Improving rural citizen satisfaction with water services : a case of the uMzumbe Local Municipality

Abstract

South African rural households generally experience water supply challenges. Some rural households do not have access to potable water services at all and rely on natural sources. The consequences of water from such sources are far-reaching. Where households have access to potable water, they mostly use community taps which in many cases are further from their dwellings. Equally, evidence exists that water supply reliability and quality are major concerns in many rural areas. This study aims to establish possible ways through which water service delivery can be improved to meet the needs of rural citizens in South Africa. To do this, a mixed-methods approach was adopted where quantitative data was collected from 360 household heads across four villages selected in the Umzumbe Local Municipality. Additionally, qualitative data was collected from 7 employees sampled from the Water Service Department of the UGu District Municipality which is the Water Service Authority for the Umzumbe Local Municipality. Probit regression models were then used to analyse the quantitative data, while a manual thematic approach was used to analyse the qualitative data. Results from the household survey revealed that households are not satisfied with how they currently access drinking water, they are also not satisfied with the quality of their drinking water and are not satisfied with water supply reliability. On the contrary, municipal employees revealed that rural households are currently satisfied with the quality of their drinking water supply. However, they identified load shedding, illegal connections, budget constraints, ageing infrastructure, and climate change among the key factors affecting effective water service delivery in the municipality. The study then triangulates the quantitative and qualitative findings and made five recommendations that can improve rural citizen satisfaction with water services.