Abstract
M.A. (Public Management and Governance)
The objective of this study is to consider the role of the Gauteng Provincial Legislature (GPL) in promoting public participation. Principally, the goal is to assess the efficiency and effectiveness of the institution’s machinery to involve the Gauteng citizenry in legislative and/or policy-making processes. This includes determining the public’s influence on policy and/or legislative designs. The methodological approach used in this research is a qualitative approach. Notably, a qualitative approach facilitates an appreciation of an insider’s perspective of a particular environment and the environment’s norms and values “through immersing oneself in a culture and direct interaction with the people under study” (Webb and Auriacombe 2006: 592). As such, the approach provided an understanding of the role of the Gauteng Provincial Legislature in promoting public participation. This is an understanding from the perspectives of both role-players namely, the implementers and participants, of what the institution’s role is on public participation. This includes the role-players’ interpretation of successes and failures as well as points of improvement. The findings reveal that the GPL has a variety of participative instruments, which is in line with the principle of inclusivity. This relates to sector based parliaments and other programmes such as the women and the youth sector parliaments and Bua le Sechaba. These ensure the participation and/or inclusion of various sectors of society within the province. The study also established the developmental and/or educative element of the GPL’s public participation machinery wherein participants attest having learnt about a legislature: its functions and processes as well as applicable procedures for communicating with the provincial government. However, whilst interrogating the satisfaction of the inclusivity principle, findings revealed that the GPL’s public participative machinery is not sufficiently inclusive. The institution is struggling to ensure satisfactory participation of the Coloured, Indian and White population. This also relates to inclusivity in terms of economic classes and political affiliations. In terms of political neutrality, the study revealed that there is a perception of the GPL’s participative initiatives not being apolitical. Consequently, this discourages the participation of people from other political affiliations different from the one the institution seems lenient.