Abstract:
The provision of clean water and water scarcity are the most critical impediments to
sustainable development in municipal water supply. Adequate water supply and
sanitation services are essential for health, economic development, and environmental
protection. Recognizing the importance of access to a safe and adequate water supply
has become the core business of many South African municipalities. Among the major
challenges facing local government regarding basic service provision in South Africa are
acute problems of institutional capacity, maintenance of existing infrastructure,
mismanagement of funds, high levels of corruption, political interference and a lack of
public anticipation. There has been public outcry in South Africa about poor performance
of municipalities in service delivery. Moreover, a good proportion of service delivery
protests relate to municipalities‟ “failure to carry out” the supply of “basic” services like
water.”
It is against this” backdrop “that the” aim of this “study” was “to investigate the” causes
of” infrequent “water” supply “on the” wellbeing “of” communities “in” the Greater Tzaneen
Municipality, “Limpopo province. Although local municipalities in South Africa are
regarded as the providers of essential services, such as water, to date most of the
municipalities still lack the capacity to provide water services to community members
across the country.” Greater Tzaneen “Municipality finds it challenging to provide water
services to communities within its jurisdiction. To achieve this objective, the researcher
utilised a combination of qualitative and quantitative research methodologies with a semi”-
structured “questionnaire. The” study finds that the municipality is a water service provider
and not as such has no authority in the provision of water to the villages. Moreover, it is
found that the infrequent water supply has negative impact on the wellbeing of
communities’ as water is a basic need and without it, it deprives the citizens of their dignity
as enshrined in “Chapter two of the Bill of Rights of the” South African “Constitution.”
