What’s democracy without citizen participation?

This article presented by Grocott’s Mail discusses the ongoing challenges in achieving meaningful citizen participation and accountability within South Africa’s local municipalities, focusing on the case study of Makhanda. It highlights initiatives like the Action for Accountability project and the role of organizations like the Public Service Accountability Monitor in promoting civic engagement and addressing governance issues. It has been three decades since the dawn of democracy in South Africa, yet gaps between communities and government remain a talking point. The apartheid administration brought the blatant exclusive participation in governance, forcefully silencing a large portion of the population. However, the 1994 turn-around promised equality, inclusivity, freedom in the form democracy; a government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised by them directly or indirectly through a system of representation usually involving periodically held elections. Even though elections are at the centre of democracy, local municipalities, according to Chapter 4 of the Municipal Systems Act 32 of 2000, need to develop a culture of community⁷ participation. This culture includes encouraging and creating conditions for the local community to participate in the:

• Preparation, implementation and review of its Integrated Development Plan (IDP)
• Establishment, implementation and review of its performance management system
• Monitoring and review of its performance, including the outcomes and impact of such performance:
• Preparation of its budget and strategic decisions relating to the provision of municipal services

Chapter 10, s195 (e) of the South African constitution also states that people’s needs must be responded to and the public be encouraged to participate in policymaking. According to findings of community-engaged research undertaken by the Action for Accountability (A4A) project in Makhanda, 8 out of 10 residents are inactive in municipal affairs, with most admitting their lack of knowledge of participatory government processes. Half of the residents interviewed express their loss of hope and trust in the municipality as a reason for their inactiveness. To address understandable public criticism, the municipality ought to intervene with mechanisms to motivate and support meaningful public participation. The A4A is aimed at encouraging a culture of active citizenry, impactful public participation and an accountable governance, all through collaborative efforts between the community, stakeholders and the municipality. The A4A has been conducting research through direct data collection or surveys, where Community Frontline Associates (CFA’s) go out into different communities and interact on some key local governance issues. The data is processed and used to inform advocacy approaches. The A4A also conducts research and regular documentation and monitoring of issues through site visits and community interactions. The A4A has lodged several submissions to date at the Makhanda municipality and continues to monitor public resource management. Read the rest of this article by Andile Nayika in Grocott’s Mail.