Local Government in South Africa: Political Decentralisation, Party Centralisation, Corruption and Maladministration

This study focuses on local governance in South Africa with respect to cor­ruption, clientelism and mismanagement. The objective is to examine the local government system to see to what extent corruption, clientelism and mismanagement exist. It also looks at the strategies and reforms that are in place for combating such misconduct. Two case studies were used for the purposes of this study, one in DA-controlled Cape Town and the other in ANC-controlled Ekurhuleni. Arising out of these case studies, some gene­ralisations are made about the prospects of controlling such corruption and misadministration at local level. The first part of this inquiry provides a theoretical framework for decen­tralisation. The main forms of decentralisation, along with its advantages and disadvantages, are discussed. The role of party politics is also exam­ined. The next section traces the history of local government in South Af­rica and provides an overview of the current system. It looks at the role of the two major political parties in South Africa, namely the African Natio­nal Congress (ANC) and Democratic Alliance (DA), in local government.