Thesis (MScEng)--Stellenbosch University, 2012. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: South African municipalities are under pressure to improve the current state of the water andwastewater
service delivery industry. Knowing that there exists a need for improvement within the municipal
water and wastewater industry, the Department of Water Affairs (DWA) launched a municipal
strategic self-assessment (MuSSA) initiative to evaluate the business health of the industry. MuSSA
asks high level technical management staff five key questions about sixteen key business attribute areas.
This study seeks to determine if theMuSSA data can be used to aid municipal decision making,
by way of drawing correlations between key performance indicators contained in the MuSSA questions.
The correlations are to bring forth areas thatmust be focussed on to improve selected attribute
areas requiring attention within municipalities. Three areas have been chosen from theMuSSA data
to be investigated in this research project namely; (i)staff skill levels and capacity, (ii)non-revenue
water and (iii)the execution of planned water services activities.
In the MuSSA questionnaire there are questions addressing each of (i), (ii) and (iii) to determine
the municipality’s performance in each of the three areas. Non-parametric statistics are used to determine
with which of the MuSSA questions’ answers the relevant questions’ answers significantly
correlate for (i), (ii) and (iii). Engineering judgement and expert opinion are used to determine if the
questions correlating with the relevant questions for (i), (ii) and (iii) either affect, are affected by or
have no relation with the question. These results are then organized using a flow diagram and are
discussed in detail by way of a bivariate histogramof each correlation. The investigation revealed that municipalities not having sufficient technical management capacity
are not performing well on at least one of the five questions asked on eleven of the sixteen
MuSSA business attributes. The skill level of water and wastewater treatment works staff were found
to be strongly affected by technical management capacity and skill, water services planning and financial
sustainability of the organization. Municipalities training technical management and operational
staff showed a high percentage of skilled operational staff employed at treatment works. Water
and wastewater treatment works staff capacity are very dependent of the level of skill and capacity
of technical management employed by the municipality. Municipalities having appropriate budgets
and funding to appoint and train staff showed a tendency to be better at operational staff capacity
building than those lacking funding.
The reduction of non-revenue water (NRW) showed strong correlations with technical management
and network operational repair staff skills and development. Municipalities employing staff
with correct skills and experience combined, with commitment from management to reduce NRW by way of monitoring and practicing of pressuremanagement programs, significantly reduced NRW
percentages. Equally crucial to the reduction of NRW, as revealed from the investigation, is the practicing
of infrastructure asset management within the municipality. It was concluded that municipalities
should strive to reach a NRW percentage of 30% or less to become financially stable, due
to correlation between funding of routine operations and building up of cash reserve versus NRW
percentages.
Municipalities wanting to improve the execution rate of planned water services activities are recommended
to address, among other factors, technical management skill levels and capacity. Municipalities
lacking technical management skill and capacity reported a low percentages of planned
activities being executed. Also of high significance, is the technical operational staff skill levels and
capacity, due to their involvement in the execution of planned activates. The involvement of council
members in water and wastewater planning and the reporting of data and issues to council greatly
enhancesmunicipalities’ abilities to execute planned activities. This can mainly be contributed to increased
funding in situations where council members support planned projects. The lack of funding
was found to be a major inhibitor of the execution of planned activities. Even though a great deal of
municipalities indicated that they are effectively spending allocated budgets, this positive indication
is not seen in the percentage municipalities executing planned activities and leads to the conclusion
that there is a lack of funding. Municipalities taking actions in other areas of their business such as
infrastructure assetmanagement and planning were more effective at executing planned activities.
In all, it was concluded that technicalmanagement and operational staff skill levels and capacity
need to be present for amunicipality to function properly. Municipalities also are in need of funding
to execute planned activities and need to become financially self sustainable. One way of working
towards the goal of financial self sustainability is the reduction of NRW percentages. The data
from this investigation shows great similarity with the literature consulted on the current state and functioning of South African municipalities. The statistical analysis of the MuSSA data accurately
revealed correlations among key performance indicators in municipalities. The conclusion can be
drawn that investigation of correlations amongMuSSA questions can be used to help aid municipal
decision making. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Suid-Afrikaanse munisipaliteite is onder druk om die huidige toestand van die water en afvalwater
dienslewering te verbeter. Met die wete dat daar ’n behoefte vir verbetering in die munisipale water
en afvalwater bedryf is het dieDepartement vanWaterwese ’n munisipale strategiese self-assessering
(MuSSA) projekte geïnisieer omdie welstand van die bedryf te evalueer. MuSSA vra hoë vlak tegniese
bestuurs personeel vyf kern vrae oor sestien sleutel besigheids aspekte. Hierdie studie poogomvas te
stel of dieMuSSA data gebruik kan word om munisipale besluitneming te help verbeter, deur middel
van die evaluering van korrelasies tussen die sleutel prestasie aanwysers soos vervat in MuSSA vrae.
Die korrelasies bring na vore gebiede waar op gefokus moet word om geselekteerde kenmerk areas
binne munisipaliteite, wat aandag vereis, te verbeter. Drie areas uit die MuSSA-data is ondersoek in
hierdie navorsings projek naamlik; (i) personeel vaardigheidsvlakke en kapasiteit, (ii) nie-inkomste
water en (iii) die uitvoering van die beplande waterdienste aktiwiteite.
In die MuSSA vraelys is daar vrae wat elk van (i), (ii) en (iii) aanspreek om die munisipaliteit se
prestasie op die drie gebiede te monitor. Nie-parametriese statistiek word gebruik om die oorblywendeMuSSA
vrae wat se antwoorde met die relevante vrae se antwoorde korreleer vir (i), (ii) en (iii)
vas te stel. Kundigheid en oordeel van ingenieurs word gebruik om te bepaal of die vrae wat korreleer
met die relevante vrae vir (i), (ii) en (iii) die relevante vraag beïnvloed, beïnvloed word deur
die relevante vraag of geen verhouding het met die relevante vraag nie. Hierdie resultate word dan
georganiseer met behulp van ’n vloeidiagram en word in detail bespreek deur middel van ’n tweeveranderlike
histogram van elke korrelasie. Die ondersoek het aan die lig gebring dat munisipaliteite wat nie genoegsame tegniese bestuurs
kapasiteit het nie swak presteer op ten minste een van die vyf vrae van elf van die sestienMuSSA besigheid
eienskappe. Die personeel vaardigheidsvlakke van water en afvalwater behandelings werke
word sterk beïnvloed deur die tegniese bestuurskapasiteit en -vaardigheid, waterdienste beplanning
en die finansiële volhoubaarheid van die organisasie. Munisipaliteite wat opleiding van tegniese
bestuur en operasionele personeel uitvoer het ’n hoë persentasie van opgeleide operasionele personeel
werksaam by suiweringswerke. Water en afvalwater behandelingswerke se personeelkapasiteit
is baie afhanklik van die vlak van vaardigheid en kapasiteit van tegniese bestuur in diens van
die munisipaliteit. Munisipaliteite met toepaslike begrotings en befondsing om personeel aan te stel
en op te lei het ’n neiging om beter te presteer met kapasiteitsbou van operasionele personeel as die
wat aan ’n gebrek ly van befondsing.
Die vermindering van nie-inkomste water (NRW) het sterk korrelasies met tegniese bestuur en netwerkherstel personeelvaardighede en ontwikkeling. Munisipaliteite wat personeel met die korrekte
vaardighede en ervaring in diens het, gekombineer met bestuur wat dit nastreef om NRW te
verminder by wyse van monitering en uitvoering van druk beheer in water netwerke het aansienlik
kleiner NRWpersentasies. Ewe noodsaaklik vir die vermindering van NRW, soos geopenbaar deur
die ondersoek is die beoefening van interne infrastruktuur batebestuur deur diemunisipaliteit. Daar
is tot die gevolgtrekking gekom dat munisipaliteite daarna moet streef om ’n NRW persentasie van
30% of minder te bereik om finansieel stabiel te word, as gevolg van die korrelasie tussen befondsing
van roetine bedrywighede en die opbou van kontant reserwe teenoor NRWpersentasies.
Munisipaliteitewat die uitvoeringskoers van beplande waterdienste aktiwiteitewil verbeter, word
aanbeveel om onder andere, tegniese bestuurs vaardigheids vlakke en kapasiteit aan te spreek. Munisipaliteite
wat nie tegniese bestuursvaardigheid en -kapasiteit het nie, berig dat ’n lae persentasie
van beplande aktiwiteite uitgevoer word. Die tegniese operasionele personeel vaardigheidsvlakke
en kapasiteit, as gevolg van hul betrokkenheid in die uitvoering van beplande aktiwiteite is ook van
groot belang. Die betrokkenheid van lede van die raad by water en afvalwater beplanning en die rapportering
van data en kwessies aan die raad verhoog baiemunisipaliteite se vermoëns om beplande
aktiwiteite uit te voer. Dit kan hoofsaaklik toegeskryf word aan verhoogde befondsing in situasies
waar raadslede beplande projekte ondersteun. Dit is gevind dat die gebrek aan befondsing ’n groot
inhibeerder van die uitvoering van beplande aktiwiteite is. Alhoewel ’n meerderheid van die munisipaliteite
aangedui het dat hulle begrotings effektief spandeer, word dit egter nie weerspieël in die
persentasie munisipaliteite wat beplande aktiwiteite uivoer nie en lei dit tot die gevolgtrekking dat
daar n gebrek aan befondsing is. Munisipaliteite wat klem lê op ander gebiede van hul besigheid
soos, infrastruktuur batebestuur en beplanning was meer effektief met die uitvoering van die beplande
aktiwiteite. Daar is tot die gevolgtrekking gekom dat tegniese bestuur en operasionele personeel vaardigheidsvlakke
en kapasiteit noodsaaklik is vir ’n munisipaliteit om behoorlik te funksioneer. Daar is ook
’n behoefte aan befondsing by munisipaliteite om beplande aktiwiteite uit te voer en munisipaliteite
moet finansieel onafhanklik en lewensvatbaar word. Een manier om te werk te gaan om finansiële
self volhoubaarheid te bereik, is die vermindering van NRW persentasies. Die data van hierdie ondersoek
toon groot ooreenkomste met die literatuur wat geraadpleeg is oor die huidige stand en
funksionering van Suid-Afrikaanse munisipaliteite. Die statistiese analise van die MuSSA data het
akkurate korrelasies geopenbaar tussen die sleutel prestasie-aanwysers inmunisipaliteite. Die gevolgtrekking
kan gemaak word dat die ondersoek in terme van die korrelasie tussen MuSSA vrae gebruik
kan word om munisipale besluitneming te help verbeter.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:sun/oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/71669 |
| Date | 12 1900 |
| Creators | Schoeman, Stephanus Johannes |
| Contributors | Barnardo-Viljoen, C., Mackintosh, G., Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Engineering. Dept. of Civil Engineering. |
| Publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | en_ZA |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | 204 p. : ill. |
| Rights | Stellenbosch University |
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