The contribution of infrastructure maintenance in the development of Mahikeng

Abstract

The mam aim of this research project was to study the contribution of infrastructure maintenance in the development of Mahikeng. The researcher explored the contribution of water and road infrastructure maintenance in developing Mahikeng under the Mahikeng Local Municipality. Well maintained infrastructure contributes positively towards the health of communities and in turn leading to a significant increase in economic activities. Mahikeng is currently stuck in one place with regard to development and growth. The roads have been ·n terrible conditions for many years and the water pipes are really old. This means that these pipes constantly burst and residents do not have water to clean, bath or even cook. When these residents do not have water to bath, they will not be able to go to work and this slows down productions. The researcher decided on the topic of study after looking at the problem and the problems it has caused in the process of developing Mahikeng. The researcher chose to undertake a qualitative research approach in conducting this study. This allows the researcher to have detailed interviews with participants who are in a position to give their opinions on behalf of communities and the municipality. A number of Acts that ~ form part of the legislative framework for the establishment of local government municipalities are entitled to generate revenue through charging property rates along with surcharges. In place there is a legislative framework for collecting revenue at municipal level. There are two groups for infrastructure namely: social and economic infrastructure. These groups or types of infrastructure impacts the lives of residents and how the government can help improve or develop the lives of residents. This specific paper focuses on road and water infrastructure and how it being maintained can contribute towards developing the capital city. Over the years the road and water infrastructure has deteriorated. In delivering services, municipalities experience some challenges like inadequate budgets and deaths of key personnel. The contribution of infrastructure maintenance was further backed up by Agenor' s theory of infrastructure-led development which proposes infrastructure as an engine of growth. Infrastructure contributes towards developing tourism, creating employment and being used as a strategic tool in building confidence in the communities. On one hand, constantly maintaining the infrastructure keeps road and water network operating for a longer period. On the other hand postponing infrastructure maintenance or not maintaining it at all, leads to increased costs that could easily be avoided by the municipality. This paper explored the economic benefits or road maintenance and water infrastructure. After looking or studying the impacts of not maintaining these infrastructures through conducting interviews with ward councilors and municipal officials, the researcher was able to understand that residents have contributed to the current state of roads and they are also discouraged and show this by not paying rates. The municipality has had the same infrastructure for over twenty years and this means it has exceeded its lifespan. This is the case, the municipality can only focus on maintenance and not reconstructing the roads and water infrastructure. The findings and recommendations are also discussed in this paper in the concluding chapter.