Municipal Performance and the Utilisation of the King IV Governance Report in South African Municipalities
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.25159/2663-6549/16922Keywords:
corruption, governance, effective leadership, King IV report, municipal performance, service delivery, South AfricaAbstract
Since 1994, South Africa has made progress in consolidating its democracy. However, in post-apartheid constitutional democracy, there has been growing concern about the government’s incapacity to render public services to its constituencies. In 2002, the King II report on corporate governance in South Africa was issued with the intention of “promoting the highest standards of corporate governance in South Africa.” The characteristics of corporate governance in the report included transparency, discipline, accountability, independence, fairness, responsibility, and social responsibility while the King IV report was underpinned by 17 principles. Based on these King codes and concerns, the study intends to examine whether the King IV report governance outcomes of 2016 can be used for the benefit of South African municipalities. To realise this objective, the study employed a qualitative research approach in the form of document reviews. Theoretically, the study is underpinned by the elements of the King IV report. The reason for adopting the King IV report is because it is the first code that is outcomes-based and allows the municipalities to see benefits if implemented accurately. The study reveals that there is persistent poor service delivery caused by unethical practices and poor governance in South African municipalities. The study proposes that South African municipalities should embrace the corporate governance principles outlined in the King IV report to mitigate risks such as corruption through the implementation of effective control measures, reduce political interference by ensuring the presence of balanced check mechanisms, and uphold legitimacy by adhering to government policies and laws.
References
Chauke, K. R. 2019. “Critical Analysis of Principle One and Two of King IV Report on Corporate Governance: Leadership and Ethics.” The 4th Annual International Conference on Public Administration and Development Alternatives 03 - 05 July 2019, Southern Sun Hotel, OR Tambo International Airport, Johannesburg, South Africa. http://ulspace.ul.ac.za/bitstream/handle/10386/2781/chauke_critical_2019.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y
Chauke, R. 2021. “King IV Municipal Supplements: The Impact on the Municipal’s Approach to Governance.” Technium Social Science Journal 26 (1): 54–64. https://doi.org/10.47577/tssj.v26i1.5291
Davids, Y. D., G. Houston, J. Steyn Kotze, K. Sausi, D. Sanchez Betancourt, G. Pienaar, and G. Fokou. 2022. Municipal Skills and Capacity Assessment Study: Views from Municipal Officials at Eight South African Municipalities. Pretoria: HSRC.
Enwereji, P. C. 2022. “Enhancing Financial Accountability in South African Local Municipalities: A Consequence Management Viewpoint.” Financial Studies 26 (4): 19–47.
Graham, V. 2020. “South Africa’s Democracy: The Quality of Political Participation over 25 Years.” Journal of African Elections 19 (1): 28–51. https://doi.org/10.20940/JAE/2020/v19i1a2
Institute of Directors in Southern Africa (IoDSA). 2016. “King IV Report on Corporate Governance For South Africa 2016.” https://www.adams.africa/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/King-IV-Report.pdf
Kalonda, J. K., and K. Govender. 2021. “Factors Affecting Municipal Service Delivery: A Case Study of Katima Mulilo Town Council, Namibia.: African Journal of Public Affairs 12 (2): 1–26.
Kraai, S., N. Holtzhausen, and L. Malan. 2017. “Oversight Mechanisms in Local Government–A Case of Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality in South Africa.” African Journal of Public Affairs 9 (6): 59–72.
Madumo, O.S. 2012. “Contextualising Leadership Challenges in Municipalities: A Developmental Impression.” African Journal of Public Affairs 5 (3): 82–91.
Mamokhere, J. 2020. “An Assessment of Reasons Behind Service Delivery Protests: A Case of Greater Tzaneen Municipality.” Journal of Public Affairs 20 (2). https://doi.org/10.1002/pa.2049
Mamokhere, J. 2022. “Understanding the Complex Interplay of Governance, Systematic, and Structural Factors Affecting Service Delivery in South African Municipalities.” Commonwealth Youth and Development 20 (2). https://doi.org/10.25159/2663-6549/12230
Mamokhere, J., N. Mabunda, and K. R. Chauke. 2024. “Leadership Styles: Unveiling The Nexus with Service Delivery Performance in South African Municipalities.” International Journal of Educational Review, Law and Social Sciences 4 (1): 227–240.
Managa, A. 2012. Unfulfilled Promises and Their Consequences. A Reflection on Local Government Performance and the Critical Issue of Poor Service Delivery in South Africa. Africa Institute of South Africa: Policy Brief 76.
Marais, K. Y. 2020. “NGO Governance: The King IV Report on Corporate Governance as a Servant Leader.” PhD diss., University of the Free State.
Masiya, T., Y. D. Davids, and M. S. Mangai. 2021. “Factors Affecting the Performance of South African Municipal Officials: Stakeholders’ Perspectives.” Commonwealth Journal of Local Governance, no. 25: 97–115. https://doi.org/10.5130/cjlg.vi25.7701
Masuku, M. M., and N. N. Jili. 2019. “Public Service Delivery in South Africa: The Political Influence at Local Government Level.” Journal of Public Affairs 19 (4): e1935. https://doi.org/10.1002/pa.1935
Mbandlwa, Z., N. Dorasamy, and O. M. Fagbadebo. 2020. “Leadership Challenges in the South African Local Government System.” Journal of Critical Reviews 7 (13): 1642–1653.
Moji, L., N. T. Nhede, and T. Masiya. 2022. “Factors Impeding the Implementation of Oversight Mechanisms in South African Municipalities.” Journal of Local Government Research and Innovation 3: 8. https://doi.org/10.4102/jolgri.v3i0.94
Naidoo, G., and T. Xollie. 2011. “The Critical Need for an Integrated Leadership Approach to Improve Service Delivery by the South African Public Service.” Journal of US-China Public Administration 8 (1): 1–15.
Ndlovu, S. L., and E. Mutambara. 2023. “Manifestations of Corruption Within the KwaZulu-Natal Municipalities: A Thorn in the Flesh”. Corporate Governance and Organizational Behavior Review 7 (1): 81–93. https://doi.org/10.22495/cgobrv7i1p8
Ramalepe, L. V. 2021. “Ethical Corporate Governance: The Significance and Impact of Ethics In The South African Corporate Culture.” PhD diss., University of the Free State.
Ramalho, A. 2020. “The Distinctive Stance of the King Reports on Corporate Governance from a Global Perspective.” Journal of Global Responsibility 11 (2): 173–185. https://doi.org/10.1108/JGR-10-2019-0094
Sebola, M. 2015. “Local Government Training in Public Administration Disciple.” In Local Government Administration in Post-Apartheid South Africa: Some Critical Perspectives, edited by M. Sebola, 1–18. Polokwane: Batalea Publisher. http://ulspace.ul.ac.za/bitstream/handle/10386/1430/Local%20Government%20Administration.pdf?sequence=1andisAllowed=y.
Sefara, L., and K. O. Odeku. 2023. “The Impact and Effect Analysis of Endemic Corruption in the South African Local Municipalities.” African Renaissance 20 (4): a22.
Shai, L. K. 2017. “Leadership and Governance in Service Delivery at the Greater Tubatse Municipality Limpopo Province in South Africa.” MA diss., University of Pretoria.
Shava, E., and A. Mazenda. 2021. “Ethics in South African Public Administration: A Critical Review.” International Journal of Management Practice 14 (3): 306–324. https://doi.org/10.1504/IJMP.2021.115107
Siddle, A., and T. A. Koelble. 2016. Local government in South Africa. Can the Objectives of the Developmental State be Achieved through the Current Model of Decentralised Governance? Research Report No 7. Swedish International Centre for Local Democracy. https://icld.se/wp-content/uploads/media/research-report/siddle-koelble-icld-report-7.pdf
South African Local Government Association (SALGA). 2019. Municipal Performance Management Training Programme: Overseeing Performance Management in Local Government. Pretoria: South African Local Government Association (SALGA). http://salga.org.za/khub/KMP%20Issue%202/Municipal%20Capabilities%20and%20Governance/Performance%20Management%20Training%20Manuals/201900%20Learner%20Guide%20-%20PMS%20POLITICAL%20STREAM.pdf
The National Treasury. 2022. “The State of Local Government Finances and Financial Management as at June 2022.” https://mfma.treasury.gov.za/Media_Releases/The%20state%20of%20local%20government%20finances/Pages/default.aspx
Thusi, X., and M. Selepe. 2023. “The Impact of Poor Governance on Public Service Delivery: A Case Study of the South African Local Government.” International Journal of Social Science Research and Review 6 (4): 688–697.
Toxopeüs, M. 2019. “Municipalities (II): Assessing Mechanisms of Municipal Oversight.” Politicsweb, 18 July 2019. https://www.politicsweb.co.za/opinion/municipalities-ii-assessing-mechanisms-of-municipa
Van Antwerpen, S., and E. Ferreira. 2016. “Contributing Factors to Poor Service Delivery by Administrative Employees in the Gauteng Public Service in South Africa.” Africa Development 41 (1): 81–98.
Van Zyl, M., and N. Mans-Kemp. 2020. “Reflecting on Corporate Governance in South Africa: Lessons Learned and the Way Forward.” Southern African Business Review 24: 1–24. https://doi.org/10.25159/1998-8125/6654
Zweni, A. G. 2022. “Critical Evaluation of Service Delivery in Selected South African Municipalities: The Role of Budget Management.” PhD diss., Cape Peninsula University of Technology.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright will be vested in Unisa Press. However, as long as you do not use the article in ways which would directly conflict with the publisher’s business interests, you retain the right to use your own article (provided you acknowledge the published version of the article) as follows:
- to make further copies of all or part of the published article for your use in classroom teaching;
- to make copies of the final accepted version of the article for internal distribution within your institution, or to place it on your own or your institution’s website or repository, or on a site that does not charge for access to the article, but you must arrange not to make the final accepted version of the article available to the public until 18 months after the date of acceptance;
- to re-use all or part of this material in a compilation of your own works or in a textbook of which you are the author, or as the basis for a conference presentation.
Accepted 2024-08-27
Published 2024-09-25
