673, the organisation name 'Ehlanzeni District Municipality' was incorrectly abbreviated as EDMEDM in some instances throughout the article. The correct abbreviation should be EDM. This correction does not alter the study's findings of significance or overall interpretation of the study's results. The authors apologise for any inconvenience caused.

This article explores the role of community development workers (CDWs) in the Mpumalanga Province of South Africa. The CDWs are by law expected to regularly communicate, inter alia, government initiatives in a way which is easily accessible to community members. Literature shows that the CDWs forward concerns and issues on the service provided by national and provincial government in general, and local government to be specific. This article acknowledges that CDWs share the working space with Ward Committees who have a direct say in the planning, decision-making and project implementation that have impact on their respective wards. The question that this article attempts to answer is whether the establishment of CDWs in the country has achieved the desired result to the extent that it can be recommended for permanent incorporation in the local municipality structures. The research design used in this article was a qualitative method. Data were collected through extensive review of public documents, accredited journal articles, observations and interviews. The results showed that the CDWs coordinate teams of volunteers in community projects, coordinate teams employed on public works programmes, help communities develop and submit proposals for inclusion in integrated development plans to municipalities, and other spheres of government or donors. Furthermore, the roles and functions of both CDWs and Ward Committees do overlap. It is very difficult for the local communities to differentiate between these two structures.

Background: District municipalities are faced with numerous challenges that hinder their ability to execute the legal mandate of assisting local municipalities to deliver services to their communities.Aim: This article explored two critical issues: political challenges faced by districts in the recruitment of personnel in key positions and the financial status of districts in relation to their role in local government.Setting: The study is based in the Ehlanzeni District Municipality, Mpumalanga Province. The study also included local municipalities within Ehlanzeni District (City of Mbombela, Nkomazi and Bushbuckridge local municipalities); South African Local Government Association; and the Mpumalanga Department of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs.Methods: The study adopted a qualitative research method, and data were collected through semi-structured interviews.Results: Literature and the study findings revealed that cadre deployment in key positions has contributed to the shortage of skilled personnel in municipalities. The findings also showed that Ehlanzeni District Municipality is not adequately financed to be able to execute its legal mandate.Conclusion: The study recommended that cadre deployment in key municipal positions should be aligned with legislated recruitment policies. Moreover, communities need to start paying for services that they receive so that municipalities may have more revenue to maintain infrastructure, to ensure continued service delivery.

Budget planning is a challenge regarding the delivery of cost-effective health services in public hospitals. Budget planning is part of broader planning process in the organisations. The purpose of this article is to analyse budget planning in public hospitals in the Limpopo Province of South Africa. The research approach used for the study is quantitative research design. The sample size of 20 public hospitals was drawn from the population of 40 public hospitals. A survey questionnaire was used as the primary data-gathering instrument. The findings of the research show that budget planning is a management challenge for non-finance managers in public hospitals. The result for this is ineffective budget management in public hospitals. The study recommended that non-finance managers be capacitated on the alignment of budget with a strategy to improve budget management in public hospitals.

Budget management remains a challenge in public hospitals with regard to the delivery of cost effective health services. This article is based on a study undertaken to develop a budget management model for managers in public hospitals in the Limpopo Province of South Africa. The question is: How can the management of the budget in public hospitals be improved? The study investigates budget management in the public hospitals. The research methodology used for this study is both quantitative and qualitative research design to generate data required to achieve its aim and objectives. The targeted population for the study was all public hospitals in the Limpopo Province, which comprises 40 public hospitals. The findings showed that, as there is improvement in budget management, much needs to be done to improve budget management in the public hospitals. In this study a budget management model is recommended for consideration by managers.