Policy Challenges in Delivering Water Services

Water service delivery is still a contentious issue in South African local government, and it was particularly contentious in Mbombela District Municipality. However, the South African government has adopted Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs), as a mechanism for delivering services in its local government context. Before a proper history of the management of water service delivery in South Africa and Africa can be recorded, it is necessary to hold to the light some of the perspectives written in earlier days on PPPs. Most vital writings on PPPs were that: PPPs seemed to have emerged from economies of scale and other perceived benefits that have enabled PPPs as an attractive route to many governments. This was because PPPs increasingly promised to assist governments in different parts of the world in delivering core-services including those with a direct bearing to meet MDGs. Therefore, schools of thought such as New Public Management (NPM), which stressed on efficiency, accountability, transparency, sustainability and equity have leveraged the position of PPPs.