The South African Constitution, brought about democratic and developmental reforms that gave local government certain responsibilities, the supply of water services, amongst others. According to Naidoo (2011), the provision of water services was a vital developmental process that worked towards quality service realization that local government was grappling with. In this research report, a qualitative research method of in-depth interviews was conducted on a small target group and a few municipality documents were analyzed. Mixed perceptions and a range of problems, amongst which capacity problems, were some of the findings identified by the research. The effects of non-provision of water services and the benefits of water provision were also dealt with in the report. Eighteen (18) years into democracy, the majority of rural municipalities were still experiencing problems in the provision of water services to poor communities. Other than the usual experiences of municipalities in the provision of water services, Nkomazi Local Municipality encountered capacity problems which were complicated by its predominantly rural nature.

This study makes a contribution to the Australian urban water supply industry because it highlights some of the critical issues the industry faces in the future. Through the scenarios it illuminates an alternative method to develop strategies for the future. Ultimately the end result of scenario planning is not a more accurate picture of the future, but better decision making for the future. This is a significant piece of research because it demonstrates the advantages of the scenario planning process as a method to illuminate the potential future dangers and opportunities in the water industry's business environment. The scenarios can be used as a launching pad for strategic planning and to prepare the water industry for the uncertainties it faces. Water is precious and essential to life. Water supply is arguably the ultimate essential service. Australia uses about 22,000 gigalitres of water [l gigalitre (GL) = 1,000,000,000 litres, approximately 444 Olympic swimming pools (ABS 2004)] per annum across all sectors, irrigation, industry and domestic. The aim of this study was to determine the critical issues for the future of the Australian urban water supply industry. The study achieved this with the aid of scenarios that tell stories about urban water supply to the year 2025. A key to this study is the concept of organisations as living organisms, which are capable of learning and adapting to changes in their business environment. Today's business environment is constantly changing through globalisation, technological innovation and society's values. To survive, organisations must be able to anticipate and adapt to this often uncertain environment. / Traditional methods, from a mechanistic perspective, of developing strategic plans for the future have a poor track record because they invariably rely on forecasting and predicting the future from historical information that, in an increasingly uncertain and fast changing world, may no longer be appropriate. Scenarios are stories about the future. They combine uncertainty and trends with creativity, insight and intuition to enable an organisation to learn and develop strategies for the future from an organic perspective. Scenarios are not predictions, but they are plausible stories about the future. The stories do allow an organisation to re-perceive a different world by questioning prevailing paradigms and assumptions. The underlying philosophical basis for scenario planning is constructivist which is consistent with the ontological position taken for this study. This study was undertaken under a qualitative research paradigm. The ontological position taken to answer the research question was constructivist with a critical perspective where realities are intangible mental constructs based on the culture and experience of individuals or groups. Constructs are more or less informed and changeable. From an epistemological perspective the constructivist position assumes that the enquirer and subject of the research are interactively linked so that findings are created. Research under a constructivist paradigm requires a hermeneutical and dialectical methodology leading to interpretation. / The methodology adopted for this study was grounded research, being a modification of grounded theory and applicable to the business environment. Data were initially gathered by semi-structured interview, the objective being two fold. 1. The data were used to elicit critical issues for the future of the Australian urban water supply industry. 2. The data were used to develop 'plausible' futures for the urban water supply industry in the form of scenarios. The data were analysed using grounded research principles and organised using NVivo (Richards 1999; NVivo 2002). After two stages of analysis, 16 major categories, focusing on the future emerged from the data. In order to write the scenarios two key uncertainties critical to the future of the urban water supply industry were required for the scenario matrix. The two selected were 'Water availability' and 'Technological change' from the water industry's contextual environment. These two key uncertainties were considered to be the most uncertain and have the greatest impact on the future of the water industry. These two key uncertainties formed the context for the scenarios into which over 200 other issues were de-dimentionalised, as in the scenario planning method, and crafted into four scenarios. A time horizon of 2025 was selected for the scenarios to reflect the water industry's long term planning horizon. / The scenarios were called 'Decadent water use', which depicts a future where there is plenty of water and technology addresses the cost of service delivery; 'Smart water world', which depicts a future where water is scarce but is addressed by technology providing alternative sources of water; 'Muddy waters', which depicts a future where there is plenty of water but technology does not address the cost of delivery and issues of infrastructure deterioration and 'Mad Max water world', which depicts a future where water is scarce and technology does not address the scarcity, the situation becomes a crisis. From the scenarios and using concepts from complex adaptive systems theory a number of critical issues emerged from the data. Some were at a philosophical level such as whether water, as a common good, fits with society's philosophy about water. Others were at a practical level for example expressing the criticality for the water industry to build community trust and support. The research notes the potential for further qualitative research in the fields of community attitudes and behaviours towards water, water services, recycling wastewater and the preparedness to pay for water services. In addition there is potential to further develop scenarios presented in this study; 'Decadent water use', 'Smart water world', 'Muddy waters' and 'Mad Max water world'; for the Australian urban water supply industry using the data from this research as a basis for group consultation.

No description available.

>Magister Scientiae - MSc / Access to water and water scarcity are the most critical impediments to sustainable development in municipal water provision. Good water and sanitation services are essential for health, economic development, and environmental protection. Recognizing the importance of access to a safe and adequate water supply, has become the core business of many cities. Among the major challenges facing local government regarding basic service provision in South Africa are acute problems of institutional capacity, maintenance of existing infrastructure, mismanagement of funds, high levels of corruption and a lack of public anticipation. There has been public outcry in South Africa about poor performance of municipalities in service delivery. Moreover, a good proportion of service delivery protests relate to municipalities‟ failure to carry out basic maintenance of existing infrastructure. The aim of this study was to assess water service delivery performance in the Municipalities of the City of Tshwane (CoT), City of Cape Town (CoCT) and EThekwini Metropolitan by comparing water service delivery for the three Water Service Authorities (WSAs). In this study the performance of Water Service Authorities is measured using the Regulatory Performance Measurement System (RPMS) using 11 regulatory Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). To find answers to research questions and objectives, the research was conducted through desktop research incorporating both quantitative and qualitative dimensions. Exploring the datasets and frequency tabulations were employed. For the analysis of the relative performance levels toward gaining access to water and sanitation services, the RPMS tool was used. The particular indicators of interest were the changes in performance levels in the provision of basic services for different segments based on RPMS. In line with our findings for Financial Performance Indicator (KPI 9) water supply in the WSAs is undertaken by local government that have the dual objectives of providing a social service while generating revenue to offset cost. Ironically, most of these WSAs do not recover their operating expenses from their own revenues, and remain dependent on state government for subsidies. The study concludes that the CoT is the best performer on the Financial Performance (KPI 9).The KPI requiring attention is Financial Performance (KPI 9) for the CoCT and EThekwini WSAs with indicators showing need for improvement. Compliance is encouraged for all WSAs on the Financial Performance Indicator (KPI 9) to ensure that their water business is sustainable. The study recommends that the relevant stakeholders and project proponents consider financial viability (sustainability) through the increase in value for money expenditure to grow and diversify revenue.

The provision of free basic water for domestic uses and a more equal distribution of water for productive uses are seen as important instruments to redress inequities from the past and eradicate poverty in South Africa (SA). Although the government committed itself to providing free basic water for all, this result is still far to be reached, particularly in rural areas. Financing of multiple use water services was identified as an important ingredient to insure improved access to water for rural poor in SA and at the same time allow productive uses and broaden livelihood options. Recent evidence indicated the potential contribution that productive uses of domestic water might make to food security and poverty reduction in rural areas of SA. Following the principles of integrated water resource management (IWRM), efficient, equitable and sustainable investment in improved water services should be demand driven, that is, it should be based on a thorough understanding of effective demand by consumers for multiple use water services. The assessment of demand for improved water services provides the basis for micro level analysis of consumer benefits from multiple water uses. Such studies are not common in SA’s rural areas, where most of the economic analyses focus on either domestic or irrigation water demand. This study attempts to fill this gap by assessing the household demand for multiple use water services in Sekororo-Letsoalo area in the Limpopo Province. Choice modelling is the approach used to identify the attributes determining demand for water services and quantify their respective importance. Households are presented with alternative sets of water services, corresponding to different levels of the attributes. In this study, the following attributes were used: water quantity, water quality, frequency of water supply, price of water, productive uses of water, and source of water. Choice modelling allows estimating the relative importance of these attributes for various strata of the studied population, and ultimately provides a measure of the willingness to pay for different aspects of water demand (attributes), including productive water uses. Results show that households in rural areas are willing to pay for water services improvements. Due to the poor quality of present water services in the area, users are primarily concerned with basic domestic uses and demand for non domestic water uses is low. Only households already relatively well served are interested in engaging in multiple water uses. / Dissertation (MSc(Agric))--University of Pretoria, 2009. / Agricultural Economics, Extension and Rural Development / unrestricted

This research focused on determining the roles and institutional arrangements for economic regulation of urban water services in Sub- Saharan Africa. Urban water service delivery mainly supplied by state owned utilities is constrained due to many factors one of which is related to insufficient or lack of a clear economic regulatory framework. The research used a multiple case study approach and systematically analysed the roles and institutional arrangements of economic regulation of urban water services in three countries of Ghana, Mozambique and Zambia. Based on literature as the source of information, the research developed the existing political and socio-economic environment in the different countries which can affect the design and determination of the roles and institutional arrangements for economic regulation. A further analysis was made of the perceptions on the roles and institutional arrangements of the regulatory framework in the Sub-Saharan African context through a questionnaire distributed beyond the three case countries. The study obtained primary data from focus group discussions, key informant interviews, official documents and observations. Lessons obtained through literature from regulatory institutions in other continents have also been included and these are Jamaica, Latvia, Jakarta in Indonesia, and England and Wales. The factors which can affect the roles and institutional arrangements of economic regulation of urban water services were divided into three groups as: including country governance, socioeconomic and sectoral factors. Country governance factors, which include political stability and fragility, are a key factor in the decision of whether to establish a regulatory agency. On the other hand, socio-economic factors influence the focus or areas which must not be ignored by economic regulation. The third type of factors which include the robustness of a policy framework, and performance levels of utilities, affect the effectiveness and efficiency of an economic regulator. Based on the evidence from the research, economic regulation in Sub-Saharan Africa should address five key roles, which are [i] approval of tariffs that will lead to service providers achieving commercial viability, [ii] "consumer protection" [iii] monitoring and enforcing performance standards, [iv] setting up of a knowledge bank on urban water services, and [v] ensuring that the poor gain sustained access to water services. There are a number of specific regulatory functions within each role. Sub-Saharan African countries are in a unique situation where the urban poor comprise as much as 60% of the urban population and so cannot be ignored in the design of a regulatory framework. The conclusion from this research is that in order to achieve the perceived benefits of economic regulation of urban water services in Sub-Saharan Africa, and subject to conducive and appropriate political and socio-economic environment, the more appropriate institutional arrangements is an autonomous regulatory agency. The autonomy of the regulatory agency will be enhanced if it has its own legal status, and is able to develop, manage and control its own budget financed from a regulatory fee charged on the regulated water providers. Governments should be willing to relinquish regulatory decision making powers to this non-political and non-governmental body. The reporting and appointing mechanisms for the board could also have an influence on the autonomy of the regulator. The research further concludes that economic regulation of urban water services is a necessary but perhaps not sufficient condition for efficient and effective delivery of urban water services. It is not a panacea to the enormous problems of urban water services but can play a very effective role. The research has further found that it is too early to determine the impact of utility regulation on the performance levels of utilities in those countries that have a clearly defined regulatory framework. Utility regulation is still in its infancy in Sub-Saharan Africa and its impact is therefore a subject for further research.

<p>This study analyses the relationship between the manner of citizens&rsquo / engagement with the state and the level of service delivery they experience in their everyday lives, as residents of Khayelitsha. The phenomena of so-called &lsquo / service delivery&rsquo / protests across South Africa have now become a fixture of South African politics. Khayelitsha is one of the sites with frequent protests in Cape Town and is inhabited by poor people, 70 percent of whom live in informal settlements. While the lack of municipal services is undoubtedly a major problem for many poor people in South Africa, thus&nbsp / far, few studies have been dedicated to investigate empirically this alleged link between service delivery and protest activity. The study utilizes mostly quantitative analysis techniques such as&nbsp / regression analysis and path analysis to discover the form and strength of linkages between the service delivery and participation forms. While residents of informal settlements and therefore&nbsp / poorer services were more prone to engage in protests and thus reinforcing the service delivery hypothesis, this relationship was relatively weak in regression analysis. What is more important than the service delivery variables such as water services was the level of cognitive awareness exemplified by the level of political engagement and awareness on the one hand and level of community engagement in terms of attendance of community meetings and membership of different organizations. In summary the study found relatively weak evidence to support the service&nbsp / delivery hypothesis and stronger evidence for the importance of cognitive awareness and resource mobilization theories in Khayelitsha as the key determinant of protest activity.</p>

In most cases, a city provides water and wastewater service within its boundaries, but when development occurs outside city limits or when the city cannot provide services, there must be some method for paying for the water and wastewater services. In Texas, a developer can create a Municipal Utility District (MUD), which is a political subdivision authorized by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) to provide water, wastewater, drainage and other services within its boundaries. In this arrangement, the infrastructure is paid for through bonds; and these bonds are then paid back through a tax levied on the homeowners within the MUD boundaries. Developers often form MUDs when there is not another financially feasible option for the infrastructure. Often the city nearest to the MUD may feel that it is losing developmental control and can see MUDs (that have bond debt) as a hindrance to growth through annexation. In the city of Austin, MUD development allowed development to occur in sensitive areas in which the city did not wish to see growth. In 1997 the city eradicated many MUDs through annexation, in which the city assumed significant MUD debt. With substantial growth and a new state highway under construction, MUDs are still continuing to form in the Central Texas Region. Without a clear plan and significant regional cooperation, Austin has little control over the development of MUDs. But with regional cooperation and a vision for future growth, MUDs can become a funding mechanism for accommodating healthy and well planned growth consistent with a larger vision. / text

<p>This study analyses the relationship between the manner of citizens&rsquo / engagement with the state and the level of service delivery they experience in their everyday lives, as residents of Khayelitsha. The phenomena of so-called &lsquo / service delivery&rsquo / protests across South Africa have now become a fixture of South African politics. Khayelitsha is one of the sites with frequent protests in Cape Town and is inhabited by poor people, 70 percent of whom live in informal settlements. While the lack of municipal services is undoubtedly a major problem for many poor people in South Africa, thus&nbsp / far, few studies have been dedicated to investigate empirically this alleged link between service delivery and protest activity. The study utilizes mostly quantitative analysis techniques such as&nbsp / regression analysis and path analysis to discover the form and strength of linkages between the service delivery and participation forms. While residents of informal settlements and therefore&nbsp / poorer services were more prone to engage in protests and thus reinforcing the service delivery hypothesis, this relationship was relatively weak in regression analysis. What is more important than the service delivery variables such as water services was the level of cognitive awareness exemplified by the level of political engagement and awareness on the one hand and level of community engagement in terms of attendance of community meetings and membership of different organizations. In summary the study found relatively weak evidence to support the service&nbsp / delivery hypothesis and stronger evidence for the importance of cognitive awareness and resource mobilization theories in Khayelitsha as the key determinant of protest activity.</p>

At the dawn of democracy in South Africa, there were still an estimated 12 million people without adequate water supply services and nearly 21 million people without adequate sanitation services (Strategic Framework for Water Services, 2003). Since then South Africa has made great strides in reducing this gross inequality in water services provision. In response to this evident challenge, the South African Government has developed various key pieces of Local Government legislation which aim to address water services. To speed up water services provision, a number of service delivery strategies and agents were explored. The Mvula Trust is one such agent that was established in 1993 with the sole mandate of supporting the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry (DWAF) to develop affordable and sustainable water services in both rural and peri-urban parts of South Africa. After the establishment of Local Government in year 2000, the Mvula Trust had to enter into a new contract with this tier of government for the continuation of their primary constitutional mandate for water services delivery. In order to respond to the new operational requirement put on it and to align itself with the Local Government mandate, Mvula Trust embarked on the process of crafting its new strategy that would strengthen its ability to support the water services delivery role of Local Government. Hence the main objective of this research study was to conduct a rigorous evaluation of Mvula's Strategic Business Plan (SBP) developed in 2003 by subjecting it to contemporary strategic planning processes. The study also looks at the extent to which the crafted five-year strategy has supported three northern KwaZulu-Natal District Municipalities of Uthungulu, Umkhanyakude and Zululand to deliver water services to their respective communities. A qualitative approach was employed to gather data about the situation under investigation. The first step was to gather secondary data from documents developed by both Mvula and the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry. The second step entailed collecting data from officials of Uthungulu, Umkhanyakude and Zululand District Municipalities using the questionnaire. The total number of questionnaires administered for the purpose of this study was thirty (30). For data analysis, all twenty-five (25) returned questionnaires were captured and coded using the software called Microsoft Access and subsequently imported into an analytical tool called stata. The main results from literature review and analyses indicate that Mvula's crafted strategy is not providing the organization with the competitive edge since it was not developed in line with contemporary strategic planning processes. Secondly, the existing strategy is not delivering on services requirements of municipalities. The services articulated by municipalities are mainly Institutional and Social Development (ISD) and quality sanitation development, in which roles Mvula can serve as a Project Agent (PA) instead of an Implementing Agent (IA). Finally, Mvula has not succeeded in supporting the water services delivery role of Northern KwaZulu-Natal District Municipalities. These findings imply that Mvula should embark on a rigorous strategic review. It should develop both a vision statement and a new mission statement which will respectively serve as a roadmap of the organization's future as well as a description of the organization's present capabilities, customer focus, activities and business make-up. Mvula should broadly consult with existing and prospective clients to better understand their support services needs. It is recommended that Mvula define its specific niche within the water services sector. Thus, the resulting strategy should adequately support local government towards meeting the 2014 deadline set for the eradication of water services backlog in their jurisdictional areas. / Thesis (MBA)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2006.