This work is protected by copyright and other intellectual property rights and duplication or sale of all or part is not permitted, except that material may be duplicated by you for research, private study, criticism/review or educational purposes. Electronic or print copies are for your own personal, non- commercial use and shall not be passed to any other individual. No quotation may be published without proper acknowledgement. For any other use, or to quote extensively from the work, permission must be obtained from the copyright holder/s. The approach of the African National Congress to dealing with participatory spaces in post-apartheid South African local government Luvuyo Kenneth Zantsi June 2020 A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Social Sciences, Keele University, in fulfilment for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Public Policy. Supervisor: Doctor Philip Catney 1 Abstract This dissertation is an assessment of the African National Congress’s (ANC) approach to local participatory governance in post-apartheid South Africa. It examines public participation policies and the extent to which they have been implemented and secured participation by citizens at the local level. Since South Africa is a dominant one-party democracy, the ANC’s politics affect public participation and thus its policies and the actions of those it deploys in government is examined. This research, therefore, explores and describes the nature of, and challenges related to public participation in, local government in South Africa and what those say about the commitment and approach of the ANC government to local participatory governance. This study uses Smith’s (2009) approach to analysing the democratic goods or qualities of participatory designs used in two of the ANC national government’s local democratic innovations: ward committees and the integrated development plans (IDP) process. These two designs are part of the invited spaces of participation. The ANC and the state’s response to invented spaces of participation is also examined in this thesis. These are those spaces that are initiated by civil society groups themselves and are characterised by confrontation towards authorities and the activities of their grassroots in challenging the status quo and resisting dominant power relations in the hope of larger societal change. This assesses these through a case study of municipal level dynamics around these two schemes in the Boland Region. The study finds that the ANC’s stated intention of allowing for broader public participation is not always fulfilled. However, despite this failure, the ANC remains an electorally effective machine because the South African majority continues to prize the anticipated socio-economic benefits of democracy to what they perceive as abstract political rights. Furthermore, ANC support for public participation is conditional on it not threatening the party’s hegemony. Additionally, it is found that there is a knowledge and commitment gap to participation between ANC public representatives at different state levels. Even where the ANC is sincere in wishing to delegate more power to the local level, the perception of a corrupt and ineffective local state deters ANC national leaders devolving more power. In the midst of all this are some community leaders who exploit attempts at involving the public for their own personal objectives. 2 Table of Contents Chapter 1: Introduction 9 1.1. Problem Statement 1.2. Research Purpose and Objectives 1.3. Research Questions 1.4. The ANC and the Participatory Governance Experiment Chapter 2: Local Participatory Governance through Invited and Invented spaces. 29 2.1. Public Participation in Governance. 2.2. Invited and Invented Spaces of Participation 2.3. Realising Democratic Goods through Democratic Innovations. 2.4. Studying Invited Participatory Designs in South Africa. 2.4.1. Ward Committees as Participatory Structures 2.4.2. Integrated Development Plans (IDP) and Participation 2.4.3. Simultaneous Implementation of Participation and other Reforms. 2.4.4. Local Democracy, Politics and Clientelism Chapter 3: Research Methodology. 67 3.1. Research Design 3.2. Data Collection Methods 3.3. Data Analysis 3.4. Ethical Considerations Chapter 4: The ANC’s Relationship with lnvited and Invented Participatory Spaces 75 4.1. The ANC and the Culture of Participation 4.2. The ANC Government and the National Democratic Revolution 4.3. ANC Policy Documents on Participatory Governance. 4.4. Coherence and Discord within the ANC Alliance about Public Participation 3 Chapter 5: Background and Transformation of Local Government and the Boland Region 110 5.1. The Boland Region Characteristics and Historical Context 5.2. The Links and Culture of the ANC in The Boland Region. 5.3. The Transformation and the Post-apartheid Local Government System 5.3.1. Programmes and Challenges of Local Government Transformation and democratization 5.3.2. Transformation of Local Government Structures in the Cape Winelands/Boland Chapter 6: Experiencing Public Participation in the Boland 142 6.1. General Participatory Governance Experience 6.1.1. Design and Implementation 6.1.2. Uniformity of Understanding 6.1.3. Internal ANC Dynamics and Public Participation Structures. 6.1.4. ANC branch Leadership Positions as Springboards to Local Councillor Positions 6.1.5. Civil society: Pliability and Contestation ` 6.2. Ward Committees as Participatory Structures 6.2.1. Ward Committees and Party Politics 6.2.2. Linkages between Sectors and their ‘Representatives’ 6.2.3. The independence of Ward Committees. 6.2.4. Ward Committees as Springboards to Ward Councillor Positions 6.3. Participation in the Integrated Development Planning Process 6.3.1. Improving Communication and Participation 6.3.2. Limiting Participation in IDP Meetings 6.3.3. IDP Participation Process being used to Tick Boxes 6.3.4. Quality of Community Input Chapter 7: Prospects for Realising Democratic Goods in South African Participation 189 7.1. South Africa’s Invited Participatory Designs and Democratic Goods 7.1.1. Inclusiveness 7.1.2. Popular Control 7.1.3. Considered Judgement 7.1.4. Transparency 7.2. Civil Society and the ANC: Co-option and frustration 4 7.3. Party Bosses and the Electoral System 7.4. Participation Promises versus Implementation Chapter 8: The ANC’s Wavering Commitment to Participatory Governance. 221 8.1. The Conditionality of the ANC’s support for Public Participation 8.2. The Effect of ANC Politics and Factional Battles on Public Participation 8.3. The Knowledge, Commitment and Implementation Gap 8.4. Devolution of Power and the Dilemma of the ANC 8.5. Civil Society Leaders’ Corrupt Behaviour in Clientelist Relationships References Appendices: Interview Participants 5 Abbreviations and Acronyms ABM Abahlali BaseMjondolo AEC Anti-eviction Campaign AIC African Independent Congress ANC African National Congress APF Anti-privatisation Forum APP Annual Performance Plan AZAPO Azanian People’s Organization BLA Black Local Authorities CBO Community Based Organization CDW Community Development Workers COGTA Department of Corporate Governance and Traditional Affairs COSATU Congress of South African Trade Unions CSO Civil Society Organisations CWDM Cape Winelands District Municipality DA Democratic Alliance DFA Development Facilitation Act DPLG Department of Provincial and Local Government EFF Economic Freedom fighters FCR Foundation for Contemporary Research GNU Government of National Unity GTZ German Agency for Technical Cooperation IDP Integrated Development Plan IEC Independent Electoral Commission IFP Inkatha Freedom Party ILO International Labour Organisation LDO Land development Objective LGNF Local Government Negotiating Forum LGTA Local Government Transition Act LGTAS Local Government Turn-Around Strategy MAYCO Mayoral Committee MDF Mbekweni Development Forum MDM Mass Democratic Movement 6 MEC Member of Executive Council [Provincial Minister] MP Member of Parliament MPNP Multi-Party Negotiating Process MFMA Municipal Finance Management Act MSA, 1998 Municipal Structures Act, 1998 MSA, 2000 Municipal Systems Act, 2000 MTSF Medium Term Strategic Framework NCOP National Council of Provinces NDP National Development Plan NDR National Democratic Revolution NEC National Executive Committee NGC National General Council NGO Non-governmental Organisation NHTL National House of Traditional Leaders NEDLAC National Economic Development and Labour Council NP National Party NPM New Public Management PAC Pan Africanist Congress RDP Reconstruction and Development Programme SACP South African Communist Party SACTU South African Congress of Trade Unions SALGA South African Local Government Association SANCO South African National Civic Organisation SDF Service Delivery Facilitator SRA Stellenbosch Ratepayers Association TLC Transitional Local Council UBC Urban Bantu Councils UDF United Democratic Front UDM United Democratic Movement UPM Unemployed People's Movement 7 Acknowledgements I first thank God for being with me throughout the process of working on this project. I am indebted to my supervisor, Dr. Philip Catney, whose guidance and mentorship was invaluable. His support went beyond the focus on this thesis to other things that were also central to its finalisation and submission. My family supported me through their understanding when I spent a lot of time working on this project. I am grateful to my mom, my wife, my kids, Luthando, Mivuyo and Kuluvuyo for allowing me the space and offering love and encouragement. I am indebted to everyone