The nature and implications of complexity in Developmental Local Government : a case study of selected municipalities in the Vhembe District Municipality area, Limpopo Province

Abstract

Developmental local government was introduced in South Africa after the finalisation of the local government transformation in 2000. The notion was however provided for in terms of Chapter seven of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa of 1996. The introduction of the policy framework through the 1998 White Paper on Developmental Local Government provided a platform for the promulgation of the Local Government: Municipal Structures Act 117 of 1998 which was followed by the Local Government: Municipal Systems Act 32 of 2000 to give effect to the notion of developmental local government as envisaged in the Constitution. Realisation of such system of developmental local government required interactions determined through various interactions ranging from structures necessary for establishment of municipalities to systems necessary for the municipalities to be functional. Those structures and systems comprise of a congleromate of agents that derive their way of interactions from various schemas. Those schemas are informed by the mainstream positivist modern scientific public administration discourse that dominates the paradigm of public administration in South Africa. Yet interactions that give effect to developmental local government do not conform to the rational modern scientific prescription that are linear and seek to unveil a unified solution to all problems associated with the realisation of developmental local government. That is where the science of complexity comes to play through its conformity to postmodern ontology of seeking local solutions that are non-linear. It is however necessary to acknowledge that the rational scientific discourse is necessary within developmental local government realisation, it just have limitations that need to be complemented by complexity thinking as local governments together with its establishing structures and systems are by nature complex. It came about through complex interactions that do not always conform to modern scientific analysis. The state of public administration discourse in South Africa is still predominantly rational and adheres to the modern or mainstream public administration. These are exarbated by the praxis of developmental local government itself in terms of its character and its constitutional founding of being a sphere of government that remain ideal than pragmatic. The characteristics of developmental local government themselves cannot be realised within the ambit of a single municipality. The notion of development also provide a conundrum of being translated to developmental which is adjectival to be reduced to a static meaning for proper rational analysis. Being a complex system developmental local government inhabit the charateristics or elements of complexity that cannot be unified to address problems facing municipalities within the country. The complexity of such systems transcend from the initial contextualisation of developmental local government to various persona, multiplicity and pluralism, as well as accountability and responsibility. These create the form of morphogenesis from the inception in the form, structure, function and state of developmental local government. Developmental duties, being Integrated Developmental Plan (IDP), Performance Management, and Community participation remain the ideals that in reality might not be realised unless a complementary view of complexity thinking is considered. The engagement of literature in developmental local government, the state of Public Administration discourse in South Africa, Complex Reflexive Science and the empirical evidence gathered in municipalities found within the Vhembe District municipality area provide a scientic justification to the idea. Developmental local government needs to be dealt with as a complex adaptive system that is informed by the realities of the circumstances of its constituency. That in essence will require creative and innovative practitioners that do require uniform prescripts that need to be applicable to all municipalities irrespective of context,persona, multiplicity and pluralism, as well as dynamics of accountability and responsibility.