NON-PROFIT ORGANISATIONS IN SOUTH AFRICA: DO THESE STRUCTURES HAVE THE CAPACITY TO IMPROVE SERVICE DELIVERY? THE CASE OF UGU DISTRICT IN KWAZULU-NATAL

Abstract

The Non-Profit Organisation Act, of 1997 provides a regulatory framework for NPOs in South Africa. The aim of the study was to investigate the factors that impede NPOs to comply with the NPO Act. Ugu District in KwaZulu-Natal was used as a case study. The research problem is located in the significance of Section 18.1 of the NPO Act requires them to register with the Department of Social Development and to submit annual returns to keep their registration status. Face to face interviews were conducted with 15 NPO managers and 15 coordinators. The study findings highlighted a lack of human resources, governance issues and lack of board or management committee capacity and capabilities to ensure compliance. The conclusions from the study indicate that NPOs suffer from Ineffective governance structures and lack of capacity to run the NPOs successfully. Training was as a possible remedy to the identified problems.