Towards norms and standards for water services in rural South Africa (original) (raw)
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Water Conservation and Management 7(1):12-18, 2023
COVID-19 has put addressing inequality in water service provision on top of the global agenda by exposing the high risk posed by the level of water service provision in South Africa. While post-apartheid reforms have improved access, ensuring equity in water service provision has remained a challenge. Therefore, this study examined factors affecting water governance and social equity in rural municipalities and reflects their effects on water service provision. The study adopted a qualitative case study research design and purposive sampling method. Focus group discussions, participant observation, and semi-structured interviews supported by document analysis were used to collect data. Findings revealed that socioeconomic, environmental, institutional, and governance factors highly affect water services resulting in a huge ruralurban gap. The paper concludes that achieving social equity in a society deeply entrenched with inequality, realising human rights, and achieving universal access to water calls for an integrated approach to sustainable development.
CALS, NCHR and COHRE Research Report, 2008
This report presents the findings of a survey of water services across 15 South African municipalities, conducted by the Centre for Applied Legal Studies (CALS), the Centre on Housing Rights and Evictions (COHRE) and the Norwegian Centre for Human Rights (NCHR). The research findings reflect systemic obstacles to the provision of universal access to water services across the country, thus compromising everyone’s water and sanitation-related rights. The report outlines some key recommendations to overhaul water services delivery in South Africa, around cross-cutting ‘fault lines’ which include: eliminating backlogs and improving levels of service; Free Basic Services (FBS); indigent policy as the FBS targeting mechanism; tariff structures; credit control enforcement – water disconnections and restriction devices; financial and technical assistance; water quality; water demand management; and public participation.
South Africa has a complex water governance landscape, both with considerable successes, and ongoing challenges, in achieving sustainable, adequate and equitable water access and governance. With a specific focus on Cape Town, this policy brief provides background on the history and institutions of importance for water governance, and also identifies key legislation enacted since 1994. The report includes a diagram of different levels of water authorities and mandates, offering an 'institutional map' of the urban water sector of Cape Town (dated 2015). Water supply and distribution schemes in South Africa were historically created to serve predominantly white populations during colonial and apartheid eras. Capital investments in pipes, dams and other water-related infrastructure were differentially affected during apartheid in different areas, with homelands, townships and informal settlements receiving much less funding and generally lower quality of water services (Goldin 2010). This resulted in highly differentiated access to water services in South Africa, by race and income, as well as a highly fragmented water management system (Herrfahrdt-Pähle 2010) as well as undemocratic participatory engagement—challenges that all persist today. One historical legacy exacerbating this institutional fragmentation was the shift from 6 municipalities into one Unicity of Cape Town in 2000, which created further challenges for equitable and unified service delivery (Smith & Hanson 2003). With the adoption of the first democratic constitution of South Africa (1996), vast political reforms were undertaken, affecting all dimensions of governance across the country. The new democratic government and constitution established national institutional mandates for the provision and governance of water resources, as well as water services (Republic of South Africa (RSA) 1996). In terms of water services, the South African constitution (1996) includes the guarantee for water (and sanitation), stating that " everyone has the right to access sufficient food and water " (Section
The Citizen Voice Project: An Intervention in Water Services in Rural South Africa
IDS Bulletin, 2009
Despite a legal framework for participation in South Africa, poor citizens have not to date been able to access the public services they need, leading some to talk of a 'second democracy', the political system as experienced by the poor. This action-research study involved local government, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), community leaders and community mobilisation to develop Water Services Scorecards, in rural Mbizana in the Eastern Cape. Water services had been grossly inadequate and were worsening. Communities were facilitated to analyse their own water-related problems; to establish standards and to measure services against indicators adapted from national policy frameworks. The case study documents the process, and reflects on its outcomes. It notes disappointment that service improvements had not been immediate. A crucial constraint, it concludes, was weak inter-level local government coordination; these are higher-order problems that local civil society action of the Citizen Voice Project type is not well positioned to tackle.
Johannesburg’s implementation of the National Water Act, 1998 in Soweto, South Africa
Development Southern Africa, 2019
The Guide to the National Water Act, 1998 (Act 36 of 1998) regards the availability of water as a basic human right. However, local governments seem to struggle to pay for the water they provide to their residents as prescribed in the Water Services Act, 1997 (Act 108 of 1997). This study focused on the domestic provision and consumption of water in Soweto, one of the largest townships in the Johannesburg area of South Africa. Surveys were conducted with 372 respondents from three different socioeconomic suburbs in Soweto with the aim to establish their water use perceptions and practices. Study results indicate implementation of the National Water Act is still being resisted by Sowetan households more than two decades after its adoption, due to the difference in expectations of the municipality and the residents regarding rights to water access and responsible usage. KEYWORDS National Water Act; Water Services Act implementation; perceptions of residents; mandate of local government 1. Introduction South Africa is a semi-arid country that requires deliberate efforts from all water users to manage the demand and the usage of this resource, especially in view of climate changes that are predicted to impact negatively on the future availability of water in this region. The reform of the previous water management law needed to be judicious in order to regulate the supply of and the demand for this resource for sustainability reasons, considering the aridity status of the country.
Insitutional and policy mapping of the water sector in South Africa
2018
The urban water landscape of South Africa South Africa has a complex water governance landscape, both with considerable successes, and ongoing challenges, in achieving sustainable, adequate and equitable water access and governance. With a specific focus on Cape Town, this policy brief provides background on the history and institutions of importance for water governance, and also identifies key legislation enacted since 1994. The report includes a diagram of different levels of water authorities and mandates, offering an 'institutional map' of the urban water sector of Cape Town (dated 2015). Water supply and distribution schemes in South Africa were historically created to serve predominantly white populations during colonial and apartheid eras. Capital investments in pipes, dams and other water-related infrastructure were differentially affected during apartheid in different areas, with homelands, townships and informal settlements receiving much less funding and generally lower quality of water services (Goldin 2010). This resulted in highly differentiated access to water services in South Africa, by race and income, as well as a highly fragmented water management system (Herrfahrdt-Pähle 2010) as well as undemocratic participatory engagement-challenges that all persist today. One historical legacy exacerbating this institutional fragmentation was the shift from 6 municipalities into one Unicity of Cape Town in 2000, which created further challenges for equitable and unified service delivery (Smith & Hanson 2003). With the adoption of the first democratic constitution of South Africa (1996), vast political reforms were undertaken, affecting all dimensions of governance across the country. The new democratic government and constitution established national institutional mandates for the provision and governance of water resources, as well as water services (Republic of South Africa (RSA) 1996). In terms of water services, the South African constitution (1996) includes the guarantee for water (and sanitation), stating that "everyone has the right to access sufficient food and water" (Section
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Journal for Contemporary History 36(3), 2011
A notable feature of South Africa's political landscape between 1994 and 2010 was the high rate of municipal service delivery protests. It is argued in this article that discontent with inferior water and sanitation services played a significant role in the protests. In an effort to comprehend the complex circumstances better, attention is focused on the evolution of water governance in South Africa after 1994. Water was central to the socio-economic transformation of South Africa to a multiracial democracy. Water was also a prominent theme of public discourse in the country's politics. The government started operating as the custodian of the country's water supplies on behalf of the people. Moreover, the symbolic value of water has also been turned into a basic human right, according to the country's Constitution. It is the right of all the country's people to have access to clean drinking water and proper sanitation. Despite the exceptionally progressive legislation the country, by 2004 , faced considerable water governance problems – primarily at the municipal level. Some of the underlying issues are discussed. Attention is also given to the manner in which plans were implemented to try and stem the tide of local civil discontent.
Journal of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene for Development
Sustainable access to improved water services is a human right recognized by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) agenda and the constitution of South Africa. In recognition of this, South Africa implemented the Free Basic Water (FBW) policy outlining six recommended service level standards (e.g. distance, reliability and cost) to guide improved water services provision, especially in rural municipalities. However, despite implementing the rights-based approach policy, a significant proportion of the rural population is reported to have limited/poor access to improved water services. For this reason, the study adopted the FBW standards as indicators to assess inequalities in sustainable access to improved water services in Makhudutamaga Local Municipality (MLM) in South Africa. The findings indicate inequalities in access to improved water services based on FBW standards. Overall, the improved water services complied with the FBW standard for distance but not with the other stand...