Browsing by Author "Cameron, Robert"
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- ItemOpen AccessA battle for access to the streets of a "World-Class African City": Assessing the challenges facing the City of Johannesburg in the management of street trading in the inner-city(University of Cape Town, 2020) Zulu, Nompumelelo; Cameron, RobertThe paper identifies the main challenges faced by the City of Johannesburg in the management of street trading in Johannesburg's inner-city. Street trading is very important as it constitutes a great proportion of the informal sector in South Africa, and it plays a great role in the alleviation of poverty and unemployment. Government acknowledges the significance of street trading but this does not translate into urban policy and practice. There is a need for government to be more supportive and developmental in the management of street trading in urban governance. The paper found that the 2013 Constitutional Court Judgement on Operation Clean Sweep has brought about a shift in the City of Johannesburg's approach and attitude towards street trading, however, key challenges remain. Firstly, the City of Johannesburg needs to establish a holistic, developmental and collaborative management model for street trading as the current one is fragmented and inconsistent. The mismanagement of street trading has left traders vulnerable to police harassment and corruption, and it has resulted in the "crime and grime" the City of Johannesburg so often blames street trading for. Secondly, the City of Johannesburg needs to balance its desire to attain world-class African city status with the needs of the poor and marginalized - economic development, urban renewal and investment should not take place at the expense of the poor. Thirdly, street traders need to be at the center of the management model, currently business and private interests are at the center of the model. Lastly, the City of Johannesburg needs to be more creative and lenient in accommodating the growing number of street traders in the inner-city. The City of Johannesburg needs to stop criminalizing street trading through the creation of scarcity. The findings of this paper have implications for urban management policy and practice. Research was conducted through interviews with the Department of Economic Development officials responsible for street trading; draft policy and government documents were used; and secondary sources were drawn upon.
- ItemOpen AccessA Review of Critical Factors Impacting the Implementation of E-government in Developing Countries(2021) Mogale, Boitumelo Hlengiwe; Cameron, RobertA key challenge facing developing countries is the high failure rate of electronic government (e-government) programmes. Since its inception, e-government has been implemented globally with the aim that it will enhance the quality-of-service delivery, transform government's internal and external processes and make the public sector more effective and efficient. However, the majority of e-government initiatives have failed to meet their objectives, particularly in developing countries. Therefore, this research considers the factors facilitating and inhibiting the successful implementation of e-government in developing countries. The methodology adopted for the thesis was a qualitative research approach. Secondary data was collected through a literature review of various sources, namely government publications, annual reports compiled by international development agencies and relevant books. To address the research question, I identified literature from journal articles with expertise in information systems such as the Electronic Journal for E-government. The research findings indicate that e-government in developing countries is impacted by various infrastructural, financial, political, socio-economic, organisational and human related aspects. Some of these include the digital divide, resistance to change, limited ICT skills and a lack of robust regulatory frameworks. The study concludes that successful e-government does not solely rest on technology. Instead, developing countries need to understand the impact of the various local contextual factors. These are the fundamental aspects that must be considered during the strategic design of e-government initiatives to ensure they are appropriate for and relevant to local conditions.
- ItemOpen AccessAffirming women in the South African public service a study of provincial government 2000 - 2007(2012) Meyer, Tamlynn; Cameron, RobertSince 1994 a strong legal and policy framework has been in place to ensure that women are adequately represented and treated as equals to their male counterparts. Affirmative action is the official programme used by the government to ensure that, among other things, women are fast tracked into the public service. This thesis examines the extent to which women are represented in provincial government and the possible barriers, if any, confronting them in their career advancement. A mixed-method approach incorporating both quantitative and qualitative data is used in this study.
- ItemOpen AccessAn analysis of metropolitan governance and institutional issues in South Africa(African Consortium of Public Administration, 2011-12) Cameron, Robert; Milne, ChantalThe main objectives of this article is to gauge to what extent metropolitan governments have led to the improvement of service delivery and to investigate how the existing governing and institutional frameworks are working for metros. Evidence suggests that the creation of widely drawn single-tier municipalities encompassing the whole city is a better governing model than the two-tier system. It has also led to the embodiment of the one city, one tax base slogan. It has also contributed to improved service delivery although there are still backlogs due to in-migration. There is evidence to suggest ordinary councillors are not communicating effectively with their constituencies. Part of the problem is that they do not have delegated powers and functions, even though they have constituencies to which they are accountable. The local government electoral system of 50% ward councillors and 50% proportional representation (PR) councillors has led in some cases to bloated councils with a number of PR councillors contributing little to the governing function. While there are some ward committees that are functioning, the evidence suggests that the majority of these structures are not working particularly well. They are too politicised and do not appear to promote public participation. Literature suggests that there is limited public participation in integrated development plans. Community Development Workers do bring some benefits to metropolitan municipalities and support councillors in some instances. However, there is some concern about their relationship with elected councillors and the implications for democratic accountability.
- ItemOpen AccessThe ANC's constitutional guidelines: The case for devolution(Taylor & Francis, 1990) Cameron, RobertThis paper is an analysis of the African National Congress' constitutional proposals with particular reference to the centralisation versus decentralisation debate. One of the main features of the proposals is a predominately centralised state, a policy position that the author disagrees with. It is contended that some of the arguments used in favour of a centralised state could also be used to justify a decentralised state. It is further argued that some of its objectives cannot be realised through a central state.
- ItemOpen AccessCabinet decision making in Malawi and Zambia : implications for development policy implementation(2007) Mtegha, Chigomezgo L D; Cameron, RobertThe study unravels the nature of Cabinet decision making in African Public Sector systems, and discusses its implications on development policy implementation. The demands on the State, and its key machinery, the Public Service, have evolved over time. Many states, including Zambia and Malawi, have since independence seen a decline in the welfare of their citizens, despite the plethora of development policy instruments that have been put in place to address this worrying situation. Weak policy implementation has been cited as the problem.
- ItemOpen AccessCentral-Local Financial Relations in South Africa(Taylor & Francis (Routledge), 2002) Cameron, RobertThe Republic of South Africa Constitution of 1996 vested local government with substantial powers. It uplifted local government from a subordinate level of government to a significant sphere within its own right with constitutionally entrenched functions, powers and finance. In a general overview of the South African local government reforms, it was suggested that the results of this decentralisation experiment are at best mixed, with increasing centralisation measures being undertaken by the national government (Cameron, 2001). This article focuses specifically on local government finance, which is undoubtedly the weak link in the new local government system. Prior to 1994, most local governments were elected by and served a small - predominantly white - base. There has been the transition to municipalities with many poor residents without any concomitant increase in the tax base. The first part of this article looks at a framework for decentralisation. It traces the evolution of local government finance in South Africa from the days of segregation and apartheid up to the current democratic era. The article examines the current local government finance system, with a focus on two different views in this regard. The one argument is that local government is inherently inefficient and poor financial management is the primary reason for financial problems. The other view is that the tax base of local government is too small for it to fulfil its constitutional service provision and development functions. An analysis is then undertaken of two recent local government financing controversies, namely, the local government boundary demarcation process and the Department of Finance-driven constitutional amendment.
- ItemOpen AccessThe Challenge of State Transformation in South Africa(Wiley, 2000) Cameron, Robert; Tapscott, ChrisThe advent of multi-party democracy in April 1994 marked the end of three centuries of colonial conquest and white minority rule in South Africa. As part of the process of transformation which ensued from this event, the ANC-led government has set the reform of the public sector as one of its primary goals. The reforms pursued have aimed to restructure the new state in such a way to make it more legitimate and accountable to the majority of South Africans. Where the previous state had been authoritarian, repressive and oligarchic in nature, the new state is intended to be democratic, developmental and committed to a culture of human rights.
- ItemOpen AccessCommercialising Zambia's urban water services : a critical analysis.(2012) Kabinga, Makondo; Cameron, RobertThis research critically analyses reforms undertaken in Zambia's water sector. Its main focus however, is on the corporatisation of Zambia's urban water services. The objective is to apply some selected indicators of water services improvement to establish whether the commercialisation of urban water services has improved water service delivery. The research uses qualitative and quantitative literature and generally relies on secondary data. Therefore, it is an exhaustive literature review of the available electronic and hard copy sources. Of particular relevance to the research are the National Water and Sanitation Council's (NWASCO) sector reports, which are comprehensive records of the performance of Zambia's Commercial Water Utilities (CUs).
- ItemOpen AccessA critical analysis of Public Administration Doctrates in South Africa 1994- 2007(2009) Milne, Chantal Keeley; Cameron, RobertThis study has presented a critical analysis of Public Administration doctorates in South Africa between 1994 and 2007. The methodology utilised is that of content analysis of completed Public Administration doctoral abstracts (116 in total). These were classified according to analytical and descriptive research variables, which included type of doctorate, year of completion, research focus, research purpose, methodology and contribution to knowledge. The findings of this analysis have been presented in light of making tentative statements regarding the state of research. The analysis of the doctorates was shown to mirror the findings of the international and local studies with regards to the state of Public Administration research. Doctorate research primarily focuses on practice, the methodology employed is mostly desktop and the research does not appear to significantly contribute to knowledge. It is the findings regarding knowledge that is of greatest concern as contributing to knowledge is one of the key requirements, established by universities, in attaining a research doctorate.
- ItemOpen AccessDecentralisation to Non-Metropolitan Local Government in South Africa(University of Cape Town, 2018-01-22) Cameron, RobertSouth African local government has been transformed fundamentally in the last 10 years from structures catering for the needs of a small segment of the population to a more democratic system. (Cameron, 2001). The policy of ‘developmental local government’ has been introduced in order to deal with the huge service backlog in primarily Black areas that the new government inherited from the apartheid regime (Parnell et al, 2002). Constitutional decentralisation of functions and powers to local government is a fundamental feature of this new system. A two-tier system of local government consisting of district and local municipalities was introduced in non-metropolitan areas to promote service-delivery. This paper is an analysis of how this new system of local government has been functioning since it was implemented after the December 2000 elections. This paper focuses on two specific themes. Firstly, it examines the relationship between district and local municipalities. While the state is committed to decentralising powers to local government it is not clear whether the district or the local should be the primary beneficiary of this policy. Secondly, it looks at the contested decision to include both secondary towns and rural areas in local municipalities. A two-part decentralisation framework was developed to guide this analysis. Firstly, there is an examination of the theoretical material on decentralisation. The paper argues that this literature does not deal adequately with situations where there are two-tiers of local government sharing functions and powers, When there is expectation amongst both tiers of local government that they would be the primary beneficiaries of a decentralisation policy, this often leads to conflict. Secondly, it also looks at the socio-geographic or settlements pattern approach to demarcation which attempts to correlate local government boundaries with their respective interdependent socio-economic areas. This approach influenced the Municipal Demarcation Board in South Africa into including urban and rural areas in the same jurisdiction. After the theoretical discussion the paper traces the macro-analysis of the state’s evolving policy towards non-metropolitan local government. This is followed by an examination of the perceptions of key local government stakeholders on the impact of this new local government policy, namely their ‘experience of transformation/consolidation from below’. A number of qualitative interviews (around 50) were conducted primarily with senior officials and politicians in district and local municipalities as part of a number of concurrent research projects between April and December 2002. In addition interviews were also conducted with private sector consultants, academics and programme experts. The information used in this paper is derived from some of these interviews.
- ItemRestrictedEfforts to Coordinate and Integrate Water Services in South African Metropolitan Municipalities: A Review(South African Association of Public Administration and Management, 2016-03) Naidoo, Vinothan; Kiliçoğlu, Chantal; Cameron, RobertSouth African municipalities operate in an increasingly water scarce environment. This, coupled with the removal of apartheid-era barriers that regulated influx and residential movement, and the consequent urbanisation that has ensued, has placed them under severe pressure to manage competing demands for water and waterborne sanitation. This article is based on the findings from a study initiated by the University of Cape Town's Urban Water Management group, which sought to investigate the institutional arrangements for managing water resources in South Africa's four largest metropolitan municipalities. The study was prompted by the appeal of the Water Sensitive Urban Design (WSUD) concept, which advocates a holistic approach to managing urban water resources, focusing on the degree of coordination and integration. The data consisted of sixteen key informant interviews with twenty-six officials, and accompanying municipal planning documentation. Our findings revealed varying degrees of coordination, including potential steps towards integration, among water services and related departments. Line functions responsible for catchment and stormwater management were at the forefront of more extensive efforts to coordinate, while lower level coordination remained mainly reactive, displaying limited alignment between urban spatial planners and water services planning, and was hampered by resistance in water supply departments and institutional fragmentation.
- ItemRestrictedEnvironmental Health in the West Coast: The Decentralisation Quandary(South African Association of Public Administration and Management, 2006-06) Cameron, Robert; Ismail, A OThis article is based on a consultancy report dealing with environmental health that was undertaken for the West Coast District Municipality in 2004. It has two main objectives. Firstly, it is an examination of the most costeffective and efficient options for the delivery of this service. There was a dispute between the West Coast District Municipality and some local municipalities in its jurisdiction about which level of local government should provide the service and the consulting team was brought in to consider various options in this regard. Secondly, this article attempts to locate the environmental health function between district and local municipalities within the academic discourse on political decentralisation. It argues that the decentralisation literature does not deal adequately with situations where there are two-tiers of local government sharing powers and functions. This has contributed to a vague and conflicting set of district-local relationships that were introduced in South Africa. After considering four options it was concluded that the best way to provide the service was through the district municipality on a decentralised basis in close coordination with local municipalities. It was also found that the state had no overriding framework to guide this district-local decentralisation policy. What this case study suggests that there is a need for more work on models of intra-local government relationships that can guide policy-makers.
- ItemOpen AccessEvaluating public sector reforms in Botswana : performance management, privatization and anti-corruption reforms(2012) Moremong, Leruo; Cameron, RobertThis study sought to examine Botswana’s most recent attempts at public sector reform, which, to a greater extent than its previous endeavours have reflected global trends. Specifically, it sought to evaluate the impact of performance management, privatization and anti-corruption reforms on the country’s public sector. The dissertation has primarily consisted of desktop documentary review of relevant literature and provides an extensive assessment of public sector reforms trends in developed and developing countries, as the background against which examination of the three reform initiatives undertaken by Botswana is made.
- ItemOpen AccessEvaluating the policy of South African Parliament : a case of tobacco control policy(2009) Makan, Amit J; Butler, Anthony; Cameron, RobertIncludes abstract. Includes bibliographical references.
- ItemOpen AccessEvaluating Uganda's public service reform program : rightsizing, pay reform and results oriented management(2004) Owere, Maureen Kasande; Cameron, RobertIncludes bibliographical references.
- ItemOpen AccessAn examination of administrative capacity to implement development programmes in South Africa(2008) Naidoo, Vinothan; Cameron, RobertThis thesis examined the concept of administrative "capacity", which has been employed to critique the ability of public administrations to implement development programmes in South Africa. References to administrative capacity in South African academic discourse have generally treated the term as a concrete item, often translated as public sector organisations lacking the ability/capacity to respond to the increasing scale of development needs which accompanied the country's recent political transition. This emphasis has in turn raised questions about whether these bodies possess the requisite or sufficient capacity to carry out development activities, and where this is judged not to be the case, that efforts should be directed at acquiring this capacity, i.e. capacity building or strengthening. This thesis argued that this prevailing twofold interpretation of capacity was too narrow, because it did not adequately capture how the organisational and operational circumstances under which public sector bodies functioned, might influence their ability (in other words, capacity) to implement development programmes.
- ItemOpen AccessExamination of centralisation practices in South African local government(2011) Moya, Hazel Nasiphi; Cameron, RobertDemocratic decentralisation in South Africa was undertaken as part of post-apartheid restructuring. This signified a shift on local government's status from being a tier to being a sphere with its own and powers functions. The empowerment of local government is evident in five tested indicators, which are the areas that are empowered to lift local government's autonomy as stipulated in the constitution and in supporting legislations. These areas include legal, financial, functional, human resources and public participation. However, these areas are facing challenges which lead to scholars and government to view local government as inefficient and ineffective. As a result, central government is intervening in local government's affairs claiming to ensure the intended constitutional objectives.This dissertation examines the evidence of centralisation by testing five areas that are constitutionally empowered to ensure democratic decentralisation. In South Africa, these indicators are evident in empowering of local government based on the national legislations and supporting local government policies. However, the central government's interference has undermined these powers and function.
- ItemOpen AccessAn exploration of 'Pentecostal/Charismatic' church responses to the HIV and AIDS pandemic in the Western Cape : a policy learning approach(2009) Harvey, Ross; Butler, Anthony; Cameron, RobertMost research on 'Pentecostal/Charismatic' Churches in South Africa, though, examines reasons for their growth and related socio-economic development potential. Not one examines their response to HIV and AIDS specifically. Therefore, this dissertation seeks to answer two important questions: (1): How are Pentecostal/Charismatic Churches in the Western Cape responding to the HIV and AIDS pandemic? (2): What Policy Learning can be derived from the examination of these churches' responses to the HIV and AIDS pandemic in the Western Cape?
- ItemOpen AccessGeographical Modelling of Transit Deserts in Cape Town(2021-01-19) Vanderschuren, Marianne; Cameron, Robert; Newlands, Alexandra; Schalekamp, HerrieThe World Bank calculated South Africa’s 2018 Gini Coefficient to be 0.63, which made it the world’s most unequal country. Such inequality is perpetuated by land-use patterns still influenced by the apartheid past. The resulting urban form necessitates long travel distances, often relying on fragmented transit modes, each with their own geographical and temporal constraints. This study applies work on transit deserts in cities in the global north to Cape Town, aiming to assess the methodological transferability to the global south, and generating case study results. In the Cape Town case, the study first analyses transit deserts based on formal public transport supply (bus rapid transit, traditional bus and train), identifying that ten out of 18 traffic analysis zones were classified as transit gaps (some unserved demand), while three of these zones qualified as transit deserts (significant undersupply). Like its U.S. counterparts, excess supply is found near Cape Town’s city centre. In Cape Town, the transit gaps/deserts are partly filled by unscheduled minibus-taxis. When this informal public transport service is added, the transit deserts disappear; however, half of the transport analysis zones still qualify as having transit gaps. It is, therefore, concluded that informal public transit in Cape Town reduces the transit gap, but does not eliminate it.
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