Abstract:
This research study is about the role of performance, monitoring and evaluation on municipal service delivery in the Capricorn District Municipality, Limpopo Province. The performance, monitoring and evaluation (PM&E) is used by the Department of Performance, Monitoring and Evaluation (DPME) to track service delivery progress by local government. The notion of PM&E was introduced by Cabinet in 2011. The introduction of government-wide monitoring and evaluation (GWM&E) as a policy framework has contributed towards the improvement of PM&E on municipal service delivery. The study used mixed research methods, where qualitative and quantitative research methods were used. A pragmatic research paradigm was used as a philosophical partner for the mixed research methods. The study employed a narrative exploratory research design and a descriptive research design. Purposive sampling method was used as a sub-type of non-probability to select the participants of the study and interviews and questionnaires were utilised to collect data. Data collected through the questionnaires was analysed through International Business Machinery (IBM): Statistical product and service solutions (SPSS) latest version; the results were presented in the form of tables, with frequencies and percentage, followed by a synthesis of information. The researcher also applied a thematic-narrative data analysis approach, which focuses on a variety of procedures for interpreting research data. Outlined also were the research ethical guidelines that informed this study.
The key finding of the research study was that the PM&E systems have failed to serve their purposes, chiefly due to lack of implementation of policies and corruption among officials. The study also revealed that majority of respondents, 43 (38%), disagree that senior managers understand the role of PM&E on municipal service delivery, thus, this did not influence their decision-making processes on municipal service delivery. The research study therefore recommends that a more systematic monitoring and evaluation of policy interventions be undertaken. Management tools must be employed as interventions to influence decision-making processes to eliminate resistance to change. Communication and intervention strategies should be promoted to
educate and empower role-players in the execution of PM&E programmes/projects.
