Most analyses see electoral outcomes as a reflection of voters' evaluation of the incumbent leaders. Other literature, however, focuses our attention on the centrality of the institution of the party in attaining electoral victory. Parties do so through their efficient functioning as electoral machinery as well their ability to command a sizeable loyal following, galvanised by the values and the principles on which the party is founded and which it continues to espouse. That partisan foll ...

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2021-Jun-20 06:28:44

This article examines the African National Congress's (ANC) declining electoral performance in the Western Cape. Its contention is that such decline reflects a failure by the ANC to temper its historically African nationalist orientation in cognisance of the minority status of the African population in the Western Cape. Nonetheless, the selection of Tony Ehrenreich as the mayoral candidate for the ANC in the Western Cape reflects an attempt by the party to move away from identity politics ...

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2021-Jun-20 06:25:49

This article seeks to examine the question, what does the future hold for the Congress of the People (COPE)? It is a glimpse into the future of COPE through the lens of the 2011 local government elections. The discourse in this article is located within the methodological paradigm of futurology and adopts a longitudinal approach. For contextual reasons, the article starts with a reflection on the evolution of COPE and the behavioural patterns that characterise its strategic political orientat ...

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2021-Jun-20 06:22:26

This article explores the internal dynamics within the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) which led to the formation of the breakaway party, the National Freedom Party (NFP) on the eve of the fourth local government elections on 18 May 2011. It is argued that the internal ructions within the IFP which resulted in the formation of the NFP cannot be understood without casting a look back at the causes and the way in which these contributed to the continued decline of the IFP as a political factor not ...

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2021-Jun-20 06:18:57

This article relates elections to a political culture. It argues that while elections are a crucial means of democratic accountability, much more is needed to achieve a democratic political culture. The article looks at three elements required to inculcate a democratic culture, namely public philosophy, civic and political participation, and leadership. Its contention is that elections are the procedural mechanism by which people choose government whereas the three elements, as referred to in ...

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2021-Jun-20 06:15:10

Following the 2011 local government elections, most analysts seem to suggest that there is a shift away from the predominantly African party towards the traditionally white but non-racialising opposition. It is said that this pattern of results marks the onset of a trans-racial politics. This article examines this hypothesis. It does this by analysing voter turn-out and its implications on the African National Congress (ANC) and voting pattern for the Democratic Alliance (DA) within tradition ...

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2021-Jun-20 06:11:10

The aim of this article is to examine the performance of the Electoral Commission (IEC) of South Africa. The analysis not only confines itself to the 2011 local government elections, but also examines how the IEC, through the use of a Voter Participation Survey (VPS) and an Election Satisfaction Survey (ESS), has been evaluated by the voters over the past local government elections. Results from these surveys show overwhelming endorsement of the Electoral Commission alongside noteworthy gener ...

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2021-Jun-20 06:07:29

The fourth since the inauguration of the democratic government in 1994, the 2011 local government elections took place against a familiar backdrop of violent community protests, impelled by discontent over service delivery. Unlike in the past, however, a protestor was brutally killed in broad daylight by the police in full view of the public. A record number of candidates registered to contest the elections, with similarly more parties contesting than in the previous local elections. Among th ...

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2021-Jun-20 06:03:29

Since the late 1980s there has been a growing interest in globalisation and its influence on trade and commerce both in the advanced industrialised countries of the North and the developing countries of the South. The proliferation of ideas on globalisation has invariably and almost with distinct bias focused on trade, with most texts leaning to the notion about the inevitability of the phenomenon and the declining role of the state in the process of globalisation. Few texts have been country ...

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2021-Jun-20 05:59:27

The age of 50 is a milestone in the life of any nation. Nigeria turned 50 as an independent country on October 1st 2010. In its 50 year history as an independent nation, Nigeria has more than paid its dues as far as contributing to global peace and security is concerned. It is the objective of this presentation to highlight these contributions with emphasis on Africa. However, before going into the meat of the presentation, it is appropriate to take a quick look at the major d ...

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2021-Jun-20 05:55:45

This article aims to examine institutional and intergovernmental influences on the management of African regionalism through an exploration of regionalism grand theory. Grand theory has particular significance for international administration of regional projects as they provide a framework on which the administration of regional and international institutions can be assessed. This is particularly in terms of institution building, the administration of the regional project and the study of in ...

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2021-Jun-20 05:51:59

The most pressing problem facing Limpopo Province today is the absence of sustained economic growth and job creation, which are essential to reduce poverty and improve living conditions. The sector skills plans (SSPs) within the framework of the National Skills Development Strategy serve as guidelines to address the development of skills and capabilities to support economic growth. The article focuses on the skills gaps and skills supply based in the standard industrial classification codes a ...

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2021-Jun-19 22:40:22

The paper explores the issue of gender mainstreaming in government, with a bias to senior management in local government. It asserts that since democracy, South Africa has committed to the promotion of gender equality through various pieces of legislation and policy initiatives, and is a signatory to various international and regional gender instruments. Notwithstanding the general strides achieved in the public sector, there are concerns with regard to the slow rate at which women are occupy ...

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2021-Jun-19 22:37:38

Although small businesses are considered a major source of job creation and growth in many big economies such as Japan and the United States of America, little is known about whether the financial assistance given to their counterparts in African countries incurs more benefits than costs. The importance of small scale businesses (SSBs) has not escaped developing countries' governments to the extent that they now include small scale business financial support in their annual budgets. It is ...

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2021-Jun-19 22:35:04

The conceptual breadth associated with the term intergovernmental relations (IGR) as well as its multi-applicability to mean different things to different people has evoked praise and scorn from scholars and practitioners of myriad academic disciplines and backgrounds. Although this breadth of interpretation is to intergovernmental relations' advantage, it has also grown to become one of its prominent theoretical liabilities, particularly as a topic of reasoned discourse. The unreflective ...

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2021-Jun-19 22:32:25

This article critically examines the conditions for a thriving third sector with reference to the record of one developed country, the United Kingdom (UK), and a set of selected developing countries. Firstly, it theoretically analyses civil society-state relations with the aim of conceptualising and contextualising third sector activity in public service delivery. Since the UK has had the densest networks of civic association and a rich philanthropic past, it presents a potent case for analys ...

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2021-Jun-19 22:29:43

The changes presented by globalisation put increasing pressure on the public service to deliver more and better services to the citizens and to ensure effective governance. This has been complicated by the global financial crisis experienced since September 2008. The crisis, however, created opportunities for emerging market economies such as South Africa to strengthen economic growth. As this is a prerequisite for improved service delivery and an opportunity to rectify the negative perceptio ...

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2021-Jun-19 22:27:43

Since 1995, efforts have been made to overcome the skewed human resource patterns at high skills levels in South Africa through the repeal of old legislation and the commencement of various new government Acts. Beyond the legislative requirement, the success of human resource transformation is highly dependent on the implementation of an effective affirmative action (AA) programme supported by effective training measures. Such programmes usually have noble intentions but their effectiveness a ...

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2021-Jun-19 22:22:32

The housing subsidy scheme implemented since 1994 has changed the housing landscape and adequately sheltered more than 2.8 million households in less than 20 years. In the same period, South Africa has witnessed violent protests, the slow pace of housing delivery being among the grievances. Using data from the South African Attitudes Survey (SASAS), this article examines the housing trends from 2005 to 2009. The findings suggest that there has been a growth in the proportion of householders w ...

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2021-Jun-19 22:20:13

Colonialism, apartheid and black patriarchal society in South Africa gave rise to racial and sexual oppression and exploitation, especially of black women. The article attempts to investigate the effectiveness of government policies and programmes that are aimed at developing and emancipating black women who participate as entrepreneurs in small and medium scale businesses in Gauteng with emphasis on the Tshwane Metropolitan Area. Empowering black women is an economic and essential component ...

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2021-Jun-19 22:17:04