SA communities have had to find workaround solutions to address government's service delivery failures.
Image: Ai-generated
If ingenuity was a person, I'm sure she'd be South African.
South Africans have been finding alternate ways of getting things done regardless of what obstacles come our way.
Load shedding? We'll install solar panels, generators and more candles.
Water shortages? No problem, we'll get a jojo tank or two. Police not responding on time? It's cool, our private security guards will patrol or chase down a suspect or five, most probably apprehend them and hand them over to SAPS.
The point is, while we know the country faces service delivery issues, South Africans have always figured out a working solution.
According to StatsSA, service delivery refers to the "provision of essential public services such as clean water, waste management, health care, education, and infrastructure development. Adequate access to safe water and sanitation is essential for life, well-being, and human dignity—key pillars of a higher quality of life. Providing these services is among the most effective strategies for reducing poverty and inequality."
The reason for poor service delivery across the country boils down to corruption, lack of funds, political interference and lack of citizen participation.
These transgressions by government, be it on a local or national level have pushed South Africans to seek alternate measures.
Speaking to IOL, KwaZulu-Natal resident Jodi Chetty, said she has a jojo tank and generator at home.
Chetty, who lives with her husband on the KZN north coast said when they moved into their home, the previous owner installed a jojo tank due to the frequent water outages.
"We’ve not had to do any maintenance just yet as they were serviced just before we officially took transfer. We do make sure the tank water is cleaned every month if we haven’t used it, and the generator only gets filled with fuel if we need it, so we don’t waste," she said.
With the recent load shedding, Chetty said she was relieved to have a 'plan B' knowing they could still use WiFi and kitchen appliances.
"We’ve also got a gas stove and oven, which I wouldn’t change for the world because it means I can still cook and bake," Chetty said.
Residents have also opted to install solar panels on their roofs.
The rolling blackouts in recent years have led to an uptick in solar panels sales. According to Nedbank, this can cost in the region of between R55,000 to R60,000 but you will be using less grid electricity during the day, so the cost will be offset to an extent by savings on your electricity bill.
To be totally off the grid, you'd spend close to R250,000.
The average price of a jojo tank in South Africa can cost anything from R2,000 for a 950 litre tank to around R20,000 for a 10L tank.
Residents across the country have also turned to initiatives like Urban Improvement Precinct, Community Policing Forums and Ratepayers Associations to ramp up safety, security and take care of the day-to-day needs of the community. The UIP mechanism is based on the Municipal Property Rates Act of 2004, which makes provision for the establishment of Special Rating Areas.
Another way South Africans are adapting to make life more bearable in a crumbling system, is the creation of food gardens.
Selina Majafi in the food garden she started in her Mangaung community.
Image: Supplied
In Mangaung, Selina Majafi established food garden to help tackle hunger in her community. Despite the stumbling blocks along the way, Majafi provides food for the hungry and reliable work opportunities for unemployed youngsters.
Delivering his State of the Nation Address last month, President Cyril Ramaphosa said in many cities and towns across the country, roads are not maintained, water and electricity supply is often disrupted, refuse is not collected and sewage runs in the streets.
To mitigate this, he said government will work with municipalities to establish professionally managed, ringfenced utilities for water and electricity services to ensure that there is adequate investment and maintenance.
seanne.rall@iol.co.za
IOL
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