Name : Azola Mzanywa
Student number : 217317278
Module code : SPA121
Lectures name : Miss Praise Ramaru
The role of accountability and control in
relation to development of service delivery in
South Africa.
17/03/2022
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Table of Content
1.Introduction and 2. definition of terms………………………………….. Page 1
2.1 accountability…………………………………………
2.Definition of terms and 3. Transformative Development Framework… Page 2
2,2 Service delivery, 2,3 Public participation………..………
3. Transformative Development Framework………………………………. Page 3
4. public involvement in decision Making…………………………………. Page 4-5
5. Improving Service Delivery………………………………………………. Page 5-6
5. Improving Service Delivery………………………………………………. Page 6
6. Conclusion………………………………………………………………… Page 7
References……………………………………………………………………. Page 8
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1. Introduction
This assignment aims to evaluate
developments in service delivery
through accountability and control in
the public sector. To confront the
legacy of South Africa’s colonial
and apartheid histories, the
government has embraced a
transformative, developmental
framework and is working to
transform the country into a
development state. The importance
of Public participation in decision
making and accountability
furthermore the approach
implemented to improve service
delivery as a pre-requisite for the
welfare state,
2. Definition of terms
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2.1 Accountability
In general accountability is taking
responsibility for a particular action or goal
and decisions while accomplishing the
expectations of your role. We see public
sector accountability as the appropriate
people taking responsibility for working
towards appropriately defined results,
accurately determining who should be
responsible for what.
2.2 Service delivery
Service Delivery is any contact during which
customers, citizens, residents, or enterprises
seek or provide data, handle their affairs, or
fulfill their duties. These services should be
delivered in an effective, predictable, reliable
and customer friendly manner. (Visser,
2014)
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2.3 Public participation
The process by which the interest or affected
public are involved in planning decision
making.
3. Transformative development framework
The government taken into account and
control, committed in the transformation of
service delivery and welfare of all citizens in
need, that is being pointed on the, white
paper on the transformation of the public
service (1997) “The government of national
Unity is committed to continually improve the
lives of the people of South Africa through an
transformed public service which
representative, coherent, transparent,
efficient, effective, accountable and
responsive needs of all”. The new
democratically elected
administration began a process in 1994 to
substantially reform the public sector in order
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for it to serve its function in the new
dispensation. This approach, which is
commonly referred to as transformation, is
distinct from the boarder, longer-term, and
ongoing process of administrative change
that, will be required according to the white
paper on the transformation of service
delivery (1995) with the demise of the
apartheid regime, the government embarked
on a number of legislative and policy reforms,
most which put more emphasis on the need
for equality service delivery in all area of
governance, particularly in care. As a result
the National department of Health published a
national policy for quality in health care that
serves as a national framework to guide
provincial departments in developing and
implementing their own initiative as part of the
provincial quality improvement programmed.
There have been policies and alternative
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service delivery approaches developed and
implemented to govern the South African
public services. Rakate NF (2006)
4. Public involvement in decision Making
Public participation has evolved since the first
democratic elections. The nature of public
participation radically changed with the
drafting of the new South African Constitution
in 1996. The government has the
responsibility to involve the citizens in the
decision-making process as well as to
become accountable for its actions whilst
dealing with the daily office business, public
participating in policy making as well as in
decision making is supported by legislation
and is reflected in the constitution and the
white paper on local government of 1998,
according to the national policy framework for
public participation is an open and
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accountable process through which
individuals and groups from selected
communities can exchange views and ideas
and influence decision making (republic of
south Africa 2007b). Bellamy 2012 argues
that there is a vital role played by public
participation in relation to the democracy of a
country. To ensure that public participation is
enhanced, the state needs to build strong
platforms and mechanisms that will enable the
citizens to get involved. This process involves
consultation in its different forms but at the
end of the day gives feedback to the
government on what their citizens need as far
as services are concerned. In a
representative context, the members of
parliament represents the views of the
electorates whilst in a participatory
democracy the public is actively involved in
decision making processes such as law
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making and oversight. The intension of public
participation and involvement in democratic
processes is primarily to influence decision
making processes that reflects the will of the
people, Public participation (2019)
5. Improving Service Delivery
In order to play a truly representative,
component, and democratic tool and play its
proper role in the reconciliation and
development process, the South African
public service has numerous hurdles, Green
paper transforming service delivery(1996) To
accomplish this role effectively the public
service is being transformed to implement
policies according to the policy framework in
the government Gazette No. 16838, dated 24
November 1995 a mission statement for
service delivery, together with service
guarantees; · the services to be provided, to
which groups, and at which service charges;
in line with RDP priorities, the principle of
affordability, and the principle of redirecting
resources to areas and groups previously
under-resourced; · service standards, defined
outputs and targets, and performance
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indicators; benchmarked against comparable
international standards; · monitoring and
evaluation mechanisms and structures,
designed to measure progress and introduce
corrective action, where appropriate; · plans
for staffing, human resource development and
organizational capacity building, tailored to
service delivery needs; · the redirection of
human and other resources from
administrative tasks to service provision,
particularly for disadvantaged groups and
areas; · financial plans that link budgets
directly to service needs and personnel plans;
· potential partnerships with the private sector,
NGOs or community organizations will provide
more effective forms of service delivery; and ·
the development, particularly through training,
of a culture of customer care and approaches
to service delivery that are sensitive to issues
of face to face.
6. Conclusion
It has been shown that accountability and
control improved service delivery dating back
as from 1994 after apartheid governing power,
The transformation of laws and the
involvement of public in decision making has
transformed service delivery in a way that
people’s needs are met and to be met. Public
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participation, control and laws of the
government showed to utilizing effectiveness
of service delivery here in South Africa.
Accountability means everyone is responsible
even the public. South African service delivery
has been transformable into a fare and
effective approach leading to it to be a
developed state.
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References
Republic of South Africa. 1996. Constitution of the
Republic of South Africa, 1996. Pretoria: Government
Printers.
Republic of South Africa. 1997. The White Paper on
Transforming Public Service Delivery (Batho Pele white
paper). Pretoria: Government Printers.
Republic of South Africa. 1996. The Green Paper
Transforming Service Delivery, 1996. Pretoria:
Government Printers.
Republic of South Africa. 2019. Chapter Five. Public
Participation Model. A, 2019. Pretoria: Government
Printers.
Steven A. Estrine, 2007. Service Delivery for
Vulnerable. New York:Springer Publishing Company
What Does Service Delivery mean (2014) Service
Delivery
www.cfr.org (accessed on 15 May 2014).
Syde A. Ahson, Mohammadf. 2008. Service delivery
Platforms CRC Press
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