Abstract
M.A.
Providing water services to a community takes careful planning and consideration. It is essential
that communities are included from the onset in the processes of the project so that their needs,
expectations and circumstances can influence decision-making as well as the activities required
for the installation and subsequent delivery of the service. This type of involvement is referred to
as community participation and it is a very important aspect when a new development takes
place in any sector.
This study investigated the nature of community participation that took place when a rural village
in the Limpopo Province, South Africa, received a water service from the government. This study
also assessed the impacts (beneficial and detrimental) on the needs and expectations of the new
water system and the level of satisfaction with the service from the viewpoint of community
residents. The methods that were used to gather data were focus group meetings, in-depth
interviews and a satisfaction survey.
The investigation revealed that community participation was not very extensive and was limited
to community meetings and labour by community residents. Seven potential benefits of
participation, namely, better health, quality of life, equal benefits, human rights, employment
opportunities, affordability and sustainable development were identified, but most of the
respondents claimed to have only experienced the health benefit from these positive outcomes.
Concerns were mostly about the municipality’s insufficient consultation and the tap water not
being easily accessible and constantly available. The satisfaction survey confirmed these
complaints. Although the study could not show that the dissatisfaction of the community was
related to low levels of community participation at the onset of the water service and the lack
thereof afterwards, it was recommended that ongoing community participation can resolve the
issues that the community might have with the water service and its provider.