The Impact of Government Transparency and Accountability on Community Trust: Evidence from Local municipalities in KwaZulu Natal, South Africa

Trust in local government is central to effective public governance, yet many South African municipalities continue to face challenges related to poor accountability, limited transparency and inadequate administrative capacity. These issues have contributed to declining community confidence. This study explored how competency, organisational commitment, accountability and transparency influence community trust in selected local municipalities within KwaZulu-Natal. A quantitative, cross-sectional survey was conducted four municipalities representing different developmental context. Respondents included municipal administers and members of consultative councils. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire measuring competency, organisational commitment, accountability, transparency, and community trust. Partial least squares analysis was employed due to the small sample size and the exploratory nature of the relationships explored. Validity and reliability tests were performed prior to hypothesis testing. Competency and organisational commitment were both positively associated with accountability between municipal personnel. However, organisational commitment did not show a significantly linked to transparency. Transparency emerged as the strongest and only significant predictor of community trust. Descriptive result revealed relatively low levels of staff competency despite widespread training initiatives, while transparency practices scored higher, influenced in part by regular pressures. The findings indicate that although improved competency and organisational commitment can enhance accountability in local municipalities, transparency play a much more decisive role in shaping community trust. Efforts to strengthen trust should therefore prioritise clear, accessible, and proactive disclosure of municipal activities, budgets and performance results. At the same time, targeted capacity-building initiatives remain essential to improve accountability mechanisms. Future research should consider larger, multi-provincial samples and longitudinal designs to better understand the causal pathways between governance practices and public trust.