In South Africa, poor service delivery has been a major problem in many municipalities, partly because of corruption, political patronage and skills deficits at local administrative levels.
This study aimed to critically assess the extent of service delivery deficit and find ways to improve service delivery in the study area and beyond.
This study is framed on the ideals of theory of social contract that states the relationship between the state and society. In this line, this study highlights Weber’s theory of bureaucracy and the new public management (NPM) that gets its theoretical foundations from public choice and principal–agent theories.
The study used primary data collected from 120 respondents. A descriptive quantitative method was used using questionnaire and content analysis of official documentations.
The study finds that residents in the study area are not satisfied with the level of current municipal services provided. In addition, the study reveals that the municipality does not generate enough funds because of non-payment for the services rendered that will substantially reduce basic municipal services provision. Furthermore, contrary to the common belief that rural municipal residents demand free services, this study finds that residents are willing to pay modest fees for the quality services rendered.
The residents in the Dr JS Moroka Local Municipality (DR JSMLM) value essential services such as water and electricity more than other services. The status of service delivery in the municipality is rated poor. However, the residents still believe that there are possibilities for the improvements in the service delivery if the municipality adheres to its Integrated Development Plan (IDP) for the years ahead.
Both developing and developed countries have the responsibility to provide basic services such as housing, water and sanitation, land, electricity and infrastructure to their public in an efficient, equitable and sustainable ways. From the economic efficiency perspective, there is a need for balancing market and government (i.e. administrative) failures that often exist in service delivery. Whilst pure public goods should be provided by government regardless of its weaknesses and pure private goods should generally be left to the market (Hammer
The South African Constitution, in Section 151(1), provides for the establishment of municipalities in the local sphere of government (Constitution of the Republic of South Africa [South African Government]
Dr JS Moroka Local Municipality, named after the medical doctor and politician who was president of the African National Congress (ANC) from 1949 to 1952, is in the Nkangala District Municipality in the province of Mpumalanga. Like other municipalities in the country, Dr JS Moroka local municipality (here after, Dr JSMLM) has been subject to financial crisis (Dr JSMLM Audit Report
This study is framed on the ideals of theory of social contract that states the relationship between the state and society (Loewe, Zintl & Houdret
Local governments have the responsibility to ensure the provision of services to communities in a sustainable manner, promoting social and economic development and promoting a safe and healthy environment for their residents (Mabizela & Matsiliza
To make NPM practical the first democratic government of South Africa introduced the
The eight principles of
To achieve these objectives, it is necessary for every municipality to plan as indicated in the National Planning Commission (
Integrated Development Plans (IDPs) are the planning instruments directed as strategies for enhancing service delivery in local government (Subban & Theron
Since 1994, as adopted in the
According to Subban and Theron (
The post-1994 democratic developmental South African state opted for a strong local government system as per its constitutional mandate (Reddy
Municipal services include services that the local government is responsible for and other services, which the national or provincial government may delegate to local governments. Local governments have the responsibility for ensuring that all people living in their area have access to adequate and affordable services on a sustainable basis. However, service delivery protests in South Africa have been increasing in number and frequency of occurrences. Service delivery protests are linked to an inadequate provision of basic services at local municipality level (Morudu
Government failures are more visible at local levels and are attributed to voter apathy, manipulation of evidence to please councillors, biasness because of lack of public or media scrutiny, citizens overexpectation, political entrepreneurship and administration incapacity and forced integration of municipalities (Buthelezi & Dollery
In the context of where this study was carried out, a review of Dr JSMLM IDP (2017–2022) shows that since the adoption of the first 5-year plan (IDP) in 2018, more citizens have access to basic services such as water, electricity, good roads, sanitation and housing. Increased opportunities for economic development were also brought by new dispensation. For the improvement of the practical impact of governments programme, greater accountability, monitoring and evaluation are required (Chitja
Dr JSMLM is in the Nkangala District Municipality in the province of Mpumalanga.
Map of the study area and its neighbourhoods.
The municipality has a total population of 249 705 population (StatSA
The selection of samples from the population of the study location is based on factors such as accessibility. Purposive sampling was used to select 10 wards (out of 31) based on ease of accessibility and then household heads included in the sample are chosen randomly. As shown in
Total number of population sampled.
Population | Total number of population | Sampled |
---|---|---|
Councillors | 31 | 5 |
Municipal staff | 484 | 15 |
Wards | 31 | 100 household heads |
A descriptive quantitative method was used based on questionnaires and content analysis of official documentation. In addition, document review was carried out to unpack service delivery related aspects in the study area in its entirety.
A total of 10 councillors, 14 municipal staff and 100 ward residents were given questionnaires to participate in the study by providing responses to questions. Their responses are tabulated in
Summary of the respondents on their response for whether they pay municipal services or not.
Respondents | The response |
Percentages (%) |
||
---|---|---|---|---|
Yes | No | Yes | No | |
Councillors | 5 | 0 | 100 | 0 |
Municipal staff members | 15 | 0 | 100 | 0 |
Wards residents (households) | 40 | 60 | 40 | 60 |
Summary of the respondents on their monthly expense for municipal services.
Respondents | The response (Rand) |
Percentages |
||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
100–200 | 201–300 | 301–more | 100–200 | 201–300 | 301–more | |
Councillors | 0 | 2 | 21 | 0% | 13.33% | 52.5% |
Municipal staff members | 3 | 8 | 11 | 60% | 53.33% | 27.5% |
Wards residents | 2 | 5 | 8 | 40% | 33.33% | 20% |
Summary of the respondents on their willingness to pay for municipal services.
Respondents | Are you willing to pay for better service delivery? |
|||
---|---|---|---|---|
The response |
Percentages (%) |
|||
Agree | Disagree | Agree | Disagree | |
Councillors | 5 | 0 | 100 | 0 |
Municipal staff members | 15 | 0 | 100 | 0 |
Wards residents | 70 | 30 | 75 | 25 |
Summary of the level of satisfaction of the respondents on municipal services.
Response | Councillors | % | Municipal staff members | % | Ward residents | % |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Extremely dissatisfied | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
Poor service with room for improvement | 1 | 10 | 3 | 20 | 37 | 37 |
Neutral – No opinion | 1 | 10 | 6 | 60 | 43 | 43 |
Satisfied, but room for improvement | 3 | 80 | 6 | 60 | 13 | 13 |
Extremely satisfied (no problems) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
As shown in
Response from councillors on the most needed services.
Response | Number of councillors | % | Number of municipal members staff | % | Number of ward members | % |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Water | 4 | 80 | 9 | 60 | 79 | 79 |
Electricity | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Sanitation | 0 | 0 | 2 | 13.33 | 13 | 13 |
Road and storm water | 1 | 20 | 2 | 13.33 | 4 | 4 |
Housing | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Education (library) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6.67 | 3 | 3 |
Based on
The quantitative analysis and responses from participants in this study show that most residents in the study area remain in a state of poverty despite the resources being provided by the government to alleviate poverty (National Treasury
From the data analysis it is confirmed that the resident’s prefer essential services such as water and electricity, more than other services. The status of service delivery in the municipality is rated as poor. However, the residents still believe that there are possibilities for the improvements in the service delivery if the municipality adheres to its IDP for the years ahead. The municipality has many rural areas that cannot afford to pay for the services where the level of unemployment is high. People are more concerned about the supply of water in their areas than other services as it is a basic need for everyone. Communities usually spend 2–3 days without water. The scarcity of water is because of Mkhombo dam, which has become dry because of the prolonged dry season. Regarding sanitation, many ward residents have pit toilets, which are supplied by the municipality and other residents have flush toilets in which they pay for the municipality to come and drain their toilets. Waste removal is not in all the areas, it is only in those areas wherein they pay for services. In other areas waste is dumped on the roadside.
Human capacity in Dr JSMLM is insufficient. The document analysis shows that there are 359 vacant posts. This leads to poor service delivery because the available staff has too much to handle, thus some important tasks are left unattended. The study also found that service backlogs cannot be met because of limited budget. It was also found that most residents are not paying for services, which makes it difficult for the municipality to provide services adequately as the money used for development is derived from payment of services.
The primary aim of this study was to evaluate challenges of service delivery in Dr JSMLM with the intention to find remedial solutions to challenges encountered in the delivery of services in a sustainable way. The study found that water service is the most needed amongst other services. The majority of the residents in the study area are not satisfied with the level of current municipal services provided. The study also reveals that the municipality does not generate enough funds from the services rendered for the residents as 60% of the residents fail to pay for the services provided. This creates financial constraints and will substantially reduce basic municipal services provision.
The provision of safe water, sanitation, sewage and road and storm water ensures that there are economic benefits to the communities and it is of crucial importance for the preservation of human health and safety. Poor service delivery in roads and storm water could result in increased accidents on the roads, and waste removal could increase the air pollution and illnesses. Public participation should be considered through the election of ward councillors who are crucial actors in organising public participation. Communities are invited to attend IDP meetings so that they can give inputs on their needs. In this way, municipalities are assisted in making plans that are in line with community needs. Lack of human, financial and technical resources negatively influences service delivery. Dr JSMLM is understaffed with 359 vacant posts. As a result, the responsibilities of appointed officials become too much to handle. This leads to some important obligations being neglected. Technical, financial and human resources are needed to enhance service delivery.
According to the residents, the service delivery of Dr JSMLM is poor but with room for improvement. Few ward residents feel that they are extremely dissatisfied with service delivery; in their view the municipality is not doing anything for them. Dr JSMLM has a backlog challenge in service delivery provision. To overcome the backlog, there is an IDP in place. The plans indicate that the backlog will be there for the foreseeable future. The constraint envisaged is lack of funds to ensure that there is service provision. To enhance service delivery, the municipality should also outsource services to private service providers. The reason behind outsourcing is to reduce maintenance and administrative costs.
This study highlighted the challenges encountered in the provision of service delivery. It is hoped that the ensuing recommendations will assist in improving the quality-of-service provision in Dr JSMLM. The municipality should outsource certain functions to promote efficiency. By outsourcing services, communities benefit because jobs will be created and administrative and maintenance costs can be minimised. Human, financial and technical resources should be provided to enhance service delivery. The filling of vacant posts with skilled employees should be prioritised for efficient delivery of services. A debt recovery plan should be developed and complied to meet lack of financial resources from recovered debts. The national and provincial government should also be consulted to provide more funds to buy equipment and replace old infrastructure. Public participation should be given priority because municipalities have been created to serve the public. People know their rights and may revolt if they are neglected. Given a chance to participate in decision-making, they become cooperative and support the activities of the municipalities. The municipality should also follow and adhere to the national government’s initiative such as the municipal service partnerships (MSPs) to enhance service delivery.
This study further shows that contrary to the common belief that rural municipal residents demand free services, Dr JSMLM residents are willing to pay modest fees for the quality services rendered. This implies that there is possibility for delivering public services through market systems. However, the feasibility of market mechanisms in South African rural municipalities is a key area for further study.
The authors would like to express sincere gratitude to the editorial team and anonymous reviewers of
The authors declare that they have no financial or personal relationships that may have inappropriately influenced them in writing this article.
M.F.Z. and M.P.M. contributed equally to the design and implementation of the research, to the analysis of the results and to the writing of the manuscript.
This article followed all ethical standards for research without direct contact with human or animal subjects.
The authors thank Tshwane University of Technology for the payment of page fees.
The data that support the findings of this study are available on special request from the corresponding author, M.F.Z. The data are not publicly available because of their containing information that could compromise the privacy of research participants.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any affiliated agency of the authors.