An assessment of the performance management system for senior managers at Chris Hani district municipality

Abstract

This study examines the implementation of the Performance Management System (PMS) in local government, with specific reference to municipalities in the Chris Hani District in the Eastern Cape. The research is premised on the assumption that even though a PMS has been adopted in municipalities with the aim of assisting them to function effectively, municipalities in the Eastern Cape, particularly in Christ Hani District, continue to experience performance challenges. The study presupposes that the implementation of the performance management system at the municipality, whether effective or ineffective, has a direct relationship with the performance of the municipality. The study includes a historical overview of local government with the aim of understanding government reforms introduced to assist municipalities to build their capacity to enable them to perform well. It utilises purposive sampling to identify the most appropriate participants based on the research objectives. The data was collected through semi-structured interviews and a review of relevant documents. As part of the analysis, summaries of the responses of interviewees were written in a meaningful way in line with the thematic areas determined in accordance with the research objectives. The municipality uses the Balances Scorecard as a performance management tool to determine the performance level of individuals and to detect areas that need corrective measures across the local municipalities. There are inconsistencies in the implementation, depending on how well the particular local municipality is resourced. In any municipality, the effective implementation of the PMS requires the municipality to reward excellent performers, which requires increases in the personnel budget to cater for monitory rewards.