Social accountability in local government: Lessons from Vuwani (South Africa) and Gweru (Zimbabwe)

Kanyane, Modimowabarwa; Mutema, Edson Paul; Zikhali, Thobekile

doi:10.1002/pa.2581

Cited by 12 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 31 publications

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“…Local authorities such as Harare and Bulawayo are more visible on social media as the researchers established they broadcast their council meetings on their Facebook pages to promote transparency and accountability. Kanyane et al, (2020) notes that accountability is one of the pillars of good governance, allowing citizens to have a controlling stake in managing the council resources. The researchers also established that during the COVID-19 pandemic, the WhatsApp platform was used in budget formulation by Harare City Council, with each councillor having a WhatsApp group.…”

Section: Findings Social Media and Citizen Engagement In Zimbabwe Loc...mentioning

confidence: 99%

The Role of Social Media in Promoting Citizen Participation in Zimbabwe's Urban Local Authorities

Masimba,

Rajah,

Mutema

et al. 2024

JLSS

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Social media is now widely used across the globe having the potential to enhance citizen participation in governance processes. Such platforms include Facebook, Twitter, and WhatsApp amongst others, to be interrogated in this study. The study sought to examine how these social media platforms can be used to enhance citizen participation in Zimbabwe’s urban local authorities using Bulawayo and Harare City Councils as case studies. The two local authorities have a huge footprint on social media. Theoretically, the study was informed by Arnstein’s ladder of participation to explore the use of social media in enhancing citizen participation. The researchers purposively and conveniently selected participants that included the residents, councillors and management. The researchers also reviewed and synthesised comments made on different social media accounts of the two cases. Data were analysed thematically where themes were established to deduce meaning guided by the research questions. Findings show that social media presents a huge potential if embraced to enhance citizen participation for it has a wider audience and also its ability to include young, people which is the larger population, using social media. Challenges associated with the use of social media were also established including the high cost of data in Zimbabwe. Also, these platforms do not go beyond the tokenism stage of the Arnstein ladder of Participation making them less effective. Lastly, recommendations are given on how to strengthen the use of social media in promoting citizen participation.

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Section: Findings Social Media and Citizen Engagement In Zimbabwe Loc...mentioning

confidence: 99%

The Role of Social Media in Promoting Citizen Participation in Zimbabwe's Urban Local Authorities

Masimba,

Rajah,

Mutema

et al. 2024

JLSS

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Participation in decision making is entrenched in Section 19 of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996 which declares that every citizen is free to make political choices and to participate in the political process (Van der Waldt, 2007 in Sikhakane and Reddy, 2011). It is envisaged that the quality of lives of all citizens will be enhanced by new systems and processes as public accountability has been entrenched as a basic constitutional principle to promote service delivery which must be construed as being efficient, effective, and economical (Sikhakane and Reddy, 2011). Teshome (2008:5) emphasises that one of the most significant ways people can participate in decisions that affect their lives and hold their elected representatives responsible for results are elections.…”

Section: Key Components Of Democracymentioning

confidence: 99%

The paradoxical image of democracy, votes, and elections in the selected African states

Selepe,

Mehlape

2023

IJRBS

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Voting and elections are regarded as quintessential democratic and policy behaviours. The problem with elections is that they do not fully mean democracy. The rationale behind the latter is that regular, free and fair elections do not provide for individual freedoms, political equality, empowerment, an independent civil society, a free press, or scope for deliberation-all key components of liberal democracy. Moreover, elections serve as a pivotal instrument designed to express and simultaneously reinforce the principles (representation, equality, and participation) on which democracy is founded. In democracy, communities exercise their voting rights to elect their representatives, who in turn hold the bureaucracy accountable for implementing decisions that affect the welfare of local communities. Looking at South Africa among African countries, the introduction of a democratic dispensation came with opportunities for the previously excluded citizens. Therefore, Section 195 (1) of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996, emphasizes that 'people' needs must be responded to and the public must be encouraged to participate in policy making. The Paper seeks to give a comparison of democracy and elections in selected African countries. Often countries tend to practice elections and perceive democracy differently. This conceptual paper employed the use of a desktop study and has retrieved its basic contribution and argument from the existing literature on democracy and elections in Africa. Furthermore, the article discovered that in most cases citizens’ beliefs, preferences and behaviors change through political engagement, and further recommends that during voting campaigns and elections, a diversity of issues such as culture, beliefs, tradition, and individual preferences should be considered.

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“…In developing countries, the existence of local government is considered for a two-fold purpose. First, they are playing key roles in funds, functions, and functionaries so that they deliver the services (Mathew & Hooja, 2009); while next is that high level of public trust fosters to involve the citizens in democratic exercise, determining public needs, and maintain accountability (Sikhakane & Reddy, 2011).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Local Governance Principles in Nepal in Relation to Kautilya's Saptanga Theory

Chaudhary

2024

J. Tikapur Mult. Campus

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Local governance is the decentralization and dispersed subordinate authority that delivers public services at the local level. The present governance policy is based on rich Eastern philosophical principles. Modern political theories and systems are developed or modified versions of classical theories. This paper explores the relevance of Kautilya's concept of Saptanga theory and the governance system in the local governments of Nepal. I have employed a qualitative approach as the methodology to achieve the objectives. Data and information have been collected from policy documents, research articles, and books relevant to the area of study. The analysis of the literature reveals that the Saptanga model is relevant to the principles of local governance in Nepal. The concept of an Absolute King forwarded by Kautilya having sovereign power resembles the concept and practice of an elected mayor at the local level. However, the Absolute King was assumed to have absolute power without having any controlling mechanism, but the elected local-level representatives are controlled by the constitution as the guiding principle. Despite the differences, the comparison of Local governance with the Saptanga theory of Kautilya encourages the local leaders to govern the local governance effectively and efficiently.

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Social accountability in local government: Lessons from Vuwani (South Africa) and Gweru (Zimbabwe)

Cited by 12 publications

References 31 publications

The Role of Social Media in Promoting Citizen Participation in Zimbabwe's Urban Local Authorities

The Role of Social Media in Promoting Citizen Participation in Zimbabwe's Urban Local Authorities

The paradoxical image of democracy, votes, and elections in the selected African states

Local Governance Principles in Nepal in Relation to Kautilya's Saptanga Theory

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