Contextualising perceptions of service delivery and well-being in Bekkersdal informal settlement

Abstract

The article reflects on the perceptions of households within the informal settlement of the Bekkersdal community regarding their experiences and their impressions of public service delivery. The study was undertaken to understand and to determine the overall ecohealth and well-being of a cross-section mining community. In terms of a research design, an Integrative Multidisciplinary-focused (IMD) team included a structured baseline questionnaire that was administered by trained fieldworkers by means of conducting face-to-face interviews with the occupants of 503 households. A review of the available literature was also conducted in order to attain the set research objectives. A systematic stratified sampling technique was used to increase precision in determining the sample for this project. Research findings indicate that households in the Bekkersdal informal settlement perceive the level of service delivery as extremely poor. Notably 78% of households were of the opinion that a lack of public services was affecting them negatively. The overall state of well-being of households residing in Bekkersdal informal settlement was therefore affected likewise. The environmental obstacles that local (and provincial as well as national) government faces regarding the construction and maintenance of proper local services in the informal section of Bekkersdal seem quite insurmountable. Given all the factors involved, it is impossible to meet the levels of service that residents demand. Environmental threats, such as the instability of dolomite which causes sinkholes especially during fl oods, apparently fails to satisfy or convince residents. Recently, a process of relocation to safer areas started, but it will probably take years to relocate all residents. Relocation will likely fail because of residents' apparent ignorance of the environmental danger, and an attitude reflecting a preference to rather resettle in open spaces evacuated in the process of relocation (Van Eeden 2014 and WLM-IDP 2015:32). Yet, municipal authorities such as the WLM should positively and with integrity approach and clearly address urgently all the perceived community concerns and complaints, as these may spiral out of control and may lead to yet more service delivery protests (Moses 2015). This can, for instance, be done by more inclusive public participation and consultation and information-sharing processes, in order to avert negative perceptions of poor service delivery by communities.