Perspectives on Responsive and Responsible local governance and administration: Responsive local governance and administration: the case of the Sekhukhune District Municipality.

Abstract

South African municipalities have moral and legal obligations to involve local communities in determining, prioritising, and realising their socio-economic development needs. This chapter explores the importance of local structures’ participation and involvement to improve service delivery for development enhancement. The focus of this study is centred on the involvement and participation of non-governmental organisations, traditional leaders, local municipalities, and business sectors in the Sekhukhune District Municipality. The aim is to explore the importance of participation and involvement of these structures in improving service delivery at the local level. Phenomenological and descriptive methods were used embracing purposive non-probability and non-statistical sampling procedures. An Atlas TI software program was used for data analysis. This paper postulates that a lack of resources and coordination among the local structures compromises development while service delivery is collapsing. It is envisaged that more resources need to be mobilised whilst the local structures are well coordinated and are at the centre of their own development. This chapter addresses the policy gaps by local government resulting from a lack of involvement and inclusivity of local structures on development initiatives through participatory democracy. Conversely, the chapter makes a meaningful contribution to the body of knowledge on the realisation of the importance of participation and involvement of the local structures in development as the cornerstone of local democracy.