Analysing the relationship between South African mayors and municipal officials : a case of the Western Cape

Abstract

Politics within municipalities are a cause for concern. They have a major impact on service delivery. Municipal administration is continuously influenced by politics. The relationship between mayors and municipal officials is important for the benefits of service delivery. The purpose of this paper was to analyse the relationship between mayors and municipal officials in a municipality in the Western Cape. Similar data is not available in other municipalities in South Africa but is available in other countries such as Thailand, France and the United States, analysis makes no methodological claims of comparability. However, the nature of the problem or relationship between elected and appointed officials will be similar to many other parts of the world. In South Africa, political interference is a major theme in governmental setting.