Water Services in South Africa 1994–2009

Abstract

Since 1994, South Africa’s government has demonstrated profound commitment to achieving universal access to water and sanitation – through ambitious policy reforms, institutional restructuring and substantial funding for infrastructure development and operating subsidies. It has met its 2015 MDG goals for both water services and sanitation. But the country as a whole has underestimated what it takes to sustain effective water services: expanding access is comparatively straightforward when compared to the challenges of providing an ongoing service, with all the inherent challenges of strategic management, operation and maintenance, revenue administration and relationship building. Concurrent local government restructuring has meant that infrastructure expansion has generally outpaced the institutional development needed to run the new services. Moreover, top-down, target driven delivery has largely marginalised and alienated ordinary people. Many municipalities have not resourced their water services functions appropriately, and there are severe municipal skills gaps. In response to poor services, unresponsive councillors and corruption, social protest action soared in 2009. Government is now giving priority to a comprehensive turnaround strategy to strengthen local government and its service delivery performance. But the more services are expanded and upgraded, the greater the need for operating subsidies, because the levels of service being provided – certainly in urban areas – are not affordable to a large percentage of the population. Growing dependence of municipalities on grants means that far greater attention must also be given to the efficiency of providing services, to contain costs. Meanwhile leaks and losses associated with neglected maintenance create supply bottlenecks, and raise the costs of provision. Improved management of water services is imperative to enable the inclusive growth and development that South Africans need to escape from high levels of poverty.