At present, several smaller municipalities are struggling to operate and maintain their services infrastructure in a cost-effective and sustainable manner.

At present, several smaller municipalities are struggling to operate and maintain their services infrastructure in a cost-effective and sustainable manner.

The end result is predictable: rapid deterioration of assets, followed by catastrophic component failure, and regular and prolonged disruptions in service delivery.

This article identifies and examines some of the challenges that exist in a typical small rural municipality. A local municipality in the Eastern Cape is used as a case study. It must be emphasised though that there is no intention to discredit this particular municipality or any of its employees.

Instead, the findings should be viewed against the background that there are numerous other local authorities across the country that are experiencing similar or even worse difficulties.

The solutions offered are specifically aimed at improving the working conditions of municipal staff who are confronted with numerous impediments in their current work environment.

A number of issues, ranging from financial constraints to institutional deficiencies and personnel problems, are highlighted. Current utilisation of grant funding and some municipalities’ dependency on funding agencies are also debated.

The main theme of the paper is, however, more focused on finding workable solutions to ensure that best practise is applied in operating and maintaining municipal services infrastructure in a sustainable manner.

The second part of the paper explores possible short- and long-term options, including support from consulting engineers and outsourcing of essential services to the private sector.

Crisis in local government

In 2008 the (then) National Department of Provincial and Local Government (DPLG) received a report from the Afrikaanse Handelsinstituut (AHI), alerting the department on service delivery problems in a number of municipalities throughout South Africa.

The report highlighted several problems that these municipalities were experiencing at the time, including:

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