Abstract
The study assessed the role of accountability and transparency in promoting effective governance for service delivery in a South African municipality. The problem of delivering and provision of adequate services that lead to sustainable development has prevailed in South Africa’s local municipalities. This prevalence has ignited social protests in municipalities, which has given rise to riots and mass demonstrations that affect social order and security. The study found that a lack of accountability on the side of the municipal officials and transparency in the process are the main factors that lead to inadequate service delivery. Both accountability and transparency are the major principles of good governance that facilitate the smooth delivery of services to the people. Both transparency and accountability promote good governance for service delivery. The study found that ttransparency is an essential tool for local governance. It enables local citizens to hold leaders accountable and foster trust in local government. Transparency and accountability were found to reduce corruption and its arrangements thus promoting the delivery of adequate and quality services to the citizens. The study found that there can be no democracy for service delivery without both accountability and transparency. The study therefore found that transparency and accountability are two related concepts that ensure good practices and effective delivery of services. It was found that where the duo is lacking, performances and achievements become strained. The study recommended that political leaders and local municipal leaders must understand the roles, prospects, and significance of transparency and accountability in promoting adequate services to the citizens. The study adopted a qualitative research methodology which was based on desktop research that involves secondary data. Document and content analysis were used to analyse data and achieve the findings of this study.