A Critical Assessment of the Implementation of eThekwini Municipality's Service Standards: A Case Study of Water and Sanitation Unit.

Abstract

The advent of democracy in South Africa led to a shift from a highly centralised system to a decentralised one, with national, provincial, and local spheres of government. While distinctive, these spheres are interdependent and interconnected, necessitating cooperation to secure the wellbeing of citizens. The Constitution mandates national and provincial governments to support municipalities in managing their affairs and exercising their powers. However, challenges persist, including poor financial management, weak technical capacity, and governance issues. Provision of services to members of the communities is the function of local government which is done through municipalities. Currently, municipalities are faced with increasing pressure to deliver efficient and effective services to members of the community residing in their area of jurisdiction. The implementation of service standards plays a crucial role in achieving this goal. However, despite various initiatives and capacity-building efforts, many municipalities continue to struggle with service delivery challenges. This thesis critically assesses the implementation of eThekwini municipality’s service standards within the water and sanitation unit, aiming to identify key issues, gaps, and potential solutions. Data were collected from two groups which were members of the public who were randomly selected using the report from the municipality’s system which is called Faultsman, only members of the public who had reported water-related queries were selected and Municipal employees were also randomly selected from units within the municipality and participants were from all staff levels from employees who are on an internship programme to senior management. A total number of 36 participants made up the first group (municipal employees) and the second group consisted of 19 members of the public. Interviews and questionnaires were used as tools to gather data from participants’ responses and the total number of participants from this group was 19. As a result, frequent responses and trends found in the collected data were used to categorise the participant responses. The study found that whilst the development and use of service standards as a means to assess service delivery is widespread, several critical challenges remain. These challenges are service standards not communicated accordingly using different communication channels including publication through the municipality's annual report, "Service Delivery Standards" as a standing agenda item is not included during engagements with members of the community, service standards are not linked with the Individual Performance Management System of the municipality. Sufficient budget is not allocated to those areas where services need to be improved. A standardised process for engaging external clients in developing service standards is in place but not adhered to. Feedback from members of the public regarding service delivery is not addressed.