Exploring supply chain management practices within municipalities in the West Rand district

This article explores supply chain management practices within selected municipalities in the West Rand district, Gauteng. An empirical research was conducted among supply chain practitioners in the municipalities based on the purposive sampling technique and the data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. The findings revealed that the municipalities have adopted and implemented supply chain management practices. However, supply chain management objectives are not always appropriately aligned with government policies, and the municipalities face serious supply chain issues such as leadership, lack of proper accountability and good governance. From the findings, it is evident that the lack of proper implementation of supply chain management in municipalities is the root cause of problems in service delivery in South Africa. It is recommended that municipal supply chain officials be empowered with supply chain skills for proper supply chain management execution. Keywords: supply chain, municipalities, practices, West Rand district. JEL Classification: M11