Exploring access to basic services to support local economic development: a case study of Mahwelereng, Mogalakwena Local Municipality

Abstract

The study focuses on exploring access to basic services to support local economic development in Mahwelereng area, Mogalakwena Local Municipality. Provision of basic services has been a challenge in most of the local municipalities in South Africa. In most of these municipalities, the basic service delivery challenges have resulted in public protests. It is in this context that several regions within South Africa have experienced service delivery protests since 1994, which are characterised by increased violence and local governance system inefficiency debates. The Mogalakwena Local Municipality as part of local government is mandated to fulfil constitutional obligations to ensure that provision of sustainable, effective, and efficient basic services (such as water, sanitation, electricity, refuse removal and roads networks) to the communities, while promoting social and local economic development in the area that they serve. The supply of basic services in Mokgalakwena Local Municipality has over the years experienced severe infrastructural and delivery challenges which involve poor capacity, electricity blackouts and disruptions, poor sanitation, rapid loss of water supply due to leaks, and service provision management challenges. A qualitative research approach was employed in this study because the study was explanatory and descriptive in nature. This approach assisted in investigating the study problem, its nature, magnitude, and severity within the specific social and or geographic settings rather than broader populations. The primary data source were interviews, while the secondary sources was documents reviews, Integrated Development Plan (IDP), Spatial Development Framework (SDF) and Integrated Transport Plan (ITP), which included books, journals, dissertations, and reports. The sampled key informant population or target groups in the study area included community members, ward committee members or councillors, managers, and technicians of the Mogalakwena municipal area. The findings are expressed by means of discussing the extent of the provision of basic services to support local economic development in communities. Furthermore, they were determined by the impacts of poor service delivery on supporting local economic development and challenges experienced by the local municipalities in terms of basic service delivery. Based on the findings and analyses, the study recommended a raft of strategies that can be used by the Municipalities in improving basic service delivery to the residents; those strategies include Performance Measurement, Motivation, Capacity building within municipalities. Strengthening V I | P a g e and better aligning the IDP, SDF and ITP is one way through which the systems of planning at local government level can be improved to better support sustainable access to basic services, local economic growth and development. However, implementing these study findings must be done in adherence and compliance to existing legislative and policy frameworks. Furthermore, the study concluded that Mogalakwena Municipality should further streamline and strengthen the effective and efficient legislative and policy framework that underpin the adequate provision of basic services to the residents of Mahwelereng. In addition, the implementation and updating of local economic growth and development policies, strategies and ancillary programmatic action coupled with implementing new and amending existing by-laws that support satisfactory basic service delivery to the residents of Mahwelereng should be a top development priority in local government areas such as typified by the study area.