Exploring the Effects of Performance Management on Service Delivery in Greater Tzaneen Municipality

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to investigate how performance management affects service delivery, which has been a persistent problem in South African municipalities for decades. All municipalities have experienced protests due to underperformance, and the Greater Tzaneen Municipality is no exception. This municipality has struggled with poor service delivery due to various factors such as unethical behavior, mismanagement of public funds, and underperformance, resulting in continuous protests by community members. The study used a qualitative approach and thematic content analysis to analyze the data in line with the research objectives. The findings indicate that poor performance management has a negative impact on people's lives, and unrealistic performance goals set by the Greater Tzaneen Municipality have not been met. The issue of poor performance management is a significant concern in South African municipalities, leading to poor service delivery in the local government. To address this problem, the study recommends that all levels of employees should understand what performance management on service delivery entails. Additionally, the municipality executive managers should take responsibility for performance measurement and ensure that the performance of each employee is evaluated, monitored, and measured.