This study is based on investigation into the role of the North West Water supply (which
changed the name to Botshelo Water Board during the period of study in water service
delivery management in municipalities. The case of Mafikeng Central District
municipality. The major findings area as follows: In South Africa the role of regional
water supply services providers, typically water boards, is changing. Historically they
were established with the primary function of supplying large urban canters with bulk
water. Their emphasis has thus been on developing and running large, technically
complex systems. Most importantly they have generally been selling bulk water to
financially strong municipalities. With the new imperative to rapidly increase the
provision of water services to all South Africans, these regional services providers are
facing new challenges of management integration and provision of 6 kl free basic water
to poor of the poorest in our country.
The South African White Paper on Water and Sanitation policy proposed that Local
Authorities to take over the functions of water provision and sanitation services. There is
an urgent need to co-ordinate local development needs and integrate them into optimal
development and operation plans . at regional level which will take advantage for
involving all parties affected.
The Water Service Act of (1997) defines the roles for various parties involved in water
service delivery and will have a profound impact on the relationship between the parties.
The Act recommended that close working relationship between water boards and local
authorities must be maintained.
Chapter 3 of the Constitution describes Government in South Africa as consisting of
National, Provincial and Municipal Spheres which are not only distinctive but also
interdependent and interrelated.
It provides that all spheres of Government and all ยท organs of State must trust and good
faith by co-ordinating their actions and legislation with each other. Co-operative
governance and integration are not only policy matters they are constitutionally
mandated. The recommendation from this study is that, awareness campaign be made in
the areas to encourage people to pay for services and take responsibility for meter reading
on their own like it is happening in Denmark. In Denmark each household reads its own
meters for both water and electricity and. submits the readings to the municipality for
billing. As a result the municipality did not employ special meter readers thus saves on
salaries.
Greater resource allocation is made to cover the shortfalls experienced due to lack of
management capacity and other resources that would enable Central District municipality
to run the functions on their own.
Capacity building and support for professionals be streamline on the current Botshelo
Water staff for future absorption by municipality.
Promotion of community based development be continued to encourage community
ownership on water management functions. This could be done through the formation of
water committees associations. While community-based approaches are now accepted as
the norm, the necessary capacity to support them in most cases does not generally exist at higher levels (National, district and local) and central needs to look at this.
If the municipal cannot handle these functions on its own, then joint venture, synergy,
merger and acquisition of all affected institution be considered. / (MBA) North-West University, Mafikeng Campus, 2005
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:nwu/oai:dspace.nwu.ac.za:10394/11222 |
| Date | January 2005 |
| Creators | Mafete, Lefora France |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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