Michelle V. Esau

Contextualizing Social Capital, Citizen Participation and Poverty through an Examination of the Ward Committee Systemin Bonteheuwel in the Western Cape, South Africa

The discourse on social capital brings to the fore its valuable attributes in facilitating trust, generalized reciprocity and collective action. Moreover, it creates an awareness of the influence of these attributes on the extent to which citizens participate in matters of policy and decision-making. It was with these benefits in mind that the South African government introduced ward committees in 2004, as intermediaries structured to encourage meaningful participation between local communities and the state. It is in this context that the article examines the extent to which the ward committee, in a low socio-economic residential area called Bonteheuwel, was effective in realizing the stated purpose. The main findings suggest that while the ward committee may have been effective in certain aspects, the extent of its effectiveness was limited by the poor attendance at public meetings; the general impact of poverty on collective action; the exclusionary nature of organization through sectors; and the lack of substantive influence in the decision-making process.

Citizen Participation and the Poor: A Participatory Approach to Achieving Political, Social and Economic Freedom?

Abstract Various authors highlight the importance of participatory approaches to governance in contributing to the empowerment and development of the marginalized. Citizen participation is furthermore understood to reflect the political culture and civil society in democracies. Some of the advantages of citizen participation include: increased watchfulness over and greater accountability of government activities, and accurate identification and responsiveness to societal needs. Notwithstanding this emphasis, the literature on participation points to the challenges that confront the poor and marginalized in participating in government structures in a meaningful way. It is in this context that the article examines the extent to which beneficiaries of job creation strategies introduced by the state were consulted on the nature of these interventions. It is believed that whilst these strategies are laudable and have in some instances achieved anticipated outcomes there have been cases where strategies have failed to produce anticipated outcomes and/or were not sustainable as a consequence of the lack of participation and consultation.

Assessing the Impact of Social Capital and Trust on Active Citizenship in Bonteheuwel, Cape Town

The neo-liberal model of democracy emphasizes the importance of ordinary citizens engaging the state on issues affecting their day-to-day lives. In this regard the South African state introduced structures and institutions to facilitate engagements with ordinary citizens. The effectiveness of these institutions and structures, however, is influenced by a number of variables. Amongst other things, social capital is considered a key element to facilitating engagement between the state and citizens. In fact the South African state specifically invested in nurturing social capital in disadvantaged and marginalized communities through the introduction of structures such as ward committees. These committees were designed to act as agencies between the state and local communities through the activities of sector representatives and ward councillors. However, various political and social factors rendered the intentions of the ward committees dysfunctional in certain cases. It is in this context that the paper furthers the examination of the relationship of social capital and trust on active citizenship. It concludes that communities with social capital and trust were more active at exercising their citizenship than communities where social capital and trust is low. However, the results also suggest that trust is a more influential variable than social capital.

The Prevailing Skills Crisis in South Africa An Exploration of the Skills Development Strategy of the City of Cape Town

This article examines the skills development strategy of the City of Cape Town, a metropolitan government located in the Western Cape Province in South Africa. The strategy is largely integrated in nature and embraces the principles of Strategic Human Resources Development – an approach essentially borrowed from the private sector. In developing societies such as South Africa, the primary criticism is that the peculiar challenges prevailing in these societies make importation of “developed world models” highly complex and problematic. More specifically, the implementation of private sector models is even more complex when applied in public sector institutions. Therefore, this article critically examines the skills strategy of the City, its key components, and challenges confronting successful implementation in an effort to understand whether the Strategy is viable and appropriate in addressing the skills crisis confronting many municipalities in South Africa. The methodology is primarily qualitative and relies on both primary and secondary data sources.

Exploring Institutional Trust and Organizational Performance through the Case of the City of Cape Town

ABSTRACT This article explores institutional trust and organizational performance. Amidst the recent attention on how trust is inculcated through public institutions, a focus on what is happening within the context of emerging democracies may yield interesting findings on the development of trust. The City of Cape Town, one of the leading municipalities in South Africa, is identified as a case study through which to explore institutional trust and organizational performance. It illustrates, among others things, that organizational structuring and institutional capacity development are important for generating institutional trust.

Family Political Socialisation and its Effect on Youth Trust in Government: A South African Perspective

ABSTRACT Current debates on citizenship and democracy highlight the salience of cooperative relations between government and its citizens. Scholars observe that governments and its institutions function better where there is cooperation and trust. However, evidence suggests that political interest is waning and trust in government, dwindling. More especially, concerns about the effects of youth disengaging from political life are increasing. This phenomenon is more worrying in young democracies, where democratic traditions and principles are still evolving. This study examines the effect of family politicisation on youth trust in government. This quantitative study used a cross-sectional correlational research design. A two-level approach was adopted. At the first level we examined the prevalence of political discussions in the home and the trust attitudes of the family (as indicators of family politicisation) and youth towards government. At a second level we conducted a regression analysis to determine relationships between parent-adolescent communication and youth trust in government; family trust in government and youth trust in government; and finally, parent-adolescent communication and family trust on youth trust in government. The results suggest that a combination of parent- adolescent communication and family trust in government in a model, significantly positively predicts youth trust in government.