Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar: The provision of water and sanitation service in South African rural areas

Abstract

During the apartheid regime in South Africa, the provision of services was based on racial segregation. The black majority was excluded from obtaining basic service delivery. Meanwhile, the new democratic dispensation came into existence in 1994 with many promising transitions for a better life for all. However, the promises remain a man ifesto as the service delivery backlog remains one of the challenges of the 21st century in developing countries across the world, including in South Africa. In other words, poor service delivery is a global problem just like the COVID-19 pandemic which requires global solidarity. The objectives of the study; to assess the status and nature of water service provision in South African rural areas. To determine the significance of water and sanitation service provision in South Africa, and lastly, to examine the challenges faced by South African rural municipalities in the delivery of water and sanitation services. Methodologically, a qualitative research design was adopted in this study. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews and existing literature in search of evidence. Moreover, the thematic data analysis method was also used to clearly comprehend the overall challenges of water scarcity. It is found that South African rural municipalities are facing and experiencing problems concerning water service provision. The existing literature, reports, and interviews concur that there is poor water service provision in rural areas. Therefore, given the restricted availability of water resources, the article recommends that the Limpopo municipalities should seek out a variety of water sources and outsource some of the water service responsibilities to private or other state entities.