The role of community involvement in public service decision-making

Description

The aim of this study was to investigate and analyze the implications of excluding community members from decision-making processes in public services. As a democratic country, South Africa embraces participatory democracy, which emphasizes that government exists for the people. This requires all levels of government to actively engage with citizens and respond to public needs. Legislation such as the Municipal Systems Act and the 1996 Constitution highlights the importance of placing community members at the center of development within the local government sphere. Community members occupy critical positions in fostering development, making their inclusion in public service decision-making essential. The study employed a mixed-methods design to explore the impact of excluding community members from these processes. Semi-structured questionnaires were used to collect quantitative data from community members, while semi-structured interviews were conducted with municipal officials to gather qualitative data.