, in vergelyking met Swart Suid-Afrikaners, het individualistiese eerder as strukturele persepties getoon. Kleurling repondente was die mees fatalisties aangaande hul persepsies oor die oorsake van armoede. Respondente wat in tradisionele landelike areas woon het armoede in mindere mate toegeskryf aan strukturele persepsies in vergelyking met repondente woonagtig in formele stedelike areas. Dit was baie interesante resultaat omdat daar verwag is dat respondente wat in tradisionele landelike areas woon armoede eerder sou toeskryf aan strukturele persepsies, terwyl repondente woonagtig in formele stedelike areas meer individualistiese persepsies sou openbaar. Die studie het ook bevind dat opvoeding en indiensneming geen merkwaardige invloed het op persepsies oor die oorsake van armoede nie. ‘n Verdere bevinding van die studie was dat die verhouding tussen die sosio-ekonomiese en demografiese veranderlikes en die struturele, individualistiese en fatalistiese persepsies van armoede aansienlik meer ingewikkeld en kompleks is. Dit is dus moontlik dat die rassegroep, vlak van opvoeding, indiensnemingstatus en geografiese ligging van respondent saam op multi-dimensionele manier in interaksie kan verkeer en dus impak kan hê op hoe armoede deur die respondent gesien word. Dit is belangrik om daarop te let dat die drie regressie analises wat die verhouding tussen die sosioekonomiese en demografiese veranderlikes en die struturele, individualistiese en fatalistiese persepsies van armoede ondersoek baie versigtig geinterpreteer moet word aangesien die verklaringsterkte van die drie regressies baie swak is. Ter opsomming was die studie onder bespreking uiters relevant ten opsigte van verskeie areas en het dit dus unieke bydrae gemaak tot beide metodologiese en beleidskwessies. Metodologies het die bevindinge getoon dat die ‘Lived Poverty Index’ kan bydra tot die voorgestelde armoede-lyn vir Suid-Afrika. Die bevindinge bied waardevolle inligting vir die land se besluitnemers aangaande Suid-Afrikaners se persepsies oor die oorsake van armoede

Measuring democracy and human rights in Southern Africa

Are there ways and means of measuring democracy and “good governance”? The contributions to this Discussion Paper present attempts to do this by means of surveys on democratic attitudes in Mozambique and Namibia respectively as well as by exploring the degree of commitment to and violation of human rights in a comparative perspective in Namibia and South Africa. They illustrate attitudes by offering empirical evidence of the preferences and views of local people, as well as by examining the track record of a human rights culture. In doing so, by going beyond a level of theoretical analysis, they offer concrete evidence of attitudes prevalent among both individuals and state agencies in societies of Southern Africa.CONTENTS -- Political Reforms in Mozambique: Attitudes to Democracy among Ordinary People/João C. G. Pereira and Yul Derek Davids -- In Search of Democrats in Namibia: Attitudes Among the Youth/Christiaan Keulder and Dirk Spilker -- Debasing Democracy: Security Forces and Human Rights Abuses in Post-Liberation Namibia and South Africa/Guy Lam

Measuring democracy and human rights in Southern Africa

Are there ways and means of measuring democracy and “good governance”? The contributions to this Discussion Paper present attempts to do this by means of surveys on democratic attitudes in Mozambique and Namibia respectively as well as by exploring the degree of commitment to and violation of human rights in a comparative perspective in Namibia and South Africa. They illustrate attitudes by offering empirical evidence of the preferences and views of local people, as well as by examining the track record of a human rights culture. In doing so, by going beyond a level of theoretical analysis, they offer concrete evidence of attitudes prevalent among both individuals and state agencies in societies of Southern Africa.CONTENTS -- Political Reforms in Mozambique: Attitudes to Democracy among Ordinary People/João C. G. Pereira and Yul Derek Davids -- In Search of Democrats in Namibia: Attitudes Among the Youth/Christiaan Keulder and Dirk Spilker -- Debasing Democracy: Security Forces and Human Rights Abuses in Post-Liberation Namibia and South Africa/Guy Lam

A Comparative Policy for the COVID-19 Emergency Management of Frontline Health Workers in Selected African Countries

Health workers are often exposed to health risks and danger in the discharge of their duties. This is especially distressing during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study employs a multiple case study design to investigate the COVID-19 emergency management of frontline workers in South Africa, Kenya, Ghana, and Nigeria. The findings from the study reveal that governments in the selected countries prioritize the response phase of the emergency management theory over the mitigation and preparedness phases. The response phase was meted with inevitable consequences. Health workers feared risking their lives, and the majority threatened to abandon their jobs due to insufficient personal protective equipment (PPE) and welfare support. The study concludes that the government should prioritize all the phases of emergency management instead of focusing on the response phase, which involves the use of both human and financial resources on an overwhelming pandemic. They should have prepared the frontline workers adequately and equipped their health systems in preparation for any impending epidemic