Unethical conduct and service delivery efficiency: Unpacking the hidden costs in Mkhondo local municipality
Nhlanhla Sibusiso Malinga & Hlengiwe Nomzamo Mabizela
Abstract
Public service delivery in South Africa continues to face systemic challenges, many of which are linked to unethical conduct within local government institutions. Mkhondo Local Municipality has become emblematic of this crisis, with persistent allegations of maladministration, nepotism, and financial mismanagement. This study aimed to investigate the hidden costs of unethical conduct and its impact on service delivery efficiency within Mkhondo Local Municipality. A qualitative research design was adopted, employing purposive sampling to select ten (n=10) officials from the supply chain management and finance units, based on their institutional knowledge and operational experience. Data was collected through in-depth interviews and was analysed thematically using NVivo 12 software. The findings demonstrate that unethical conduct directly contributes to project delays, procurement irregularities, resource misallocation, and the underutilisation of allocated budgets, thereby undermining service delivery efficiency. Furthermore, inadequate oversight and ineffective consequence management mechanisms were found to exacerbate institutional dysfunction and erode public trust. The study concludes that unethical conduct is not merely an ethical concern but a structural governance failure with measurable consequences for service delivery. It recommends the institutionalisation of a merit-based governance system, strict adherence to clearly defined ethical standards and compliance protocols, compulsory ethics training for municipal officials, and the implementation of clear and consistent consequence management frameworks to restore efficiency and rebuild public confidence in local government.
Keywords
local government, municipality, public service delivery, good governance, accountability
Author information & Contribution
Nhlanhla Sibusiso Malinga. Corresponding author. Master of Public Administration. Postgraduate student, Durban University of Technology, Riverside Campus, Scottsville, Pietermaritzburg 3209. Email: 21908896@dut4life.ac.za
Hlengiwe Nomzamo Mabizela. Doctor of Public Administration. Lecturer, Durban University of Technology, Riverside Campus, Scottsville, Pietermaritzburg 3209. Email: HlengiweM4@dut.ac.za
"Authors have equal participation. All authors have read and agreed to the published final version of the manuscript."
Disclosure statement
The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest.
Funding
This research received no specific funding from organisations, but the APC is paid by Durban University of Technology.
Institutional Review Board Statement
Ethical clearance for the research was granted by the Institutional Research Ethics Committee (IREC) of the Durban University of Technology. Informed consent was obtained from all subjects involved in the study.
Data and Materials Availability
The data supporting the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
AI Declaration
The author declares the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools in the preparation of this manuscript. Specifically, Grammarly was used for paraphrasing and improving grammatical accuracy, and EndNote was used for reference management. The author takes full responsibility for ensuring proper review and editing of the content generated using AI.
Notes
Acknowledgement
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Cite this article:
Malinga, N.S. & Mabizela, H.N. (2026). Unethical conduct and service delivery efficiency: Unpacking the hidden costs in Mkhondo local municipality. International Review of Social Sciences Research, 6(2), 72-93. https://doi.org/10.53378/irssr.353351
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