Browsing by Subject "local government"

Now showing 1 - 7 of 7
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    Determining the necessity of a footbridge in Statice Heights
    (2011-10) UCT Knowledge Co-op
    The research stemmed from a request from The Women's Circle (TWC), an NGO that works in Statice Heights and other areas. TWC's aim is to encourage and assist people in finding solutions to the challenges they face in their context. In this particular case TWC requested assistance in motivating for the building of a footbridge, by the City of Cape Town, across the canal in a location currently used to access services in Bridgetown. TWC argue that the current infrastructure is inadequate.
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    The economic and financial policies of local governments in South Africa : a theoretical analysis
    (1983) Solomon, David; Kantor, Brian
    This thesis is a theoretical enquiry into the financial policies of local governments in South Africa. The basic principles governing this issue are presented in Chapter Six. The theory of corporate debt capacity is drawn upon and an analogous model of local government debt capacity is presented. The Modiglian/Miller approach is adapted, and the conclusions of this model applied in the local government context. The implication is drawn that local government officials see the incurment of debt as increasing the financial riskiness of the local area, just as corporate executives see corporate debt as increasing the riskiness of the firm. It is hypothesised that local governments which are very loosely linked, politically and economically, to the people they serve will be more risk averse than fiscally or electorally sensitive governments, and will display greater reluctance to incur debt. In so doing, they will sacrifice opportunities to improve the area by favourable capital development, financed by a judicious combination of debt and current revenue. Current available data on a cross section of local governments is presented which tentatively confirms this hypothesis.
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    Metropolitan Restructuring (And More Restructuring) in South Africa
    (Wiley, 2005) Cameron, Robert
    This article analyses the evolution of metropolitan government in South Africa. During the past ten years South Africa has progressed from having no metropolitan government, to a two-tier metropolitan system and now to a single-tier metropolitan system. The ruling African National Congress (ANC) prefers single-tier metropolitan authorities as a means to, inter alia, promote redistribution of resources and services, promote strategic land-use planning and facilitate economic and social development. A single-tier system was accordingly introduced in 2000. The major thrust of this article is an examination of the process that led to the introduction of six metropolitan governments, and the theoretical debates that underpinned this decision. It also analyses new types of executive systems, forms of public participation, development and service delivery. Finally, it provides a preliminary analysis of the performance of the new metropolitan governments. The article argues that structural reform, territorial changes, development in local government and new forms of service delivery have seriously overburdened local government in the short term and have detracted from service delivery. These unitary metros have, however, been operating for less than four years and must be given time to prove themselves before an informed evaluation can be made.
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    Motivation for the building of a footbridge to link Statice Heights and Bridgetown, Cape Town
    (2011-09) Shucart, Reika; Shoro, Katleho; Smith, Conor; Eriksson, Karin
    This document summarises the main findings of preliminary research carried out by postgraduate students at the University of Cape Town. Information contained in students' research proposals was formed from overt participant observation and unstructured interviews with local residents that identified themselves as being part of The Women's Circle. These views are believed to represent the wider community including children, people with disabilities and adults currently living in Statice Heights.
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    Preparing for the ‘ethical encounter': investigating the role and type of citizen education to encourage participation in local government
    (20009) Jaroszynski, Taru; von Broembsen, Marles
    The South African Constitution envisages the South African democracy as both representative and participatory. Post-apartheid local government is designed to bring government closer to the people and create spaces for community and citizen participation. Ward committees and Integrated Development Planning Forums act as the primary spaces for community involvement in local government decision making. Cornwall calls these spaces provided by the state through legal or institutional structures ‗invited spaces'. The state regards them as its spaces where citizens or their representatives are invited. Power relations pervade these spaces and determine what knowledge is produced, which voices are heard and how much influence these voices have. The provision of invited spaces as the proper spaces' to engage the state might also act to demobilise and delegitimise spaces outside these forums. The Constitutional Court has repeatedly emphasised the importance of citizen-state interaction in what it calls ‗meaningful engagement'. Cornell argues that this is informed by the notion of ubuntu and can be conceptualised as an ethical encounter'. I argue that this notion is informed by both a recognition of another's humanity and a redistribution of resources and power so that people can live a life of dignity. This dissertation looks at the possibilities for an ‗ethical encounter'at a local government level. Much has been written on the problems and challenges of local government in its structure, its politicisation and the dynamics within these invited spaces. This is compounded by service delivery protests which are directed at the inadequacy of local government. These protests suggest that the invited spaces do not provide the options for ethical encounters. These are local invited', officialised' spaces. yet they provide the potential for what Foucault calls strategic reversibility', that is an ability to turn them around and use them as sites of resistance to the hegemonic. It is suggested that the role of civil society is to educate and empower citizens outside these spaces so that the invited spaces can be used as democratic shared' sites of participation. This entails learning what these spaces should do, what is happening in reality, and the rules of the game in these spaces, as well as examining how the local power dynamics work outside of the spaces. It is about alternative forms of knowledge being developed; about critical consciousness raising and empowerment; about holding the tension between opposition to and co-operation with the state; about enhancing agency as well as the capacity for moral responsibility on a personal and social scale; and about a new form of citizenship that is not merely oppositional but is dedicated to ubuntu. This dissertation explores how this might be fostered and argues that it is a reflective NGO that should provide an education programme. It also considers various education programs already in operation and suggests that the IDASA study circles provide a potential site for such a programme. At the same time it is noted that work must be done on both side of the equation in order to enact this ethical encounter at local government level, thus structural and capacity reforms are necessary to make government more responsive.
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    Preparing for the ‘ethical encounter': Investigating the role and type of citizen education to encourage participation in local government
    (2009) Jaroszynski, Taru; Von Broembsen, Marlese
    The South African Constitution envisages the South African democracy as both representative and participatory. Post-apartheid local government is designed to bring government closer to the people and create spaces for community and citizen participation. Ward committees and Integrated Development Planning Forums act as the primary spaces for community involvement in local government decision making. Cornwall calls these spaces provided by the state through legal or institutional structures ‗invited spaces‘. The state regards them as its spaces where citizens or their representatives are invited. Power relations pervade these spaces and determine what knowledge is produced, which voices are heard and how much influence these voices have. The provision of invited spaces as the ‗proper spaces‘ to engage the state might also act to demobilise and delegitimise spaces outside these forums. The Constitutional Court has repeatedly emphasised the importance of citizen-state interaction in what it calls ‗meaningful engagement‘. Cornell argues that this is informed by the notion of ubuntu and can be conceptualised as an ‗ethical encounter‘. I argue that this notion is informed by both a recognition of another‘s humanity and a redistribution of resources and power so that people can live a life of dignity. This dissertation looks at the possibilities for an ‗ethical encounter‘ at a local government level. Much has been written on the problems and challenges of local government in its structure, its politicisation and the dynamics within these invited spaces. This is compounded by service delivery protests which are directed at the inadequacy of local government. These protests suggest that the invited spaces do not provide the options for ethical encounters. These are local ‗invited‘, ‗officialised‘spaces. yet they provide the potential for what Foucault calls ‗strategic reversibility‘, that is an ability to turn them around and use them as sites of resistance to the hegemonic. It is suggested that the role of civil society is to educate and empower citizens outside these spaces so that the invited spaces can be used as democratic shared‘ sites of participation. This entails learning what these spaces should do, what is happening in reality, and the rules of the game in these spaces, as well as examining how the local power dynamics work outside of the spaces. It is about alternative forms of knowledge being developed; about critical consciousness raising and empowerment; about holding the tension between opposition to and co-operation with the state; about enhancing agency as well as the capacity for moral responsibility on a personal and social scale; and about a new form of citizenship that is not merely oppositional but is dedicated to ubuntu. This dissertation explores how this might be fostered and argues that it is a reflective NGO that should provide an education programme. It also considers various education programs already in operation and suggests that the IDASA study circles provide a potential site for such a programme. At the same time it is noted that work must be done on both side of the equation in order to enact this ethical encounter at local government level, thus structural and capacity reforms are necessary to make government more responsive.