Africa Journal of Public Sector Development and Governance - Volume 2 Number 2, November 2019

It cannot be doubted that Africa’s recent history is marked by considerable development and impressive strides in many spheres. Opportunities are vast as the continent is home to large and growing markets, and in 2019, the fastest-growing economies in the world were in Africa. This growth phenomenon is spurred by a number of key factors, such as a vibrant and growing youth, new business opportunities registering impressive returns on investments, the growth of the urban consumer market, as well as structural changes and improved governance that increasingly support development. By properly harnessing of the potential of its people and the many resources available on the continent, Africa is poised to continue on its inspiring development path.

On ne peut pas douter que l’histoire récente de l’Afrique soit marquée par un développement considérable, et des progrès impressionnants dans beaucoup de domaines. Nombreuses sont les opportunités sur un continent qui compte des marchés importants et croissants. En 2019, les économies à croissance rapide étaient en Afrique. Ce phénomène de croissance est encouragé par un certain nombre de facteurs clés, tels qu’une jeunesse vibrante et grandissante, des nouvelles opportunités commerciales enregistrant une rentabilité des investissements impressionnante, la croissance du marché des consommateurs urbains, ainsi que les changements structurels et une gouvernance améliorée qui soutient de plus en plus le développement. En exploitant proprement le potentiel de ses populations et les nombreuses ressources disponibles sur le continent, l’Afrique est prête à continuer sur la voie stimulante du développement.

Não há dúvida de que a história recente da África está marcada por um desenvolvimento significativo e por grandes avanços em muitos domínios. Dado o facto de o continente ser o lar de grandes e crescentes mercados, as oportunidades são vastas e, em 2019, a África registou as economias em mais rápido crescimento no mundo. Este fenómeno de crescimento é impulsionado por uma série de factores fundamentais, como por exemplo uma juventude vibrante e em crescimento, novas oportunidades de negócio que registam retornos impressionantes nos investimentos, a expansão do mercado de consumo urbano, bem como mudanças estruturais e uma melhor governação que apoiam cada vez mais o desenvolvimento. A África, ao aproveitar devidamente o potencial do seu povo e os muitos recursos disponíveis no continente, está pronta para continuar a trilhar o seu caminho de desenvolvimento inspirador.

Over the past three decades, most African countries have implemented both political and economic reforms towards greater democratisation and support for a free market system. Many African leaders competed in a multi-party environment to get elected into office, and those in office have often tried to improve their service delivery performance in order to reduce the levels of poverty that so often characterise the continent. However, studies on how well, or how poorly, African governments perform in delivering services to their citizens are limited. Much of the information on this important subject in Africa comes from isolated and varied case studies that focus on a single country, or even a specific city, town and/or village.

The end of the 20th Century was characterised by a concerted struggle for democracy and the clamour for improved governance and development. The clarion call for greater freedom and justice coincided with the political fall-outs following the dramatic fall of the Berlin Wall, on 9 November 1989, and the collapse of the then Soviet Union (USSR) on 26 December 1991; coupled with the influence or pressure of Western governments and donors converging with the activism of domestic forces in demand of democratic reforms (Fukuyama 1992). These events have seemingly become push factors for the democratic discourse. This has provided the incentive and legitimacy for popular democratic struggles in the early 1990s, in what is known in literature as the ‘Third Wave’ of democratisation (Huntington 1991) that engulfed the entire world in the early 1990s.

The prominence of political parties as the most appropriate organs for the aggregation of people’s interests and the proper channel for attainment of parliamentary seats may diminish if the trend and interest in non-party candidature continues to grow in developing countries. The phenomenal rise of independent candidates is attributed to the decline in partisanship (Berglund, Holmberg, & Schmitt 2005), the rise of anti-party sentiments (Belanger 2004), internal party democracy flaws, dissatsfaction, personal and selfish reasons, and factionalism. In Uganda, it is widely believed it is as a result of resentment of parties arising from disputes in party primaries. It has continually been evidenced by the number of Independent Members of Parliament (IMPs) who make it to parliament that the independent candidates have been doing well in elections and performing actively in parliament. The number of IMPs in Uganda’s parliament has steadily been rising, from 38 in the Eighth Parliament, to 43 in the Ninth Parliament and now, to 69 in the Tenth Parliament (Parliament of Uganda 2019). The 69 IMPs in the Ugandan parliament are greater in number than the official opposition, which stands at 38.

Business incubation is a concept and practice aimed at nurturing start-up enterprises to achieve success. The practice of incubation is well grounded in South African business practice, as evidenced by the existence of an Association of Business Incubators in the country. The main reason for this is that it has been well established that the failure rate of start-up businesses in the country is very high; with some studies estimating rates as high as 60 and 80 per cent (Ndabeni 2008). It is assumed that start-up entrepreneurs are more successful if they are well prepared and supported in the early stages of their business.

Uganda’s economy has grown significantly over the past three decades and may continue to do so in future (World Bank 2014). However, employment creation has not kept pace with economic growth, which in the last three decades averaged 2.7 per cent (%) per annum with little or no increase in the rate of employment (Magelah and Ntambirweki-Karugonjo 2014). One can argue that universities should play a key role in addressing the unemployment rate in Uganda. It is worth noting that 87 943 public and private sector jobs were advertised between 2009 and 2013 (UBOS 2014, 24), while Uganda produces roughly 500 000 tertiary education graduates per year. On average, about 18 000 jobs are created annually (Babyetsiza 2016:13).

This article analyses the role of an enabling environment as a factor in the successful mainstreaming of gender for gender equality at the Ministry of Public Service and Administration in South Africa. Gumede (2008:10) claims that in post-Apartheid South Africa, the significant challenges the democratic government faced included “rebuilding the institutional mechanisms and initiating and implementing legislation and policies that are in line with the Constitution to usher in a new era of a developmental State.” Gumede speaks to the important role of an enabling environment in facilitating the implementation of gender mainstreaming in the public service. This aspect is crucial to ensuring gender mainstreaming implementation in government.

South Africa’s 1994 transition to a non-racial democracy received international acclaim. It was a remarkable accomplishment for a country at the southern tip of Africa in a rapidly globalising world. Apartheid was put to rest after four decades of exclusive white rule. However, a quarter of a century later, the lofty ideals of the ‘Rainbow nation’, a proud country where all its people would enjoy a life of dignity, led by a caring government, in some areas remains a project under construction. Although many human rights ideals have been realised, there remain areas that need considerably more attention. One is the realisation of the basic human right to an environment that is not harmful to one’s health. In the case under study, the potential cause of the lapse must be sought in the field of municipal government. South Africa has outstanding legislation; describing and providing guidelines for the three tiers of government, from the central to the provincial and local level. But the system has only been partially successfully implemented. At the third tier, municipal government, operational lapses are most apparent. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the municipal water and sanitation sector.

Abstracts of articles in this edition

This single-authored paperback by Dr Ramparsad can be located in the broader context of identity and inclusion social action that has unfolded globally. The more recent impetus towards securing deeper forms of incorporation has arisen from the #MeToo campaign and the ‘fallist’ movement that stems from student activism on the payment of tuition fees and the ‘decolonisation’ of curriculum content at South African universities (Habib 2019). The ‘About the Author’ introductory note affirms that the writer has a keen interest in social justice and responds to the challenges posed by aggrieved social groups (in this case, women who experience injustice and various forms of overt and covert exclusion from the formal economy and institutions). The biographical note outlines that the author is committed to the African continent and on ‘producing knowledge unique to the African diaspora’. An activist orientation in producing a book on ‘gender equality’ is understandable, given the discriminatory challenges faced by women. It is also admirable as the author situates the text in her desire to make a difference and drive change in South Africa.

Le livre de poche de la Dr Ramparsad se situe dans le contexte plus large de l’identité et de l’action sociale d’inclusion qui s’est développé globalement. L’impulsion plus récente vers la garantie de formes plus profondes d’incorporation, a été donnée par la campagne #MeToo et le mouvement « Fallist » dérivé de l’activisme des étudiants relatif aux frais de scolarité, et à la « décolonisation » du programme d’études dans les universités sud-africaines (Habib 2019). La note d’introduction sur l’auteure affirme que celle-ci s’intéresse beaucoup à la justice sociale, et qu’elle répond aux défis posés par les groupes sociaux contrariés (dans ce cas-ci, les femmes qui vivent l’injustice et diverses formes d’exclusion manifeste et cachée, dans le monde du travail et les institutions formelles). La note biographique révèle que l’auteure est engagée envers le continent africain et envers « la production de connaissances uniques aux diasporas africaines ». L’orientation activiste adoptée dans la rédaction d’un livre sur « l’égalité entre les sexes » est tout-à-fait compréhensible, vu les défis discriminatoires auxquels les femmes doivent faire face. Ce qui est également admirable alors que l’auteure situe le texte dans le cadre de son désir d’agir concrètement, et d’apporter un changement en Afrique du Sud.

Este livro de autoria única pelo Dr Ramparsad pode ser localizado no contexto mais amplo da acção social de identidade e inclusão que se tem desenvolvido globalmente. O impulso mais recente para garantir formas mais profundas de incorporação surgiu da campanha #MeToo e do movimento “ fallist” que deriva do activismo estudantil no pagamento das propinas e da “descolonização” do conteúdo curricular nas universidades sul-africanas (Habib 2019). A nota introdutória “Sobre o Autor” afirma que a escritora tem um grande interesse na justiça social e responde aos desafios colocados por grupos sociais lesados (neste caso, mulheres que experienciam injustiça e várias formas de exclusão aberta e encoberta da economia e instituições formais). A nota biográfica sublinha que a autora se compromete com o continente africano e com a “produção de conhecimento específico para a diáspora africana”. Uma orientação activista na produção de um livro sobre “igualdade de género” é compreensível, dados os desafios discriminatórios enfrentados pelas mulheres. Também é admirável, pois a autora situa o texto no seu desejo de criar uma diferença e impulsionar a mudança na África do Sul.