PODCAST | Debate: Will forcing politicians to use public services solve service delivery woes?

One of the biggest problems in our country is the failure of the state to provide quality services to us, the citizens – such as public health services, transport and education.

People from the settlement of Boikhutso collect water from a tanker in Lichtenburg. Local government is instrumental in providing communities with essential services such as clean water, proper sanitation and reliable electricity, notes the writer. File photo.
People from the settlement of Boikhutso collect water from a tanker in Lichtenburg. Local government is instrumental in providing communities with essential services such as clean water, proper sanitation and reliable electricity, notes the writer. File photo. (Alaister Russell)

One of the biggest problems in our country is the failure of the state to provide quality services to us, the citizens – such as public health services, transport and education.

This week Sunday Times columnist Prof William Gumede wrote that the solution lies in forcing political leaders to use public services in order to improve them.

Join the debate: 

In this podcast, Gumede, associate professor at the School of Governance at Wits, and Prof Busani Ngcaweni, principal of the National School of Government, join our regular host Mike Siluma to discuss the proposition.

Gumede defends and expands upon his argument, while Ngcaweni broadly agrees with Gumede but identifies potential shortfalls in the implementation of such a plan. 

For more episodes, click here.

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