Background: The abandonment of public infrastructure projects in South Africa’s municipalities is attributed to several factors. These include contractors running out of money and requesting release in the middle of the implementation of public infrastructure projects, community protests, late payments by municipalities and underestimation of project costs by contractors. Aim: To analyse the causes of abandoning the implementation of public infrastructure projects. Method: Through the application of a qualitative research design, the study selected three local municipalities under the Capricorn District in Limpopo province to draw insights. Semi-structured interviews were conducted in which 16 municipal officials were interviewed. This study employed an interpretative research paradigm. Results: The study’s findings reveal factors such as community protests, payment delays to service providers, weather conditions, termination of service providers, difficulties obtaining construction permits during the construction of these projects and political interference over appointments and labourers. Lastly, various political parties engaging in subcontracting, disputes, and interference led to the abandonment of public infrastructure projects. Conclusion: The findings could assist local government practitioners and policymakers to develop effective strategies that can minimise the abandonment of government projects. Contribution: This study contributes to the sphere of local government by outlining the factors that led to the abandonment of public infrastructure projects in three selected local municipalities in Limpopo province.
Background: Driven by citizen engagement and open government initiatives, local governments increasingly use social media and artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots to share information and enhance public service efficiency. However, limited literature exists on their acceptability in Zimbabwe. Aim: We assessed the acceptability of using social media platforms and AI chatbots for citizen engagement and service delivery in Kadoma. Methods: A mixed-methods approach was used, incorporating an analytic cross-sectional survey and qualitative interviews. A sample size of 404 was calculated, and stratified sampling was used to select households from which one member aged 18 years or above was interviewed. Data were collected using a pretested questionnaire and analysed using Epi Info 7.2.5™. Thematic analysis was used for qualitative data. Results: We recruited 402 respondents. Most were female, 217 (54.0%), and the median age of respondents was 30 (Q1 = 24; Q3 = 40). Only 111 (27.6%) reported receiving communication from the council, and 323 (80.3%) were dissatisfied with the current communication methods. Acceptance of social media and AI chatbots was high, with 343 (85.3%) preferring WhatsApp™ and 266 (66.2%) supporting AI chatbots. Barriers to using these tools included privacy concerns 136 (33.8%) and high data costs 81 (20.1%). Conclusion: The study highlighted low communication coverage and high dissatisfaction with existing methods. Acceptance of social media and AI chatbot use was high; however, adoption barriers, such as privacy concerns, need to be addressed. Implementing user training and ensuring data privacy are key to their successful adoption. Contribution: This study provides valuable insights into the acceptability and potential of using social media and AI chatbots to communicate between local governments and residents.
Background: In South Africa, the term ‘service delivery’ has become ubiquitous in public discourse, encompassing a wide array of issues from water outages to damaged roads. However, this generalisation often masks the underlying causes of institutional failures and misallocates responsibility. Aim: This article critically interrogates the discursive framing of ‘service delivery protests’ in South Africa, drawing on discourse theory and new institutionalism to show how the term’s indiscriminate use in public debates depoliticises complex governance failures, reinforces institutional inertia and undermines both accountability and targeted policy responses. Methods: The analysis draws on recent protest case studies from the Eastern Cape, Limpopo and Free State provinces. Through qualitative examination of protest motivations and outcomes, the article explores how the generalised label of ‘service delivery protests’ fails to capture the depth of community grievances. Results: The study reveals that broader structural problems, such as corruption, institutional dysfunction and governance breakdowns, in fact, drive many protests attributed to service delivery failures. ‘Service delivery’ oversimplifies these complex issues, impeding precise problem identification and undermining accountability. Conclusion: There is an urgent need for more accurate and differentiated terminology in public discourse and government communication. Clarity in naming specific services and responsible entities is critical for diagnosing root causes, ensuring accountability and designing effective public administration and policy interventions. Contribution: This study reframes South Africa’s ‘service delivery’ discourse by showing how its general use obscures system and governance failures that underpin community protests. It suggests the need for targeted policy interventions that address root causes rather than symptoms, to reinforce accountability and public governance.
Background: The electoral systems adopted for local government offer the citizens the democratic opportunity to elect their representatives through a proportional representative system and constituency electoral system. Aim: This article aims to analyse the democratic electoral systems and their implications for ethical and accountable democratic governance within the context of South African local government. Methods: The article used eThekwini Municipality as a case study to demonstrate the importance of the electoral democratic system in fostering democratic ethical and accountable democratic governance in South Africa. Secondary information cited from books, book chapters, accredited journals and government policy documents were used with Google Scholar and ResearchGate as the research engines. Results: While the proportional representation system has been criticised for distancing people from making decisions at the local governance level, the adoption of both PRS and constituency-based electoral systems allows local voters to balance the representative and participatory governance at the local government level. The article found that, unlike the proportional representation system (PRS), the constituency-based system has the potential for people not only to elect their representatives directly but also to hold them accountable. Conclusion: It is imperative for people to develop a culture of participation in local government structures in order to influence decisions affecting them. Contribution: The article critically analyses electoral systems in the quest for advocating the electoral system(s) where the voters can activate their democratic power to hold politicians accountable. It is through active participation and representation of voters in local government and community structures that the weaknesses of the proportional representations (PRs) could be addressed.
