Tafadzwa Clementine Maramura
Post-1994, most rural communities in South Africa were left underdeveloped and this resulted in most citizens struggling to make ends meet. Municipalities formed during pre-1994 were strategically centered on delivering goods and services to urban areas at the expense of rural communities. Considering this background, this study exposes how rural development remains a prevalent challenge in affecting service delivery in Eastern Cape, South Africa, given its rural context. Pertinent to this study’s purpose, there is a need to enhance services delivered to rural communities within Mnquma Municipality considering the dawdling pace of rural development. The above challenges experienced in the Municipality hinge the aim of the study of how Mnquma Municipality can improve its governance to improve service delivery to its communities. This qualitative study employed semi structured interviews and reviewed secondary data as data collection methods. The sample of this study included ten (10) members from the communities and five (5) officials from the directorate of community services. Findings from this study proved that, practicing good governance is central to effective and efficient service delivery in improving the livelihood of citizens in Mnquma municipality and other municipalities in the Eastern Cape Province and the greater South Africa. Recommendations indicate how this study is pertinent to the field of Public Administration as it creates awareness for public officials to realize and adopt good governance practices to ensure effective and efficient service delivery.