Water service delivery challenges in a small South African municipality: Identifying and exploring key elements and relationships in a complex social-ecological system

Abstract

South Africa is a developing country undergoing social and ecological transformation. Water service delivery (i) exemplifies the challenge of improvement and transformation towards a more socially and ecologically just situation, and (ii) can usefully be viewed as a complex social-ecological system (C-SES) in the search for 'just transitions'. Household water security problems associated with water service delivery in South Africa are recognisably intractable, multi-scaled, comprising many actors and elements and having no single solution. There is a global and South African trend towards systemic approaches to addressing such complex water challenges. However, the steps required to take a systemic approach are seldom explicit. This paper presents the analytical process of defining boundaries, identifying elements and exploring relationships between elements as the foundational step in a study of the Makana Local Municipality water service delivery C-SES in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. The resulting narrative and heuristics provide a clear systemic basis from which to research the emergence, practice and social learning process of a civil society organisation (Water for Dignity) seeking to confront water service delivery issues in the Makana Local Municipality.

Persistent Droughts and Water Scarcity: Households’ Perceptions and Practices in Makhanda, South Africa

“…The study also notes that less than half of the surveyed respondents complied with the municipal recommended daily water consumption of 50 litres per day. In our case, there is a long-held perception of the local municipality's failure to provide or maintain services, including waste management, roads, and quality water provision [23]. For example, perceptions on poor water quality are deeply held in the town, with well-off individuals opting for spring and bottled water.…”

“…These dams source their water from the Gariep River and the Great Fish River, respectively. The town has faced persistent droughts in recent years with serious adverse impacts and potential threats to the local economy and lifestyles including water supply disruptions [23]. The economy of the town is built around educational institutions, including the local university and private and public schools, which if closed due to water shortages may have negative consequences on the quality of life.…”

“…Meanwhile, the average water consumption in South Africa remains more than the recommended amount needed to sustain water supply [20]. The impacts of persistent droughts in South Africa have especially manifested through strains on water resources in several big cities, e.g., Cape Town and Port Elizabeth (officially renamed Gqeberha), and mediumsized towns, e.g., Makhanda [21][22][23], where severe water cuts and rationing measures have been implemented to avoid the so called 'day zero' (i.e., the day when most taps in households will be switched off literally). Despite the increasing realisation of the limits of technical interventions in addressing behaviour in general, and water scarcity in particular, the perspectives and water use practices of households in the context of droughts remain little studied.…”

A review of trends in scientific coverage of water governance in South Africa and what this means for agenda-setting of public investment in water governance R&D

“…There is an inherent need for such approaches in water governance, but these have not been well represented in the literature (Araral and Wang, 2013). While some promising examples exist in the South African context (e.g., Weaver et al, 2017;Wolff et al, 2019), further encouragement is required.…”

Water governance challenges in rural South Africa: exploring institutional coordination in drought management

“…However, an attempt to engage communities in decision-making has often led to allegations and counter-allegations between DWS and the municipalities on the management of water resources at the community level (Kapfudzaruwa & Sowman, 2009). The DWS narrative claims that municipalities are not planning properly in terms of water supply and are inherently inefficient (Weaver et al, 2017). The counter-narrative is that municipalities claim that they want changes and are keen to reallocate water for multiple uses, and not only for domestic uses.…”