Citizens' Role in Enhancing Local Government: Holding Leaders Accountable for Positive Change
Dr Vuyiwe Tsako is a Local Government Expert with over 20 years' experience.
Summary
Dr Vuyiwe Tsako stresses the significance of active citizenship in local government through collaborative partnerships and decision-making processes. Joint projects offer opportunities for community influence and consultation while enabling citizens to understand the municipality's financial constraints.
She underscores the importance of political and administrative accountability, distinguishing between the two. While political accountability enables citizens to sanction elected officials for their decisions, administrative accountability holds administrators responsible for their contributions to decision-making.
Sadly, many community members lack awareness of their roles in holding political leaders accountable and often target administrators instead. Despite challenges within local government, some municipalities succeed with ethical and diligent leadership at both political and administrative levels.
Additionally, citizens play a vital role in identifying and addressing local government issues through engagement and activism.
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