Abstract
The goal of this article was to determine the variables that influence performance measurement in order to improve planning and decision-making in the Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality (TMM) oversight committees. Emphasis was placed on the significance of performance measurement, particularly in local government units that practice organisational effectiveness and measurement through reporting, such as oversight committees. Since the advent of performance principles, it has been more crucial than ever to keep track of service delivery, improvement, and compliance with good governance standards. In the TMM, there is an issue of poor service delivery and misuse of public funds at the end of every financial year. This brings into question whether oversight committees are critically assessing and measuring the work of the executive effectively. This article used a qualitative research methodology, and the case study approach was employed to thoroughly investigate and analyse the variables influencing performance measurement, and all the respondents were purposively sampled based on their role within the oversight committees, at TMM. The article found that the link between performance measurement, planning, decision-making, and reporting exists in oversight committees; however, it is the effectiveness of oversight committees in carrying out this function that should be questioned, particularly “how” they review performance. It was also evident, based on the findings of the article that the summons, made by the legislature, oversight committee meetings, and the resolutions did not yield the expected results, especially if there were recurring issues from the past that could not be resolved by oversight committees. The findings also suggested that there was room for improvement in TMMs oversight function, including capacity building and the revision of policies, terms of reference, and the governance model.