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Key Text The People Shall Govern: A Research Report on Public Participation in the Policy Processes

Author: E Tadesse et al
Date: 2006
Size: 50 pages (890 KB)

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Summary

How can public participation in government policy formulation and implementation be improved? This paper from the Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation and Action for Conflict Transformation examines two South African case studies to evaluate the extent and effectiveness of citizens' engagement in domestic and foreign policy. It argues that, despite important post-Apartheid reforms, public participation is still limited and capacity-building and institutional change are required to improve citizens' involvement and government responsiveness.

In two important post-Apartheid policy documents - the Batho Pele and the White Paper on Local Government Transformation - the South African government pledged to encourage civic participation in public service provision and municipal programmes. These statements outlined a consultative, accountable government approach aiming for accessible, efficient public services and governance systems.

Two case studies provide insights into the delivery of these principles. Khayelitsha is an impoverished township on the outskirts of Cape Town which has seen several anti-government protests in recent years. The Zimbabwe Solidarity Forum (ZSF) is a network of civil society organisations (CSOs), aiming to influence South African foreign policy towards Zimbabwe.

Research into the government's response to these two areas of public action presents various findings:

The Khayelitsha riots were caused, in part, by popular frustration at the government's failure to negotiate between residents and banks over the widespread rent boycotts, which were provoked, in turn, by inadequate housing provision. High unemployment, poor housing conditions and unmet expectations incited locals to violence.
Community members accused the local government of incompetence, inaccessibility, corruption and slowness in housing delivery. Government-run housing subsidy schemes and public consultations were poorly advertised; officials were under-resourced and obstructive; poorer residents lacked incentives to participate; and local CSOs lost public confidence.
The ZSF embraces a range of CSOs, each with their own mandates, demonstrating the complex requirement for CSOs to be simultaneously vocal (and therefore unified) and representative.
Inadequate formal procedures for CSO involvement in foreign policy; CSOs' emphasis on domestic issues; and government unwillingness to engage with CSOs and western-funded NGOs have limited the ZSF's influence. However, ZSF press campaigns criticising Zimbabwean policy may have highlighted human rights violations and helped shift the South African government's attitude towards its neighbour.

Two-way information flows between governments and communities need to be fostered. Capacity-building and organisational change in government, civil society and the media could encourage a more participatory governance approach:

Community groups' capacity to mediate between government and communities should be built by broadening their CSO partnerships and enhancing their planning, service provision and information-dissemination functions.
The role of community development workers, who gauge government departments' capacities, provide information to communities and closely monitor service delivery, should be formalised and entrenched.
Ward committees, which facilitate dialogue between local stakeholders, should be given fresh purpose and new methods to resolve unequal power dynamics.
Community information centres and community media should be harnessed to provide public information services and platforms for policy dialogue.
Foreign policy CSOs should aim for unity and cross-border cooperation; parliamentary oversight over foreign policy and mechanisms for public participation should be extended.

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Source: Tadesse, Ephrem et al., 2006, 'The People Shall Govern: A Research Report on Public Participation in Policy Processes - Responsive and Participatory Governance in South Africa', Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation (CSVR) and Action for Conflict Transformation (ACTION), Johannesburg, South Africa
Author: Ephrem Tadesse , ephrem_t@yahoo.com
Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation, http://www.csvr.org.za/