Political appointments, governance and accountability in a South African local municipality

Noyila Mxolisi Amos, Modeni Mudzamba Sibanda & Impi Rungano Kuhlengisa

Volume 5 Issue 4, December 2025

Abstract

This article explored participants' views and experiences regarding the influence of political appointments on governance and accountability in a South African local municipality. The study was underpinned by agency theory, employed a qualitative research strategy, and adopted an exploratory case study design within the interpretivist paradigm. A non-probability sampling technique was used, involving 29 participants. Data were collected using both primary and secondary methods. Primary data were gathered through in-depth interviews and focus group discussions, while secondary data were obtained from official documents. Both primary and secondary data were analyzed using thematic analysis. The study revealed that political appointments within the local municipality used as a case study have contributed to weak accountability, a decline in governance values, and waning public trust. Municipal administrative incapacity, politicized and biased decision-making, shielding of wrongdoings, weakening of oversight committees, and patronage have eroded public trust, leading to social disenchantment. To address the aforementioned challenges, this article recommends the establishment of an independent municipal human resource panel or committee—including representatives from civil society, traditional leaders, and the provincial government—to review and approve the appointment of senior officials, empower oversight committees, and prioritize performance management. Professionalizing South African local governance should be strategically prioritized to enhance accountability, service delivery, and public trust.

Keywords

Author information & Contribution

Noyila Mxolisi Amos. Corresponding author. Master of Public Administration (MPA), Doctor of Public Administration (DPA) Candidate, Department of Applied Management, Administration & Ethical Leadership, University of Fort Hare. Email: 9022911@ufh.ac.za

Modeni Mudzamba Sibanda. Doctor of Administration (DAdmin) in Public Administration and Management. Associate Professor, Department of Applied Management, Administration & Ethical Leadership, University of Fort Hare. Email: mmsibanda@ufh.ac.za

Impi Rungano Kuhlengisa. PhD in Public Policy. Post-Doctoral Fellow, Public Management and Leadership Department, Nelson Mandela University. Email: impikuhlengisa@gmail.com

“All authors equally contributed to the conception, design, preparation, data gathering and analysis, and writing of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.”

Disclosure statement

Funding

Institutional Review Board Statement

AI Declaration

Notes

Acknowledgement

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Cite this article:

Amos, N.M., Sibanda, M.M. & Kuhlengisa, I.R. (2025). Political appointments, governance and accountability in a South African local municipality. International Review of Social Sciences Research, 5(4), 90-109. https://doi.org/10.53378/irssr.353278