The impact of public participation on water service delivery : a case study of Elias Motswaledi Local Municipality, Limpopo Province, South Africa

Abstract

Public participation was not a frequently visited phenomenon in the 1970s because the state always believed that it knew what the people needed, thus dictating what their needs should be. However, in 1994, public participation legislative frameworks were established, informing the decision to hold public platforms, as public participation was utilised to strengthen the public's influence in achieving better service delivery. This study aims to investigate how public participation influences water service delivery in Elias Motswaledi Local Municipality, with attention to the barriers, strengths, and opportunities embedded in participatory participation. This study intentionally selected 35 participants and utilised a qualitative, semi-structured interview method for data collection, followed by thematic analysis. The research findings indicate that participation mechanisms, such as ward committees, IDP forums and occasional community meetings, exist formally but remain largely ineffective in practice. The study has revealed that the supply of water is unreliable, unevenly distributed, and of variable quality. Many households have resorted to drilling private boreholes or relying on communal tanks, highlighting a gap between municipal obligations and actual delivery. Integrating traditional authority structures such as lekgotla into formal participation processes, municipalities can enhance legitimacy and cultural relevance while mobilising community trust. Furthermore, municipalities must establish robust accountability systems to ensure that community inputs translate into tangible improvements in water service delivery.