MUNICIPAL PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT TECHNICAL DIGEST

The Municipal Performance Management Technical Digest (2025) is a guide produced by the Public Affairs Research Institute as part of the COMPACT project. It outlines the legislative frameworks, core components, and best practices for municipal performance management in South Africa, emphasizing the need for stronger community involvement to improve accountability and service delivery.

• Many South African municipalities suffer from underdeveloped performance management systems, which leads to poor service delivery and a lack of accountability and consequence management. There is frequently a misalignment between these performance management systems and the Integrated Development Plan (IDP) or the Service Delivery and Budget Implementation Plan (SDBIP), compounded by limited community involvement in monitoring outcomes.
• Municipal performance management in South Africa is governed by several key legislative acts. Section 152 of the Constitution (1996) mandates an "accountable government," while Chapter 6 of the Municipal Systems Act (MSA) (2000) requires the development of a performance management system (PMS) linked to the IDP. Additionally, the Municipal Finance Management Act (MFMA) (2003) provides for financial oversight and consequence management for failing to meet performance targets.
• Various South African municipalities have implemented specific best practices to enhance performance management through public participation. Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality uses ward-based IDP forums for priority-setting, the City of Cape Town utilizes Community Satisfaction Surveys, uMhlathuze employs participatory budgeting, and Stellenbosch holds open council sessions for reviewing performance reports.
• Citizen-Based Monitoring (CBM) is an approach that empowers trained Ward Committee Members, acting as Citizen Monitors, to oversee public infrastructure projects. These monitors use tools like KoboToolbox to upload data and report issues. This approach is currently being piloted in the Kouga and Oudtshoorn Local Municipalities, specifically focusing on sanitation and water infrastructure.

APA

Public Affairs Research Institute (2025). MUNICIPAL PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT TECHNICAL DIGEST. https://pari.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Compact-Technical-Digest-Final.pdf

Chicago

Public Affairs Research Institute. MUNICIPAL PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT TECHNICAL DIGEST. 2025. https://pari.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Compact-Technical-Digest-Final.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Public Affairs Research Institute |title=MUNICIPAL PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT TECHNICAL DIGEST |date=2025 |url=https://pari.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Compact-Technical-Digest-Final.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{publicaffairsresearchinstitute2025municipal, author = {{Public Affairs Research Institute}}, title = {{MUNICIPAL PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT TECHNICAL DIGEST}}, institution = {Public Affairs Research Institute}, year = {2025}, url = {https://pari.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Compact-Technical-Digest-Final.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }