Power without accountability: Political interference and the normalisation of workplace bullying in Limpopo municipalities

Power without accountability: Political interference and the normalisation of workplace bullying in Limpopo municipalities

Nevhungoni Tshilidzi & Sekgobela Tumelo

Issue: Vol. 7 No.8 2026 Article 7 pp. 2272 – 2287
DOI: https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.2026787 Published online 30th September 2026

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ABSTRACT

Workplace bullying remains a major challenge in public institutions because it harms employee well-being, weakens governance, and reduces service delivery. In South African municipalities, these problems may be worsened by political interference in administrative processes. This article explored how political interference contributes to workplace bullying in municipalities in Limpopo Province, South Africa. A qualitative phenomenological design was adopted. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with municipal employees selected through snowball sampling. The data were analysed using thematic analysis. The findings show that political interference contributes to workplace bullying by protecting certain employees from accountability, influencing appointments to strategic positions, pressuring employees in procurement processes, and reinforcing fear and silence among workers. Participants reported that politically connected individuals were often perceived as untouchable, even when they engaged in intimidation, exclusion, verbal abuse, or unfair treatment. The findings further show that political interference weakens employee morale, reduces trust in reporting systems, and affects municipal service delivery through delays, poor teamwork, and compromised procurement practices. Guided by Power-Control Theory, the article argues that political influence strengthens both formal and informal power, creating conditions that allow bullying to emerge and persist. The article concluded that addressing workplace bullying in municipalities requires stronger accountability systems, merit-based appointments, confidential reporting mechanisms, and a clearer separation between political leadership and administration.

Keywords: Accountability, bullying, political interference, power, and workplace.

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ABOUT AUTHOR(S)

Ms. Tshilidzi Nevhungoni is a Master of Social Work student. She is an employee of the Department of Social Development in Limpopo Province, South Africa. The author is interested in workplace violence and bullying and has participated in the conceptualization of this paper and contributed to the methodology design and ethical implementation.

Dr. Tumelo Sekgobela is a lecturer at the University of Venda. He has been in higher education for over 4 years. His research interests are in the resilience of social workers, substance abuse, and bullying. He has written extensively about the resilience of social workers, bullying, and substance abuse, and supervised many students in these fields of study. He has a strong interest in student support, well-being, and transition to higher education.

TO CITE ARTICLE

Tshilidzi, Nevhungoni, and Sekgobela Tumelo. “Power without accountability: Political interference and the normalisation of workplace bullying in Limpopo municipalities.” E-Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences 7, no.8 (2026): 2272 – 2287. https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.2026787