Evaluating the effectiveness of a Performance Management System to enhance sustainable development: a case study of Boikhutsong SI Visser orcid.org/0000-0001-8292-2954 Dissertation submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree Master of Art and Science in Urban and Regional Planning at the North-West University Supervisor: Prof CB Schoeman Co-supervisor: Ms GS Cornelius Graduation May 2018 22187359 DEDICATION This dissertation is dedicated to Daan Joubert (12 October 1930 – 17 August 2017). You never had the opportunity to further your studies and therefore took a lot of pride in the education of your children and grandchildren. I promised to make you proud, hence I will add another graduation photo to your wall. i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS After an intensive period of approximately four years, today is the day of the final addition to my dissertation. It has been a period of intense learning, not only in the scientific arena, but also on a personal level. The work conducted to ensure the success of this research project had a great impact on me. Without the assistance of key individuals, the success of this project would not have been possible and I would therefore like to reflect on these role-players. Firstly, and most importantly, I would like to thank my superlative supervisor Jesus Christ for providing me with a wonderful and supporting family. Through the Bible, His guidance never failed me in times of struggle and grief. Secondly, I would like to thank Lesia Joubert. Her support allowed me to remain calm and collected throughout. Lesia, I appreciate everything you have done for me. Without your support, I am certain that the outcome of this dissertation would not have been positive. I want to thank my supervisor, Prof CB Schoeman, and assistant supervisor, Ms S Cornelius. Your guidance and feedback ensured that the development of this dissertation was kept on a straight path. Your unbelievably high standards and expectations ensured that I pushed my limits to a much higher level. I believe that you groom students to become possibly the best researchers on an international level. Last, but not least, I would like to give a special thanks to Ian Woodrow (MBA, Wits) and Adrian Jackson (PhD, Camb.) for reviewing the grammar throughout the continuous development of this dissertation. I am truly grateful for your assistance. ii ABSTRACT The Constitution (1996) of South Africa grants everyone the right to housing and services such as water, healthcare and education, but South Africa faces serious challenges in ensuring the provision of services to especially rural communities to enable sustainable development. Where development has been poor, citizens have protested, particularly those residing in rural settlements. In 2013, the frustration of the community of Boikhutsong led to violent and illegal protests during which residents barricaded the road between Ventersdorp and Rustenburg. Despite the employment of mitigation measures, there have been numerous illegal protests in rural areas about the absence of sustained development. International organisations such as the OECD recommend the application of indicators to monitor sustainable development. In South Africa, the Municipal Systems Act (2000) and the White Paper on Local Government (1998) advocate the use of an Organisational Performance Management System with indicators to ensure the development of sustainable human settlements by local governments. Boikhutsong falls within the domain of the Ventersdorp Local Municipality and this research project studies whether the Performance Management System used by the Municipality is effective in ensuring sustainable development of Boikhutsong. Employing a mixed method research methodology, a qualitative approach was used to investigate the knowledge and awareness of Ventersdorp municipal officials concerning the case study area (Boikhutsong) and their use of a Performance Management System to ensure sustainable development in Boikhutsong. Further to this, quantitative methods were engaged in order to examine the municipality’s performance in service delivery by appropriately weighting data collected from existing sources. The challenges for Boikhutsong as identified by municipal officials include the provision of water, electricity, sanitation, transportation and good governance. This correlates well with the national community survey conducted by Stats SA in 2016. However, there are insufficient reliable and verifiable data related to these challenges in the Ventersdorp Municipal documents. Results of the quantitative study indicate that Boikhutsong lags behind all other areas included in the comparative analysis. This suggests that the Performance Management System of the Ventersdorp Local Municipality cannot be regarded as an effective tool in ensuring sustainable development within its rural areas. The results of this study indicate that improvements are needed in the performance management systems of some local governments. It is recommended that good governance and strong public participation be included in Municipal Performance Management Systems to render them more effective tools in ensuring sustainable development within rural areas. iii OPSOMMING Die Grondwet van Suid-Afrika (1996) bied aan almal die reg op behuising en dienste soos water, gesondheidsorg en onderwys, maar Suid-Afrika staar ernstige uitdagings in die gesig om seker te maak dat dienste in veral plattelandse gebiede gelewer word op so ‘n wyse dat dit volhoubare ontwikkeling moontlik maak. Waar ontwikkeling gebrekkig was, het burgers geprotesteer, veral diegene wat in plattelandse gebiede woon. In 2013 het die frustrasies van die gemeenskap van Boikhutsong gelei tot hewige en onwettige proteste waartydens die inwoners die pad tussen Ventersdorp en Rustenburg geblokkeer het. Ten spyte van die toepassing van mitigerende maatreëls was daar verskeie onwettige proteste in plattelandse gebiede rakende die afwesigheid van volhoubare ontwikkeling. Internasionale organisasies soos die OESO beveel die gebruik van indikatore aan om volhoubare ontwikkeling te moniteer. In Suid-Afrika ondersteun die Wet op Munisipale Stelsels (2000) en die Witskrif oor Plaaslike Regering (1998) die gebruik van ‘n Organisatoriese Prestasiebestuurstelsel om te verseker dat die ontwikkeling van volhoubare mense-nedersettings deur munisipaliteite gedoen word. Boikhutsong val binne die domein van die Ventersdorpse Plaaslike Owerheid en die doel van hierdie navorsingsprojek is om te bepaal of die Prestasiebestuurstelsel effektief is vir volhoubare ontwikkeling in Boikhutsong. Deur die toepassing van ‘n gemengde metode navorsingsmetodologie, is ‘n kwalitatiewe benadering eerstens gebruik om die kennis en bewustheid van die Ventersdorpse amptenary rakende die gevallestudie-area (Boikhutsong) te bepaal, sowel as hulle gebruik van die Prestasiebestuurstelsel om volhoubare ontwikkeling te verseker. Daarbenewens is kwantitatiewe metodes aangewend om die munisipaliteit se prestasie in dienslewering te ondersoek, deur toepaslike geweegde data te versamel vanuit bestaande bronne. Die uitdagings vir Boikhutsong soos deur die amptenary geïdentifiseer sluit die voorsiening van water, elektrisiteit, sanitasie, vervoer en goeie bestuur in. Hierdie korrelleer goed met die nasionale gemeenskapsopname wat in 2016 deur Stats SA gedoen is. Daar is egter nie genoeg betroubare en verifieerbare data wat verband hou met hierdie uitdagings in Ventersdorp se munisipale dokumentasie beskikbaar nie. Dit suggereer dat die Prestasiebestuurstelsel van die Ventersdorpse Plaaslike Munisipaliteit nie beskou kan word as ‘n effektiewe aanduider om volhoubare ontwikkeling in hierdie plattelandse gebied te verseker nie. Die resultate van hierdie studie dui aan dat verbeteringe nodig is in die Prestasiebestuurstelsels van sommige plaaslike regerings. Dit word aanbeveel dat goeie oorsig en sterk publieke deelname ingesluit moet word in die Munisipale Prestasiebestuurstelsels in plattelandse gebiede. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS DEDICATION................................................................................................................ I ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................ II ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................ III OPSOMMING ............................................................................................................. IV LIST OF ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS ......................................................XVIII GLOSSARY ............................................................................................................. XXI CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ................................................................................... 1 1.1 Background ......................................................................................... 1 1.2 Problem statement .............................................................................. 1 1.3 Research Questions ............................................................................ 2 1.4 Research objectives ............................................................................ 2 1.5 Delineation of study area .................................................................... 3 1.6 Research methodology ....................................................................... 3 1.6.1 Literature study ....................................................................................