Training and development as a tool for improving basic service delivery; the case of a selected municipality/ Formacion y desarrollo como herramienta de mejora de la dotacion de servicios basicos; el caso de un municipio seleccionado.
| Autor | Mpofu, Mthokozisi |
| Cargo | Article |
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Background
Poor performance and corruption by the workers of municipalities has been established as one of the major problems in the efficient provision of basic services by municipalities; the performance and conduct of municipal employees needs to be improved so as to improve the provision of basic services to the populous. Stredwick (2005) emphasised that improving an employee's performance and conduct is one, amongst many solutions, towards the efficient and reliable provision of basic services by municipalities to the public.
Service delivery by local municipal authorities has proven to be a major problem in South Africa. Problems associated with service delivery have been highlighted by the widespread protests that have characterized South African communities (Service delivery Protests, 2011). The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa (1996), in reference to the functions and roles of municipalities, highlights that municipalities must structure and manage their administration, budgeting, and planning processes in order to prioritize the basic needs of the community and to promote the social and economic development of it. Thus, the provision of basic services to the masses has proven to be a significant priority of the municipalities' charter, including that of the selected municipality in this study. Municipalities are, therefore, faced with the challenge of how best to improve the provision of basic services to their communities.
Stredwick (2005) notes that the most important role in human resources is to help employees improve their performance (through employee training and development) and, by doing so, to improve the performance of the organisation. Employee training and development has become one of the key aspects in improving employee performance in organisations, thus leading to improved organizational performance and growth. Marquardt, Nissley, Ozag, and Taylor (2000) highlight the significance of employee training and development and the subsequent benefits for the organisation when they note that, in future, organisations will depend on well trained employees who will accomplish tasks and successfully operate in the global environment. Kuvaas and Dysvik (2009) add that when organizations offer organizational inducements in the form of developmental opportunities, employees become motivated to expend their efforts in order to benefit the organisation.
The provision of essential services by local municipalities has been in the spotlight for a long period of time, with many municipal employees caught up in the snare. Municipal employees have come under fire for poor performance and conduct in their work as some engage in corruption and others are not qualified enough to discharge their duties to the required levels. This is supported by Burger (2010) who suggests that the many reasons for poor service delivery, rampant corruption, nepotism and the deployment of 'comrades' to positions for which they are not qualified within local government structures, has led to the inefficient provision of basic services to the masses, by municipalities.
The problem of poor service delivery, which is evident in significant levels of dissatisfaction with the lack of delivery of basic municipal services such as running water, electricity and toilets, especially in informal settlements, unemployment (officially at around 23%), high levels of poverty, poor infrastructure and the lack of houses can, to some extent, be solved by the efficiency of municipalities (Burger, 2010). Competent municipalities are those that employ, skilled and qualified managerial and non managerial staff offering efficient and reliable essential services to the masses.
The challenges of poor provision of basic services by local municipalities are complex. However, much of the blame has been uniquely directed at the performance and conduct of the employees and management of these municipalities, which has led to the poor provision of basic services to the communities. The problem lies in the context of how these employees' skills, performance and conduct can be improved in order to improve service delivery. The improvement of employees' skills and performance, through quality employee training and development, will lead to improved performance by municipal employees. This will allow the selected municipality a greater opportunity to provide its residents with efficient and reliable basic services.
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Objectives
The objectives of the study are:
* To investigate the relationship between the quality of employee training and development on service delivery in...
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