KAGISO TRUST HIGHLIGHTS GOOD GOVERNANCE AND SERVICE DELIVERY

Communication, collaboration and community-centric thinking are key in the working of local government organisations if they are to create a culture of accountability that will enhance their levels of service delivery to the people they work for.

A webinar themed, “Good Governance and Service Delivery in Municipalities, It Can Be”, hosted by the Kagiso Trust in partnership with the KC Institute for Inner Work in October, highlighted the importance of collaboration between communities and local government. The webinar showcased the importance and opportunities for developing sustainable local economic strategies to increase municipal revenue and the blurred lines between the roles of executive mayors and municipal managers.

“Leadership in local government should start confronting the realities they find themselves in,” said Kgotso Schoeman, the chief executive officer of Kagiso Capital, an investment company established by Kagiso Trust. “There are many municipalities with unfunded budgets and that are under financial distress. It is interesting that leaders don't appreciate that the decisions they make have long-term ramifications for the organisations they lead. The time for brave and honest conversations in local government is now.”

He added that many municipalities run around the framework that “people succeed because of the organisations in which they work,” which he fundamentally disagreed with. “The philosophy I subscribe to is that it starts at an individual level.

Organisations succeed because of the people who work in them. It is interesting to note that leaders seldom take accountability for the fact they own part of the reality faced, whether good or bad and accountability starts with them, the individual.”

Schoeman called for more individuals to speak up to hold government to account, enhance service delivery, and to build a culture of affirmation with the people of their communities.

“How do you get people of municipalities to come to work and appreciate that they have to earn their salary and not just come to work knowing they will get their salary?” asked Schoeman.

“Mayors and Municipal Managers need to realize that they create the municipal organizational culture. Being in a position of power and authority also means being responsible and accountable for the performance of people and the municipality. Leaders need to perform consistently and energetically in pursuit of the municipality's goals “We create a culture where people will be held accountable for weak performance and rewarded for strong performance. Leadership eats strategy and culture for dinner. If leadership does not take accountability for where the institution is, you have a fundamental problem where culture and strategy do not work.”

Paul Smith, the executive Head of Kagiso Trust Local Governance Support Pillar, said the need for radical collaboration to strengthen local governance and ensure development is community centric is critical.

This approach will provide a meaningful mechanism to address the growing gap between local government and civil society, so all stakeholders can meaningfully understand and address community issues through reflective thinking resulting in quality communal creative ideation.

“We need to build a new constituency of ethical and responsible leaders and people,” said Smith. “We need more communitycentric thinking. Our hope going forward is that the people will use their responsiveness to realise the importance of their role in meaningful sustainable change. If you plant a seed today, someone will be able to sit under a tree 10 years from now.” The time for change is now or we will realise the lost opportunity cost of more of the same from municipalities. 

CONTACT DETAILS

Tel: 011 566 1900

E-mail: info@kagiso.co.za

Website: www.kagiso.co.za

Address: 27 Scott Street, Waverley, Johannesburg, 2090