Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2004. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Sunday Times - Sunday, 19 September, 2004
Despite this, challenges remain in the fields of administration, housing, water and sanitation.
Salga chief executive Thabo Mokwena says typical problems include under-performing governance systems, poor financial performance and inadequate service delivery.
"Under-performing governance systems can result from weak leadership, conflicts between councillors and municipal managers, and improper definition of the roles of councillors and senior management," he says.
"Poor financial performance often relates to the inability of municipalities to raise revenue through rates and tariffs.
"This, in turn, is typically caused by a combination of inadequate financial systems and poor consumer relations," says Mokwena.
"In terms of inadequate service delivery, while considerable emphasis is placed on the provision of new infrastructure, in many cases there is insufficient attention given to long-term operation and maintenance aspects.
"This results in a situation where consumers do not get good quality service," he says.
A lack of access to water supply and sanitation perpetuates poverty and exacerbates the problems of vulnerable groups, especially those affected by HIV/Aids and other diseases.
"This is why a key focus of South AfricaÆs water services policy is to ensure access by the poor to adequate, affordable and sustainable basic water supply and sanitation services.
"Our target is that all people in South Africa have access to a functioning basic water supply by 2008; all schools have adequate and safe water supply services by 2005; all clinics have adequate and safe water supply services by 2007; and free basic water policy is implemented in all water services authorities by 2005," says Mokwena.
The Strategic Framework for Water Services identifies specific targets.
These include giving all South Africans access to a functioning basic sanitation service by 2010; giving all schools the same by 2005 and the eradication of all bucket toilets by 2006.
The framework also envisages that 70% of all households must have access to at least a basic sanitation facility and the ability to practise safe sanitation by 2005 (100% by 2010).
Says Mokwena: "There are concerns that the Municipal Infrastructure Grant allocations, together with other funds that municipalities can generate internally for sanitation infrastructure, are insufficient to address the sanitation targets."
He says achievements since 1994 in delivering low-income housing in South Africa have been widely acknowledged.
"Our housing programme has resulted in the delivery of more houses in a shorter period than in any other country in the world.
"However, there are a number of significant challenges that municipalities face.
"These include the issue of hostels, the old municipal rental stock, the lack of integrated development within and across spheres of government, the absence of operating subsidies for housing developments, the challenge of rural development and the widespread poverty of the target group," Mokwena says.
"When considering the specific challenge of how to accelerate delivery there are a number of challenges that need to be addressed."
The housing backlog has increased since 1994.
Despite the delivery of more than 1.5 million houses, the current housing backlog estimate is just over two million units, which is now higher than the approximately 1.5 million units estimated in 1994.
Across the nine cities of the South African Cities Network, the number of households without formal shelter increased by 28.5% between 1996 and 2001.
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