Local governance and community managed O&M

In South Africa, District Municipalities are the designated Water Services Authorities (WSAs). They are responsible for ensuring the provision of water and sanitation services. They either may perform the function of Water Services Provider (WSP), or contract a WSP. The WSP is responsible for the actual provision of the services. This includes responsibility for implementing, managing, operating and maintaining schemes in terms of new projects, or taking responsibility for the management, operation and maintenance (O&M) of existing schemes. WSPs may be local municipalities, water utilities, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), private sector companies, or community- based organisations (CBOs). The Mvula Trust believes that rural development is most sustainable when it is driven by the beneficiaries, and therefore advocates the community-based WSP option. This option is particularly valid for towns that became responsible for remote rural areas previously outside their boundaries, following the South African Municipal Demarcation process in December 2000. These towns do not always have sufficient expertise, capacity, and resources to attend to their rural areas. In many cases, this has led to gaps and problems with service delivery, and entire rural areas remaining unserviced. In these areas, The Mvula Trust advocates the establishment of community-based WSPs.