Browsing by Author "Breakfast, Ntsikelelo"

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    Market triumphalism at the Buffalo City and Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Municipalities, South Africa
    (AOSIS, 2014) Breakfast, Ntsikelelo; Okafor, Chukwuemeka; Bradshaw, Gavin
    This article is a critique of neo-liberal inspired policies such as Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs), privatisation of services and Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (BBBEE) with specific reference to the Buffalo City and Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Municipalities in the Eastern Cape. The two selected municipalities were chosen because both of them are categorized as metropolitan. This will enable the research to make a comparison of the implementation of PPP, outsourcing of services and BBBEE at these metropoles. The article provides an analysis of both municipalities’ records such as policy documents. The central argument of this article is that the neo-liberal inspired policies of PPP and BBBEE that are being applied through Local Economic Development(LED) are not in the interests of the majority of people living in the Eastern Cape. The researchers argue that the local business and political elites through the BBBEE, PPPs and outsourcing of services are using their strong networks (associated political, social and capital resources) in their efforts for personal accumulation, rather than promoting development for the majority.
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    Participatory democracy in theory and practice : a case study of local government in South Africa
    (AOSIS, 2015) Breakfast, Ntsikelelo; Mekoa, Itumeleng; Maphazi, Nondumiso
    The idea of democracy is a curious oneand puzzling. There is reason for this;everyone talks about democracy no matter whether their views are on the left, centreor right of the political spectrum. Various politicians, regimes, whether in Africa, Europe or America claim to be democratic;yet what each says and does is usuallydifferent. Democracy as a practice is supposed to bestow rules, laws and decisions that are justifiable on democraticgrounds. Democracy also has evolved through social struggles. This article examines the practice of democracy withinthe context of local government in South Africa, and is an attempt to explore the concept of democracy without escaping other historical aspects of the idea and practice. From a methodological standpoint, this article is based on a literature assessment. Lastly and most importantly, this paper has made a scholarly contribution to the scholarship of Political Science and Public Administration with regard to the nexus between democracy and public participation at local government level in South Africa.