Presented by Nondumiso Twalo Ensuring robust, transparent and effective local governance that will restore the trust of communities in Government Presented by Nondumiso Twalo

Presentation Outline Defining trust in the context of government What erodes the trust of communities in government? Statistics on community trust on government Why should the level of trust concern government? Nurturing public trust whilst ensuring robust, transparent and effective local governance Conclusion

Defining trust in the context of government Trust is an efficient means for lowering transaction costs in any social, economic and political relationship (Fukuyama 1995). Trust in general has two main variants. Trust assessed in political terms is the so-called political trust. Political trust happens when citizens appraise the government and its institutions, policy- making in general and/or the individual political leaders as promise-keeping, efficient, fair and honest. Political trust, in other words, is the “judgment of the citizenry that the system and the political incumbents are responsive, and will do what is right even in the absence of constant scrutiny” (Miller and Listhaug 1990, 358). Establishing trust requires an open society where citizens are able to debate and question government policies, and can have a sense of making a difference in decision-making processes. Trust in government decision-making processes and implementation thereof transcend partisan and/or ideological attachments (Blind 2006 and Angel Gurria 2013).

What erodes the trust of communities in government?

Statistics on community trust on government

Why should the level of trust concern government? Trust is an important component of democratic legitimacy. If citizens trust their government, they will be more likely to contribute to a strong and robust democracy. This means that people will be more willing to listen to government and support its policies aimed at improving the country as a whole. When people support government policies they will be predisposed to want to help government implement such policies. The issue of trust is a concern world-wide with a decline in the levels of trust observed internationally. Findings indicate that trust in all institutions world-wide is tapering off. Business scandals, government lack of transparency and media scandals are believed to have led to the declining levels of trust. This has left citizens lacking a clear sense of these institutions’ intentions or actions and it therefore makes them less receptive to messages from any of these institutions.

Nurturing public trust whilst ensuring robust, transparent and effective local governance Communication Who communicates the local government story? Communication vs. crisis management Public participation Reporting & planning Complaints petition Responsive fraud hotlines Consequence management AG recommendations Forensic reports

Nurturing public trust whilst ensuring robust, transparent and effective local governance Customer survey Create a caring government with its hand on the pulse Strengthening of MPAC committees to ensure oversight Political stability in Councils Accessibility

CONCLUSION

NDIYABULELA