The Balancing Act Between Elections Manifesto and The Service Delivery Realities: Public Trust at The Crossroads

• Pages: 164-175
• Date: 01 December 2021
• Published date: 01 December 2021
• Author: Bernard K. Sebake
• Subject Matter: Derecho Público y Administrativo

European Journal of Economics, Law and Social Sciences

IIPCCL Publishing, Graz-Austria

Special Issue

December, 2021

ISSN 2519-1284

Acces online at www.iipccl.org

209

The Balancing Act Between Elections Manifesto and The Service Delivery

Realities: Public Trust at The Crossroads

Bernard K. Sebake

Nelson Mandela University

Abstract

Elections are about political plan to drive people-centered aspiration. These aspirations provide

basis for political parties to develop a manifesto to embrace electioneering. While it is observed

that often community quarrel about local government that does not rise to the occasion after

the elections. This phenomenon contributed to shift in electoral support generally and created

risk to South African manuring democracy. The paper intends to relook at the outcomes of

party manifesto system relating to the existing trust decline in the local government elections

broadly. This would assist to examine the hypothesis that public trust on the existing political

system declined due to lack of “checks and balance” of service delivery persistent decline.

The paper is qualitative literature review that analysis desktop observed local government

failures and loss of electoral support. The special aention is given to conceptualise inter alia:

- policy perspective; ideological context; service delivery outcomes; credibility of leadership;

participatory democracy and accountability. Conclusion and recommendations are drawn to

reconf‌igure the political system towards building people-centered service delivery outcomes

projected through party manifesto.

Keywords: Political trust, Participatory democracy, Policy perspective; Service delivery; and

Leadership

Introduction

The study of elections manifesto and realities of service delivery collapse paint a

picture of a political system that is on the knife verge. Anzia (2021) suggests that

political party ideological context is themed to inuence the policy position expressed

in a form of elections manifesto. Managa (2012) noted that elections manifestos have

over time created a mismatch on the ground on the basis that politicians created a

culture of making temporary promises with a false intention to satisfy voters during

each new election campaign, which always raised empty community expectations. Da

Cruz and Marques (2014) noted that measuring the performance of local government

institutions is a complex exercise. However, utilisation of elections manifesto is a

strategy to establish faith in which political parties set goals for gunning for electoral

support for local government. The perceptions regarding municipalities engagement

with local dwellers on service delivery is often found to be weak for instilling public

conf‌idence and trust (Vivier & Wenel, 2013). Administrative innovative strategies

to change enshrined in the elections manifesto are always stands to improve the

quality of public service delivery which satisfaction of citizens improve trust in local

government (Van de Walle, Kampen, Bouckaert & Maddens, 2002). In this regard, the

literature reviewed is intended to focus on service delivery and elections manifesto