scholarly journals Water Services Authorities Capacity in Providing Access to Water and Sanitation in Limpopo Province, South Africa

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (6) ◽  
pp. 1586-1597
Author(s):  
Kgoshi Kgashane Lucas Pilusa ◽  
Modimowabarwa Hendrick Kanyane
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Service Delivery ◽  
Methodological Approach ◽  
Limpopo Province ◽  
Water And Sanitation ◽  
Water Service ◽  
Sanitation Services ◽  
Administrative Capacity ◽  
Auditor General ◽  
Infrastructure Maintenance

There has been an on-going debate regarding the effectiveness and capacity of Water Service Authorities in providing quality water service in South Africa to local citizens. As Limpopo province was preferred as a case study, it is evident that the province has been experiencing several violent water service delivery protests in different localities. The methodological approach employed was a qualitative approach reinforced by documentary review as a data source in qualitative research. Purposively, 46 participants were sampled and interviewed. In addition, document analysis of literatures and audit performance of Water Service Authorities in Limpopo province were exploited. The employed data regression investigation to scrutinize the data, containing the Auditor- General of South Africa’s (AGSA) amalgamated annual report for municipal for the fiscal years 2009/10 to 2015/16. It gave observable elements which were subjected to regression analysis. The findings show that quality of governance significantly affects the achievement of a clean audit at a significance value which translates into poor service delivery to citizens. In reviewing the existing documents, a better understanding was realised which assisted in formulating questions for interviews or develop an observation guide. The challenges confronting the water service authorities are not limited to inadequate administrative capacity to function and manage finances, lack of skilled technicians, service delivery backlogs; aging of water infrastructure and lack of infrastructure maintenance. These findings underscored a need for Water Service Authorities to assess continuously the level of contentment to their beneficiaries concerning the basic provision of water and sanitation services.

Water and sanitation policies for improving health in South Africa: overcoming the institutional legacy of apartheid

Water Policy ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 7 (6) ◽  
pp. 627-642 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edina Sinanovic ◽  
Sandi Mbatsha ◽  
Stephen Gundry ◽  
Jim Wright ◽  
Clas Rehnberg
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Integrated Approach ◽  
The South ◽  
Financing System ◽  
Water And Sanitation ◽  
Sanitation Services ◽  
Sanitation And Hygiene ◽  
Access To Water ◽  
New Policies

The burden of water-related disease is closely related to both the socio-economic situation and public health issues like access to clean water, sanitation and hygiene services. Poverty eradication, through improved access to water and sanitation, is the South African government's major priority. This is partly achieved through subsidising the cost of water and sanitation provision to the poor in rural areas. Whilst the new policies have made a remarkable impact on improved access to water and sanitation services, a general problem since the new approach in 1994 has been the lack of integration of policies for water and sanitation and health. This paper analyses the policies concerning rural water supply and sanitation in South Africa. It considers the structure of institutions, the division of responsibilities and legislated and financial capacity of the South Africa's water sector. A more integrated approach for the policies aiming at water access, sanitation and health is needed. In addition, as the local government's capacity to implement different programmes is limited, a review of the financing system is necessary.

scholarly journals The emergence of collectively owned self-supply water supply systems in rural South Africa – what can we learn from the Tshakhuma case in Limpopo?

Water SA ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 47 (2 April) ◽  
Author(s):  
Moritz Hofstetter ◽  
Barbara van Koppen ◽  
Alex Bolding
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Service Delivery ◽  
Public Service ◽  
Alternative Pathway ◽  
Governance Structure ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Limpopo Province ◽  
Water Supply Systems ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Public Service Delivery

Despite the rapid extension of public service delivery since the end of Apartheid, many rural citizens in South Africa still rely on their own initiatives and infrastructure to access water. They construct, improve, operate and maintain infrastructure of different complexities, from individual wells to complex collectively owned water schemes. While most of these schemes operate without legal recognition, they provide essential services to many households. In this article we will first provide an overview of the growing international body of literature describing self-supply as an alternative pathway for public service delivery. We then take a historical perspective on the role of communities and self-supply in South Africa and describe the emergence of six collectively owned, gravity-fed, piped schemes in Tshakhuma, Limpopo Province. We describe and compare these systems using key characteristics like resource access, investment, construction, operation, maintenance and institutional governance. We further assess their performance with regard to coverage, service level, reliability, governance structure, accountability and water quality. We do so because we are convinced that lessons learned from studying such schemes as locally adapted prototypes have the potential to improve public approaches to service delivery. The described cases show the willingness of community members to engage with service delivery and their ability to provide services in cases where the state has failed. The assessment also highlights problematic aspects of self-supply related to a lack of accountability, technical expertise and the exclusion of disadvantaged community members. By describing and assessing the performance of rural self-supply schemes, we aim to recognize, study and learn from such schemes. We consequently do not conclude this article by providing answers, but by raising some pertinent, policy-relevant questions.

scholarly journals Governance and Public Sector Transformation in South Africa: Reporting and Providing Assurance on Service Delivery Information

2012 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
pp. 4
Author(s):  
Mariaan Roos
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Service Delivery ◽  
Performance Information ◽  
Audit Process ◽  
The Public ◽  
Finance Management ◽  
Performance Reporting ◽  
Auditor General ◽  
Audit Approach ◽  
Initial Process

Reporting on performance was legislatively established in South Africa in terms of the Public Finance Management Act, Act 1 of 1999, section 40 (3)(a). The auditing of the reported information was legislated in the Public Audit Act, Act 25 of 2004, section 20(2) (c). The objectives of the article are firstly to provide an overview of the development and application of the reporting and secondly providing assurance on service delivery information and thirdly to reflect on challenges to the implementation thereof in South Africa. The aim through deploying these set objectives is to formulate possible future considerations for improved governance. As central part of the methodology, review of literature on reporting and audit of non-financialwas conducted. The research included scrutiny of the different philosophies and approaches adopted by different countries to the reporting and providing assurance on service delivery information. In this respect, the research reflects a comparative element. In South Africa the Auditor-General adopted a phasing-in approach. The development of the audit approach and audit procedures has reached a stable stage, nine years after the initial process started. The audit of performance information now forms an integral part of the regularity audit process. The analysis of audit findings of the period under study indicates a considerable improvement once initiated, but stagnation persists in subsequent years. Numerous challenges remain around the application of performance reporting in South Africa including non-compliance, the lack of sufficient and appropriate audit evidence, inconsistencies between the various strategic documents and the need to improve the usefulness of performance information. In conclusion the article proposes some steps to address the challenges.

Business partners for development-KwaZulu-Natal pilot project, South Africa: a new approach to the delivery of sustainable water and sanitation services in poor peri-urban areas

2002 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 197-202
Author(s):  
P. Rousseau ◽  
E. Tranchant
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Community Involvement ◽  
Water Conservation ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Pilot Project ◽  
Water And Sanitation ◽  
Sanitation Services ◽  
Business Partners ◽  
Kwazulu Natal ◽  
The World

An innovative tri-sector partnership has been formed in two peri-urban areas in Durban and Pietermaritzburg, in the province of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, which aims to provide sustainable water and sanitation services to these previously disadvantaged communities. This forms part of the world-wide Business Partners for Development (BPD) programme initiated by the World Bank to bring together the diverse resources, expertise and perspectives of three distinct sectors: business sector, public sector and civil society, in particular Non-Governmental Organisations (NGO's). The project focus includes infrastructure upgrading, water loss management, community involvement and capacity building, education and awareness on water conservation, health and hygiene, and customer management. The establishment of a common research framework examining impacts and outcomes and an international sharing and learning programme will, it is hoped, lead ultimately to better and replicable practices.

How a franchise approach to water services could look based on successes in South Africa

2014 ◽  
Vol 14 (5) ◽  
pp. 866-874
Author(s):  
Esther Shaylor ◽  
Kevin Wall ◽  
Oliver Ive ◽  
Jay Bhagwan
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Eastern Cape ◽  
Water And Sanitation ◽  
Sanitation Services ◽  
Services Delivery ◽  
Alternative Approach ◽  
Operational Issues ◽  
Water And Sanitation Infrastructure ◽  
Partnership Approach ◽  
Sanitation Infrastructure

Pilot projects in South Africa have demonstrated how the institutionally innovative and very practical social franchising partnership approach can be used as an alternative approach to more commonly encountered options, for the routine maintenance of low-technology water and sanitation infrastructure. The strength of this approach is that it is built on a robust foundation of mutual support and incentives. The paper describes how franchise partners have been working with schools and municipalities to address operational issues. The Eastern Cape provincial Department of Education now has a proven model which it is rolling out to further school districts, beyond the initial pilot in the Butterworth education district. Municipalities in the area are also employing the franchisee microbusinesses to undertake maintenance services. Further opportunities lie in applying the approach to operation and/or maintenance activities within the water and sanitation services delivery chain, and thereafter extending it to other types of infrastructure (e.g. roads and electricity reticulation).

Policy Note: Policy Responses to Ensure Access to Water and Sanitation Services During COVID-19: Snapshots from the Environment for Development (EfD) Network

2020 ◽  
Vol 06 (04) ◽  
pp. 2071002
Author(s):  
Ebele Amaechina ◽  
Anthony Amoah ◽  
Franklin Amuakwa-Mensah ◽  
Salome Amuakwa-Mensah ◽  
Edward Bbaale ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Costa Rica ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Governance Structures ◽  
Economic Shocks ◽  
Water And Sanitation ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Sanitation Services ◽  
Policy Responses ◽  
Access To Water

This policy note provides a snapshot of water and sanitation measures implemented by governments in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in 14 countries in the Global South: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Chile, Colombia, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Panama, South Africa, Uganda and Vietnam. We find that many countries have taken action to stop utility disconnections due to non-payment. With the exception of Ghana and Vietnam, few countries are instituting new water subsidy programs, and are instead choosing to defer customers’ bills for future payment, presumably when the pandemic recedes and households will be able to pay their bills. It is easier for the utilities’ COVID-relief policies to target customers with piped connections who regularly receive bills. However, the situation for unconnected households appears more dire. Some countries (e.g., Ghana, Kenya, South Africa and Uganda) are attempting to provide unconnected households temporary access to water, but these households remain the most vulnerable. This health crisis has accentuated the importance of strong governance structures and resilient water service providers for dealing with external health, environmental and economic shocks.

Medical records management framework to support public healthcare services in Limpopo province of South Africa

2018 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 187-203 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ngoako Solomon Marutha ◽  
Mpho Ngoepe
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Service Delivery ◽  
Medical Records ◽  
Care Service ◽  
Health Care Service ◽  
Limpopo Province ◽  
Records Management ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Health Care Service Delivery

Purpose This study aims to develop a framework for the management of medical records in support of health-care service delivery in the hospitals in the Limpopo province of South Africa. Design/methodology/approach The study was predominantly quantitative and has used the questionnaires, system analysis, document analysis and observation to collect data in 40 hospitals of Limpopo province. The sample of 49 per cent (306) records management officials were drawn out of 622 (100 per cent) total population. The response rate was 71 per cent (217) out of the entire sample. Findings The study discovered that a framework for management of medical records in the public hospitals is not in place because of several reasons and further demonstrates that public health-care institutions need an integrative framework for the proper management of medical records of all forms and in all media. Originality/value The study develops and suggests a framework to embed medical records management into the health-care service delivery workflow for effective records management and ease of access. It is hoped that such a framework will help hospitals in South Africa and elsewhere to improve their medical records management to support health-care service provision.

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