An evaluation of the practice of constitutional basic values and principles of public administration in the Zululand district, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

Abstract

The fundamental values and principles of public administration—embodied in the Republic of South Africa Constitution (1996), stipulate a set of rules governing public administration in all spheres of government. The aim of this paper is to evaluate whether local municipalities in the Zululand District practice the democratic values and principles of public administration. The paper also examined how the practising of democratic values and principles of public administration stipulated in the South African Constitution can improve governance and service delivery in Zululand. A qualitative research method was adopted by this paper where purposive sampling was employed. Data was collected through virtual and physical interviews 45 municipal officials from the Zululand district were targeted. The findings of this paper revealed how Zululand incorporates the values and principles of public administration with local government objectives. Zululand Municipality emphasises the importance of these values and principles to all its employees, encouraging them to continue using them in executing their daily tasks. The paper revealed how fundamental values and principles of public administration produce good governance in Zululand, for example transparency, accountability, fairness, developmental oriented are some of the values and principles that promote effective governance in Zululand district municipality. In conclusion, it appears that Zululand district municipality (ZDM) significantly applies the code of ethics, the values, and the principles of public administration as they are stipulated in the Constitution although they are implemented not in full capacity, according to the participants.