Alignment of Gauteng Provincial Legislature oversight function with constitutional mandate and provincial priorities for service delivery

Abstract

This study investigated the alignment of the oversight function conducted by the Gauteng Provincial Legislature (GPL) with the constitutional oversight mandate and with the service delivery priorities for Gauteng. The Gauteng Provincial Legislature adopts 5-year strategic plans at the beginning of each Political Term of Office to execute its mandates of oversight, law making, public participation and cooperative governance. Since all functions of the legislature emanate from these strategic planning documents, and if such 5-year strategic plans are aligned to the legislature’s mandate on oversight and to the provincial priorities for the province, it can be deduced that the resultant oversight function conducted by the legislature will similarly be aligned. This alignment between the oversight function of the legislature and the constitutional mandate on oversight, and between the oversight function of the legislature and the service delivery priorities for Gauteng is essential to promote implementation, performance and ultimately, the actual service delivery by the executive in a manner that is similarly aligned with the constitutional oversight mandate and the service delivery priorities for Gauteng. By using a qualitative approach, the study has shown that this alignment is inadequate. While there was sufficient alignment between the oversight conducted by the GPL and the Constitutional oversight mandate, there was inadequate alignment between the oversight conducted by the GPL and the service delivery priorities for Gauteng. The study has also identified challenges that relate to these inadequate alignments as well as recommendations for improvement.