Causes and Effects of Poor Service Delivery in Vuwani Rural Area, Collins Chabane Local Municipality, Limpopo Province: South Africa

Abstract

In South Africa, poor service delivery has been a major problem in many municipalities since the dawn of democracy in 1994.  This is a situation despite the fact that local governments are trying to provide services to the community sustainably, as enshrined in section 152 of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996.  This paper critically assesses the causes and effects of the lack of service delivery in the Vuwani rural areas in the Collins Chabane Municipality Integrated Development Plan (IDP), audit reports, annual reports and other relevant documents.  A Qualitative method was applied to examine and understand the causes and effects of poor service in rural areas of Vuwani through the lenses of the New Public Management Theory. Vuwani residents are not satisfied with the provision of services by the Collins Chabane Local Municipality for various reasons.  these reasons include a lack of public participation between the residents and the municipality, no access to clean water, and many indigents in the area. The lack of public participation emerged as the main barrier to service delivery in the Vuwani rural areas. This challenge's most visible effect is in the non-provision of water service to the residents, even though the residents consider water delivery as one of the most essential services.  The residents, however, still believe that there are possibilities for improvements in service delivery if the municipality adheres to its Intergrated Development Plan. The researchers recommended that community members actively participate in matters affecting them, as this can help to address the challenges of poor service delivery.