Barely a week after South Africans went to the polls to elect new municipal councillors, a senior researcher in the City has published an academic paper evaluating the impact of coalition governments on service delivery.
Vele Muhadi’s academic article delves into how coalition governments should be run as the country grapples with a new method of mainstream politics. The paper also examines Joburg’s coalition government arrangement since 2016, while evaluating its bearing on the effective delivery of municipal services.
He argues that political parties need to consider voters when negotiating coalition arrangements as this is critical to the viability and legitimacy of any union government.
“My paper has been well received by the management of the City’s Research Unit and was on the agenda at a recent annual conference of the South African Association of Public Administration and Management (SAAPAM),” he says.
Born and bred in Limpopo’s most northern village of Venda, Vele has already set sights on his next research topic: to examine how to provide economic opportunities to residents of Johannesburg disenfranchised by the Covid-19 pandemic.
He believes the City should strive towards creating an enabling environment for the private sector to invest in job creation. Although Vele relishes academic research, he says this was not a default career choice. His father’s words while growing up helped nudge him in the right direction.
“My property is mine to have, not yours to inherit. Work hard so that you can accumulate your own possessions to avoid depending on mine.”
Before working for Joburg, the University of Pretoria graduate plied his trade as a researcher for Parliament, under the Arts and Culture Section 79 portfolio committee and was also employed for five years as a researcher in the national department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs.
Vele joined the City in May 2015 as a researcher and was appointed senior researcher in February this year. He’s been charged with cultivating alternative solutions to the City’s socioeconomic challenges while providing research capacity on oversight matters. Part of his work entails ensuring Section 79 Committees are stable enough to hold officials accountable for service delivery shortfalls.
He holds an honours degree in archaeology from the University of Pretoria, another qualification in Tourism, also from UP and a master’s of science from the University of Witwatersrand. He also has an advanced certificate in project management and is currently enrolled for a law degree at the University of South Africa.
Vele describes himself as a flexible manager who believes in teamwork. He is open-minded and enjoys resolving problems his colleagues get entangled in. He insists on crediting his team for all the arduous work they put into his appointment to a senior position.
“I am grateful for this institution,” he says.
Written by Gontse ‘GeE’ Hlophe