The contemporary challenges municipalities face in effectively implementing municipal service partnerships

Abstract

In South Africa, Municipal Service Partnerships (MSPs) have been in existence afore the global breakout of COVID-19 Pandemic as an essential mechanism to expand and accelerate municipal service delivery in the local government sphere. However, once the National Lockdown (NL) was put in place by the state president Cyril Ramaphosa on the 26 of March 2020, many South African municipalities were and still are pushed to look for assistance from their partners in the private sector in order to help with addressing the challenges, imposed by the pandemic, especially, service delivery backlogs. Municipalities are entering into service contracts with the private sector for the provision of basic services that are deemed essential in terms of the National Lockdown Regulations (NLRs). In curbing the spread of the virus in the communities, municipalities extended their effort by commonly cooperating with private partners. For instance, most municipalities went to an extend of collaborating with private partners and other government agencies like Rand Water for the provision of water and water tanks at different schools and communities across the provinces and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), namely masks and hand sanitisers. Methodologically, this is a conceptual paper that is embedded from secondary data. The secondary data was analysed through the Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) approach. The article argues that South African municipalities and their MSPs are faced with huge challenges more than ever. It also argues that private partners have been long-standing with a commitment to serve communities on behalf of the government and that now includes partnering with the government in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. The call by President Ramaphosa has been noted for increased partnerships, solidarity, collaboration and the sharing of knowledge and experience to fight the pandemic, poverty, service delivery backlogs and social injustice. The paper concludes by offering feasible solutions to curb the challenges, faced by MSPs and service delivery backlogs.

Reflection on the Proliferation of the Fourth Industrial Revolution and Its Implications on Rural Areas in South Africa

“…The researchers adopted this design because conceptual papers ultimately create new knowledge by building on carefully selected sources of information combined according to a set of norms. In the case of conceptual papers, arguments are not derived from data in the traditional sense but involve the assimilation and combination of evidence in the form of previously developed concepts and theories (Hirschheim, 2008;Mamokhere, Mabeba & Kgobe, 2022). In that sense, conceptual papers are not without empirical insights but rather build on theories and concepts that are developed and tested through empirical research.…”

Accountability, inclusivity, effectiveness, and leaving no one behind

“…Jaakkola (2020) The researcher adopted this design because conceptual papers ultimately create new knowledge by building on carefully selected sources of information combined according to a set of norms. In the case of conceptual papers, arguments are not derived from data in the traditional sense but involve the assimilation and combination of evidence in the form of previously developed concepts and theories (Hirschheim, 2008;Mamokhere, Mabeba & Kgobe, 2022). In that sense, conceptual papers are not without empirical insights but rather build on theories and concepts that are developed and tested through empirical research.…”

“…Phakeng (2022), indicates that collaboration has been affected and further promotes the idea that countries across the globe and municipalities should work together to overcome dire pandemics such as climate change, poverty, and lack of access to clean drinking water. The importance and challenges of collaboration were also noted in the study by Mamokhere, Mabeba & Kgobe (2022), who attempted to comprehend "the contemporary challenges municipalities face in effectively implementing municipal service partnerships". In their arguments, it was found that when the "national lockdown" was put in place by the state president, Cyril Ramaphosa, on the 26th of March 2020, many South African municipalities were and still are pushed to look for assistance from their partners in the private sector to help with addressing the challenges, imposed by the pandemic, especially, service delivery backlogs.…”

“…The COVID-19 pandemic has forced many countries to undermine their governance protocols, especially in the procurement of essential services. Many tenders have been awarded without following due policies and procedures (Mmokhere, Mabeba & Kgobe, 2022). Corruption is one of the major reasons for efficient service delivery in South Africa.…”

Pragmatic implementation and promotion of good governance principles in realizing Sustainable Development Goal Six (6) in South Africa

“…The importance and the challenges of collaboration were also noted in the article by Mamokhere, Mabeba & Kgobe (2022), who attempted to comprehend the contemporary challenges municipalities face in effectively implementing municipal service partnerships". In their arguments, it was found that when the national lockdown was put in place by the state president Cyril Ramaphosa on the 26th of March 2020, many South African municipalities were and still are pushed to look for assistance from their partners in the private sector to help with addressing the challenges, imposed by the pandemic, especially, service delivery backlogs.…”