Accounting for sustainable development in water services : a case of Lephalale Local Municipality in the Limpopo province, South Africa

Abstract

Local government, in terms of its constitutional obligation is liable for service provision. But in the provision of service there is a need for accountability. This will assist municipalities to track improvement derived in the realization of national developmental requirements of the residents which is frequently in par with the world commitment on sustainable development on service delivery. The study was conducted based on few goals of the 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development, on water supply services in Lephalale Local Municipality with specific reference to Lephalale Town, Onverwacht, Marapong, Mamojela Park, and Mahlakung. The participants were Councillors (5), Municipal Officials (10) and the community (50). The objectives of the study were to explore the level of equitable, safe and affordable water services within the municipality, to evaluate the community participation of their water services, assess the monitoring and evaluation framework of the municipality in water services and explore challenges the municipality faces in accounting for sustainable development. The study used triangulation and a purposive sampling approach. The study discovered that the community of Lephalale have sustainable level of equitable access and affordable water service in urban, location, rural and informal settlements, but this requires upgrades. In terms of community participation in water services, the residents are not participating. Lack of community participation affects monitoring and evaluation of water services because they must wait for maintenance teams that take longer to respond. The study recommends that the municipality should develop mechanism that will encourage community participation. The municipality should change and reinforce the culture of accountability.