An Analysis of the Strategies to promote Ethical Behaviour in Local Government: A Case of Thulamela Local Municipality

Abstract

The study analyses the strategies to promote ethical behavior in local government, with a particular focus on Thulamela Local Municipality (TLM). TLM is one of the local municipalities constituting Vhembe District Municipality in the Limpopo province. The 1994 first democratic elections in South Africa demonstrated the country's dedication to human rights and prosperity. There are three spheres of government: national, provincial, and local. Local government has come a long way since then, but obstacles to service delivery have led to a loss of trust in municipal employees. Good governance is increasingly being threatened by systemic corruption, which results from the unethical behavior of municipal leadership. The strategies and recommendations to be provided in this research study serve as a light on the challenge of adherence to the prescribed ethical standards in service delivery by TLM and other local municipalities across the country. To better investigate strategies to promote ethical behavior by municipal employees in service delivery in TLM, the study utilized the public value theory, a qualitative approach (descriptive design and explorative design) and the constructivism paradigm. The study used purposive sampling to ensure precise sample collection. Primary data was collected using semi-structured interviews. Thematic and descriptive analyses were applied to the analysis of the qualitative data. The major findings of this study are that unethical behavior in TLM is manifested through corruption, nepotism, cadre deployment, political interference, and bribery; that lack of exemplary behavior by senior municipal officials and incompetent staff members are some of the causes of unethical conduct within TLM; that unethical behavior demotivates committed municipal officials; and that internal strategies for enhancing ethical conduct within the municipality are not effective. The study recommends that consequence management and the provisions of the codes of conduct must be enforced and that TLM stakeholders must report unethical behavior by municipal officials to external watchdog bodies such as the National Prosecting Authority and the Office of the Auditor General.