The Municipal Integrated Development Programme (MIDP) in Prioritising the 
Provision of Water Services to the Community 
Student name: L. M. Mofela 
Student number: 16473701 
A mini-dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the 
Degree Masters in Business Administration at the Mahikeng Campus of the 
North-West University 
Supervisor: Prof TG Pelser 
July, 2014 
LIBRARY 
MAFUlENG CAMPUS 
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· fST UNIVERSITY NORTH-WEST UNIVERSITY 
Declaration 
I, the undersigned, hereby declare that the work contained in this research project is 
my own original work and sources have been acknowledged . This paper has not 
been submitted in its entirety or in part for a degree or other qualification at any other 
university. 
Lorato Mofela Date 
Student no: 16473701 
ii 
Abstract 
The purpose of this research is to investigate how the Municipal Integrated 
Development Programme (MIDP) assists in Prioritising the Provision of Water 
Services to the Community of Ratlou Local Municipality. 
Literature review has been conducted in order to gather information regarding 
research that has been done around Municipal integrated development plan and 
water issues, more importantly to verify if the MIDP is facilitating and fast tracking 
service delivery particularly water as it is intended to in Ratlou Local Municipality. The 
study further looks at whether identified needed services in previous IDP are given 
priority. The researcher used quantitative method to collect information and a 
questionnaire was designed and distributed to relevant respondents 
Data has been analysed using Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) 
software. Results are interpreted in graphs, percentages and tables for easier 
understanding. Findings are discussed and conclusion is based on information 
gathered from literature review and results of questionnaire. The results indicate that 
to some extent the MIDP processes are being followed however service delivery is 
poor in terms of water in Ratlou local municipality. 
iii 
Acknowledgments 
Firstly I would like to thank almighty God for the strength and determination I needed 
to conduct th is study. I thank my academic supervisor on this study, Prof Theuns 
Pelser, for the time he made to read my work and make suggestions. His knowledge 
and guidance have been a tremendous resource to me. 
Throughout this research , a number of individuals have been of great assistance. I 
thank Ratlou Local Municipality management, to allow me to conduct study in their 
area, as well as RLM employees and community representative who took their time to 
respond to the research questionnaire. My manager, for the support and advice 
received throughout the study. 
I sincerely appreciate my family for the support and encouragement I received 
throughout the study. 
Thank You. 
iv 
Acronyms 
COGTA: Department of Cooperative Governance & Traditional Affairs 
DCoG: Departments of Corporate Governance 
DHS: Department of Human Settlements () 
DWAF: Department of Water Affairs and Forestry 
EPWP : Expanded Public Works Programme 
IDP: Integrated development plan 
MFMA: Municipal Finance Management Act 
MIDP: Municipal intergarted development programme 
NWU: North West University 
RLM:Ratlou Local Municiaplity 
SANCO: South African National Civic Organisation 
SPSS: Statistical Package for Social Sciences 
WRC - Water Research Commission 
WSA: Water Service Authority 
V 
Table of Contents 
Declaration ....................................................................................................... .... ii 
Abstract .............................................................................................................. iii 
Acknowledgments ................................................................................................ iv 
Acronyms ............................................................................................................. v 
List of Figures ........................................................................ .............................. ix 
List of Tables ....................................................................................................... ix 
List of Graphs ....................................................................................................... x 
CHAPTER 1 ......................................................................................................... 1 
CONCEPTUALISATION OF THE RESEARCH ........................ .... ........................... 1 
1.1. Introduction .............. ... ............................................................................. 1 
1.2. Background .............................................................................................. 2 
1.3. Statement of the problem .......................................................................... 4 
1.4. Research Objectives ................................................................................. 7 
1.5. Research questions .................................................................................. 7 
1.6. Justification and Limitation ........................................................................ 8 
1 .7 . Scope of the study .................................................................................... 8 
CHAPTER 2 ......................................................................................................... 9 
LITERATURE REVIEW ......................................................................................... 9 
2.1 . Introduction .............................................................................................. 9 
2.1.1. Definition .............................................................................................. 9 
2.1.2. Formulation of I DP ............................................................................... 10 
2.1.3. Legislative Requirements .................................................................. .. .. 12 
The Constitution of the Republic Of South Africa (108 of 1996) ........................ 12 
vi 
The Municipal Systems Act (32 of 2000) ............................................................. 13 
The Water Services Act (Act 108 of 1997) .................................... .... .................. 14 
The Municipal Finance Management Act (Act 56 of 2003) ................................... 15 
The Division of Revenue Act (Act 1 Of 2010) .... .. ................................................ 15 
2.2. IDP In Facilitating the Municipal Basic Services ........................................ 15 
2.3. Provisioning of water services ................................................................. 20 
2.4 . IDP Challenges ...................................................................................... 26 
2.5. Conclusion ............................................................................................. 28 
CHAPTER 3 .............. .... .... .. ... .... .. ............................................ ...... .................... 30 
RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY ............ .......................................... 30 
3.1. Introduction ............................................................................................... 30 
3.2. Research Design ...................................................................................... 30 
3.3. Population ................................................................................................ 31 
3.4. Sampling .................................................................................................. 31 
3.5 . Method of Data Collection ................ .. ........................................................ 32 
3.6. Data Analysis Method ................................................................................ 32 
3.7. Ethical Consideration ................................................................................. 33 
CHAPTER 4 ....................................................................................................... 34 
DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS ................................................................. 34 
4.1. Introduction .............................. .............................................................. 34 
4.2. Description of the questionnaire .............................................................. 34 
4.3. Response Rate ...................................................................................... 35 
4.4. Conclusion ............................................... .. .. .. ....... .. .. ............................. 51 
CHAPTER 5 .............................................. ........................................... ... ........ ... 52 
vii 
FINDINGS, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS ...................................... 52 
5.1. Introduction .................. .. ...................................... .. ........................... ..... 52 
5.4. Empirical Findings .... .............................................................................. 53 
5.5. Recommendations ............................................................... .. ................. 54 
5.6. Conclusion ............................................................................................. 55 
Reference list ....................................................................................... .. ............ 57 
ANNEXURES ..................................................................................................... 64 
Annexure A: Questionnaire .................... ...... .......... .............................................. 64 
Annexure 8: Table for sample size corresponding to population size ...................... 68 
viii 
List of Figures 
Figure 1. ................ .. .... ... .. ......................... ....... ... ................ ............... ... ...... .... .. ........... ...3  
List of Tables 
Table 4.1 .................... ...... ........ ..... .. .. ................................. ............ ........................ ... .... .3 5 
Table 4.2 ...... ................................... ........... ..... .. ... .................................... ..... ... ............ ..3 5 
Table 4.3 .... .. ... ..................... ............................ .......................... .. ... ...... ... ... ................. ..3 6 
Table 4.4 .... ...... ... ..... ..... .. ............ ...... ....... ............ .. .... ..... ... ... ................ .................... .. ... 37 
Table 4.5 ........... ... ...... ..... ..... ....... ...... ..... .... ........ .... ... ....... .. ....................................... ... ..3 9 
Table 4.6 ........... ...................................... ..... .......... .... ....................................... ........ ..... 40 
Table 4.7 ...... .. .. ... ... ......... ...............................................................................................4 0 
Table 4.8 ......................... .... ... ..... ..... .... ..... .. ........ ........... ................................ ........... ..... 41 
Table 4.9 ................................ .. ......... ............ .............................. ................ .................. 42 
Table 4.10 .......... ... ... ..... ... ............................. .... ... .. ... .. ... ... ..... .... ... ........... ..... ....... ...... ... 43 
Table 4.11 ...................... .. .... ...... .................................... ..... .......... ... ... ..... ...... ... ............ 43 
Table 4.12 ............................ .... .... .. .. .................................. .. ... ..... .............. .. ... .. ... ......... 44 
Table 4.13 ... .... .. ............ ................... ............................................. ..... .... ..... ....... .... .. ..... 45 
Table 4.14 .... ......................... ......... .............................. .. ... ... ..... .. .... ............ .................. 45 
Table 4.15 ........... ... .. ......... ... .............. ........ .......... .. .. .............................. .................... ... 46 
Table 4.16 ...... ..... .. ... ............................ ....... ................... .. ........... ... .. ........ .. .. ........ ......... 47 
Table 4.17 ................... .. ... .............. ........... ............ ........................ ......... .... .. .. .. .. ... ...... .. 48 
Table 4.18 ... ... ......................... ...... ... ............................... .. ...... .................................... .. 48 
Table 4.19 ... ... ... ... ... .................. .... .... ............. ................... ............ .. ... ........................... 49 
Table 4.20 ..... .. .. .. ..................... ..... ... .. .. ............................. .... .. ... ... ... ..... ......... .. .. ........... 49 
Table 4.21 ............ .... .... .. .... .. ............. ... .. .... .. ... .................. ........... .... ... ... ......... ... ........... 50 
Table 4.22 .......................... .. ... .......... .............. ... ...... ............ ........ .............. ..... ...... ........ 50 
ix 
List of Graphs 
Graph 4.1 ............................................................................ ......... .. ............................... 36 
Graph 4.2 ....... ................................................ ......... ............ .... .. ................... .... ...... ....... 37 
Graph 4.3 .. .. .. ..... .... ...... .. .. .... ....... ....... ... ... .. ....... ........................................... .. ............... 38 
Graph 4.4 ......... ......... .... ...... .... ...... ........ ... ............. ............ ....................... ........ .......... ...3 9 
Graph 4.5 ............ ................. ... .................. .. ............. .. ......................... .............. ... ..... .... 41 
Graph 4.6 ...................... ....... .. ... ................................................................ ..... .............. .4 4 
Graph 4.7 ..... .. .... .. .......... .................................................................................... ....... .... 46 
X 
CHAPTER 1 
CONCEPTUALISATION OF THE RESEARCH 
1.1. Introduction 
Since the 1994 democratic elections, the local government responsibilities have 
expanded enormously and emphasis has been placed on the developmental role of 
local government (Ngaka Modiri Molema District Municipality, 2007:2). Planning at a 
municipal level is achieved through the adoption of an Integrated Development 
Planning (IDP) which takes into account the priorities of the municipal constituency in 
terms of needs (Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, 
2012). 
According to the report by KPMG (2007), the IDP is developed in accordance with 
requirements set out in the Municipal Systems Act (Act 32 of 2000) and Local 
Government Municipal Planning and Performance Management Regulations (2001) 
as a pathway to sustainable development in South Africa. The report further indicates 
that the IDP is intended to integrate the economic, social, institutional and financial 
dimensions of government to provide sustainability, equity and the empowerment of 
the poor. The IDP is a process through which municipalities prepare a strategic plan 
containing short, medium and long-term development objectives, strategies and 
programmes for the municipal area (Department of Provincial and Local Government, 
2013). 
The funding instruments have to give practical implementation of the IDP. The 
Municipal Finance Management Act (MFMA) (Act 56 of 2003) is clear in respect to 
timeframes for the IDP and the budget. The MFMA requires the budget and IDP 
schedule or Process Planning to be adopted and to be tabled to the council 
(Municipal Finance Management Act (Act No 56 of 2003)). 
1 
Any reforms impacting on funding instruments should protect the rights of 
communities to express their priorities and for municipalities to fulfill these. Otherwise 
communities may regard municipalities as being insensitive to their needs. The IDP 
gives communities the opportunity to raise their development needs to the municipal 
council. IDP also gives communities the opportunity to determine the municipality's 
development direction and provides a mechanism through which to communicate with 
their Councilors and the governing body. IDP again provides a mechanism through 
which they can measure the performance of the Councilors and the municipality as a 
whole (Department of Provincial and Local Government, 2005: 10). 
1.2. Background 
Ratlou Local Municipality (RLM) is classified as a rural municipality under the 
jurisdiction of Ngaka Modiri Molema District Municipality in the North-West Province. 
It shares the border with three other municipalities which are Ramotshere Moiloa 
local Municipality, Mahikeng local municipality and Dr Ruth Segomotso Mompati 
District municipality and the Republic of Botswana (see Figure 1). The Municipality is 
divided into 14 wards and has 140 ward committee members. Some of the main 
villages making up the municipality are: Setlagole, Madibogo, Kraaipan, 
Madibogopan, Disaneng , Mareetsane, Makgobistadt, Tshidilamolomo and Logageng 
(Local government, 2012) . 
In 2007 the Ratlou Local Municipality had a total population of about 98 102 people, 
90% of which are Africans , followed by other population groups. According to the 
local government handbook survey 2012, the current population is estimated at 
107 339, households are estimated at 26 889 with population growth of 0.11 % per 
annum and unemployment rate is estimated at 43.90% (Local Government, 2012). 
2 
Figure 1: Ngaka Modiri Molema Municipality map (Source: Ratlou Local 
Municipality: 2013c). 
The Ratlou Local Municipality (RLM) does not have large economic centres within 
its jurisdiction. It is predominantly rural in character whereby agriculture, mining 
and tourism form the dominant economic activity. The municipality is led by a 
Council of 28 elected councilors. The Mayor is the chairperson of the Executive 
Committee which is comprised of senior councilors-who serve as chairpersons of 
the municipality's five portfolio committees. The RLM administration is led by the 
Municipal Manager and has the following departments: Office of the Municipal 
Manager; Corporate Support Services; Budget and Treasury Office, Planning and 
Development, and Technical Services (Ratlou Local Municipality, 2013a). 
3 
The Ratlou Local Municipality IDP 2012-2017 states that although 85% of the RLM 
population have access to water, the water source in this municipal area is unreliable 
due to the low underground water table . With regard to electricity, the number of 
households using electricity increased from 3.4% in 1996 to over 70% in 2007. 
Generally the Ratlou Local municipality still faces serious service backlogs related to 
the provision of water, sanitation, roads and refuse removal services (Ratlou Local 
Municipality, 2012b: 1) . 
Ngaka Modiri Molema District Municipality has contracted Botshelo Water to 
supply bulk potable water services to Mahikeng Local Municipality, Ramotshere 
Moiloa Local Municipality, Ditsobotla Local Municipality and Ratlou Local Municipality 
(Botshelo Water, 2013a). Furthermore, Botshelo Water is also responsible for 
operating and maintaining water services infrastructure within the Ngaka Modiri 
Molema District Municipality and Dr. Ruth Segomotsi Mompati District Municipality. 
The infrastructure maintained by Botshelo Water involves but not limited to water 
pipeline network, reservoirs, pump stations, water pressure systems and boreholes. 
The RLM offices are located in Setlagole Village that is 72 km west of Mafikeng town, 
82 km East of Vryburg town and 54km North of Delareyville town (Ratlou Local 
Municipality, 2013a). Most of the services in the RLM government are rendered from 
various centres located mainly in Setlagole village. 
1.3. Statement of the problem 
The IDPs are intended to transform the top-down planning practices of the previous 
government by giving ordinary citizens a say in development issues affecting them 
(Bogopane, 2012:92). Alebiosu (2008:4) argues that there are people in South Africa 
who do not have access to basic services such as water, sanitation and electricity 
which contributes to vulnerability to poverty. The introduction of the IDP was based 
4 
on addressing the basic needs of communities and fast tracking provision of basic 
services. However according to the report by KPMG (2007), municipalities do not 
comply with IDP processes and their requirements. Therefore, the capacity of the 
local government to effectively carry out the IDP programme might be a challenge 
facing local government in South Africa. 
According to the IDP document, the ward councilors are responsible for organising 
public consultation and participation. RLM IDP 2012-2017 document states that 
Council should report twice per annum to the community through mechanisms 
determined by it through its communication policy and community participation 
(Ratlou Local Municipality, 2012b:55). However, more often than not, the meetings to 
develop the IDP are poorly attended by the members of the community , partly 
because of poor notification and / or disgruntlement due to previous experience 
wherein community's inputs were not honoured. 
Furthermore, the fulfillment of the IDP requires of the municipality to have its own 
revenue base over and above what the central government is providing to subsidise 
the municipality in the form of equitable shares and Municipal Infrastructure Grants. A 
very critical phase of the IDP process is to link planning to the municipal budget (i .e. 
allocation of internal or external funding to the identified projects) because this will 
ensure that the IDP directs the development and implementation of projects to 
address the key development priorities (Sol Plaatjie Municipality, 2013). 
The lack of skilled personnel staff is one factor that impacts on the municipality not 
being able to meet its developmental objective. According to the National Planning 
Commission (NPC), the South African Local Government Association (SALGA) has 
identified several key factors affecting how well municipalities perform in the area of 
service delivery. These include the ability to attract and retain skilled staff; the 
existence of appropriate IT, financial and other systems; inculcating a culture of 
service delivery; and good working relationships between political and administrative 
leaderships with clear description of their respective roles. 
5 
The need for improved standards of living and access to better infrastructure, which is 
seen by a government as partial solution in addressing poverty, has necessitated the 
introduction of IDP into the works of local government. The RLM municipality has a 
poor environment characterized by limited basic amenities such as water, sanitation, 
medical and transport services. 
According to the RLM IDP 2012-2017 document the community census conducted by 
the Department of Statistics South Africa in the year 2007 revealed that, a large 
percentage of the population of Ratlou Local Municipality approximately 85% have 
access to piped water. However, the same municipality views the problem facing the 
municipality as reliability of water sources. The IDP further states that the main 
source of water supply is the community stands including those which are over 200m 
away from the dwelling. In general, access to piped water has increased 
tremendously. However, attention has to be paid to the distance travelled to access 
water as it remains a challenge (Ratlou Local Municipality, 2012b:25). 
This study therefore assessed how Ratlou Local Municipality, small as it is and mainly 
rural , fulfill the legislative requirements of developing the IDP and is able to deal with 
challenges which have been identified as factors impacting negatively on the 
municipalities' ability to deliver services to communities , as per the IDP, such as non-
attendance by the communities, lack of revenue base and lack of skilled personnel. 
This study also assessed the impact of the IDP in RLM as a mechanism for delivering 
basic services, with more emphasis on water services as it has been one of the 
prioritized activities identified in the IDP for the past eight years. 
6 
1.4. Research Objectives 
The study was guided by the following objectives: 
1.4.1 To assess the effectiveness of the IDP in facilitating the provision of 
water services in Ratlou Local Municipality; 
1.4.2 To assess if the RLM IDP addresses the basic needs and priorities that the 
members of Ratlou local municipality identified during the IDP process; 
1.4.3 To determine if Ratlou Local Municipality delivers services that it sets out 
in the IDP; 
1.4.4 To assess how limited financial resources impact on the implementation 
of 
the IDP in Ratlou ; and 
1.4.5 To assess how lack of skilled staff impact on the implementation of the 
IDP 
projects in Ratlou Local Municipality; 
1.5. Research questions 
The study answered the following questions: 
1.5.1 . Does the IDP assist in facilitating the provision of water services in 
Ratlou Local Municipality? 
1.5.2. Does the IDP processes contribute to delivery of basic services in 
Ratlou Local municipal ity? 
1.5.3. Does the IDP allow for public participation as intended to? 
7 
1.6. Justification and Limitation 
The Study will assist Ratlou Local Municipal ity to: 
1.6.1 Evaluate the municipal performance against the IDP targets in providing 
basic services to the community and prioritise the services that are 
identified as community. 
1.6.2 address the issue of technical skills or capacity 
1.6.3 Strengthen partnership with its key stakeholders in delivering services. 
1.6.4 encourage the community of RLM to be involved in developing, 
implementing and monitoring the I DP priorities 
1.7. Scope of the study 
This study attempted to assess the effectiveness of IDP in faci litating the provision of 
basic services. The study also evaluate the Role of Municipal IDP in prioritising the 
provision of basic services to the community of RLM 
The study is made up of five chapters: 
Chapter one presents a conceptualisation of the research 
Chapter two reviews Literature on the subject of the study. 
Chapter 3 presents the research design and methodology followed by the study. 
Chapter 4 presents and gives an analysis of the collected data 
Chapter five presents the conclusions arrived at and recommendations 
8 
CHAPTER 2 
LITERATURE REVIEW 
2.1. Introduction 
Rowley and Slack (2004:32) define a literature review as a summary of a subject field 
that supports the identification of specific research questions. A literature review 
evaluates a range of different types of sources including academic and professional 
journal articles, books, and web-based resources. 
Sections 25 and 26 of the Municipal Systems Act (Act 32 of 2000) state that all 
municipalities are required to compile an Integrated Development Plan (IDP) , wh ich is 
an inclusive strategic plan for the development of the municipality. The IDP is meant 
to be a product of bottom-up planning processes, which include IDP forums where 
communities can make proposals for the development of the municipality. 
Accord ing to Senyakoe (2011 :7) , a significant number of municipalities do not have 
adequate managerial , administrative, financial , technical and institutional capacity to 
meet the rising needs of local people. As a result, these municipalities cannot meet 
the required performance standards, and hence this impacts adversely on the service 
delivery. 
2.1.1. Definition 
In 1995 the Forum for Effective Planning and Development (FEPD) defined the 
Integrated Development Plan as: A participatory approach to integrate economic, 
sectoral , spatial , social , institutional , environmental and fiscal strategies in order to 
support the optimal allocation of scarce resources between sectors and geographical 
9 
areas and across the population in a manner that provides sustainable growth , equity 
and the empowerment of the poor and the marginalised. 
Integrated development planning practical guide to municipalities (2006) defined IDP 
as a process through which municipalities prepare a strategic development plan 
which extends over a five-year period. The Integrated Development Plan (IDP) is a 
product of the IDP process. The IDP is the principal strategic planning instrument 
which guides and informs all planning , budgeting , management and decision-making 
processes in a municipality. 
The Water Services Act (Act 108 of 1997) defines basic water supply as a minimum 
standard of water supply services necessary for the reliable supply of a sufficient 
quantity and quality of water to households, including informal households, to support 
life and personal hygiene. According to Alebiosu (2005:33) , basic services include 
essential services provided by and for the community at large such as safe drinking 
water, sanitation, public transport, health, education and cultural facilities. 
2.1.2. Formulation of IDP 
Accord ing to the 1998 Local Government White Paper in South Africa (cited by 
Alebiosu , 2005:3), policies and programmes specifically aimed at alleviating poverty 
are initiated in ways that will have a maximum impact on social development and on 
meeting the basic needs of the poor. This has led to the passing of the mandate to 
the local level and as such has required and necessitated the introduction of IDP by 
municipalities which encompass all the activities of the local government and require 
the putting into place of necessary infrastructural projects to help address poverty at 
each local level. 
10 
According to Senyaoke (2011 :23), the infrastructure programs have been 
implemented in South Africa after 1994 when an all-inclusive Government was 
formed. The overriding goal was to improve the living conditions of the poor by 
generating employment opportunities, providing access to basic services and 
employable skills. 
According to a MLGI (2006:2) , prior to 1994 the main concern of local government 
was with service provision and the implementation of regulations . With the 
introduction of the Constitution in 1996, new legislative and policy frameworks 
expanded the role of local government to a large extent. All the municipalities are now 
required to be advancing in their approach and activities. The approach was meant to 
assist with the reduction of wasteful expenditure and continuous past spending 
patterns. Furthermore the municipalities must ensure that all citizens have access to 
at least a minimum level of basic services, and must also take a leading role in 
addressing poverty and inherited inequities in promoting local economic and social 
development and democracy (MLGI , 2006:2). 
Aigbavboa and Thwala (2010:237) state that the Minister of Housing in 2004 
highlighted the need for government intervention to improve conditions in informal 
settlements. A lack of infrastructure and effective governance were two key areas 
identified as being in need of improvement. Senyaoke (2011 :23) argues that even 
though the infrastructure programs were put in place in many instances projects 
either failed to achieve the intended objectives or to reach the targeted beneficiaries. 
The Municipal Finance Management Act (Act 56 of 2003) provides for the manner in 
which municipal powers and functions are exercised and performed to provide for 
community participation . In terms of section 16A of the Municipal System Act (Act 32 
of 2000) regulates that the municipality must encourage, and create conditions for the 
local community to participate in the affairs of the municipality, including in the 
preparation, implementation and review of its integrated development planning . A 
11 
municipality must establish appropriate mechanisms, processes and procedures to 
enable the local community to participate in the affairs of the municipality. 
2.1.3. Legislative Requirements 
The Constitution of the Republic Of South Africa (108 of 1996) 
The legislative roots of the municipal Integrated Development Planning can be found 
in the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa. The Constitution is the basic law of 
the land and thus it guides and informs even legislation for integrated development 
planning in South Africa. Section 153 (a) (b) of the Constitution (1996) provides that: 
"A municipality must structure and manage its administration and budgeting and 
planning processes to give priority to the basic needs of the community , and to 
promote the social and economic development of the community; and participate in 
national and provincial developments programmes". 
Section 152 (1) of the Constitution (1996) states the objects of local government as: 
(a) To provide democratic and accountable government for local communities; 
(b) To ensure the provision of services to communities in a sustainable manner; 
(c) To promote social and economic development; 
(d) To promote a safe and healthy environment; and 
(e) To encourage the involvement of communities and community organisations in 
the matters of local government. 
Furthermore, Section 27 (1) (b) of the Constitution (1996) states that everyone has 
the right to have access to sufficient food and water, while section 27(2) further 
provide that the State must take reasonable legislative and other measures to 
respect, protect, promote and fulfill the progressive realisation of the right to access of 
water within its available resources. The provision of clean water in sufficient 
12 
quantities also has implications for health, food security and overall economic 
development. 
Thus the Constitution of South Africa (1996) created an enabling environment for 
Integrated Development Planning to take place in local government by providing 
legislative support to accomplish objectives of integrated development planning in 
utilising limited resources to achieve better living conditions for communities. The 
constitution has also laid the foundation for more comprehensive legislation to 
achieve these objectives, such as the Municipal Systems Act (Act 32 of 2000) and 
Municipal Finance Management Act (Act 56 of 2003). 
The Municipal Systems Act (32 of 2000) 
The Municipal Act (Act 32 of 2000) is in agreement with and is derived from the 
Constitution (1996) and describes the way in which local government should function . 
The Act puts in place the basic systems and mechanisms by which a municipality can 
perform its core processes of integrated development planning, performance 
management, resource mobilisation and organisational change. 
This Municipal Act (Act 32 of 2000) establishes an environment for developmental 
local government so that the following objectives can be achieved: 
a) Provision of faster, more appropriate and more effective service delivery; 
b) Promotion of local economic development; 
c) Bringing about changes to the structure of the organisation ; 
d) Ensuring land use development opportunities which redress the imbalances of 
past segregation. 
Therefore the Municipal Systems Act (Act 32 of 2000) requires municipalities to set 
targets and indicators according to which performance must be monitored and 
13 
reviewed. Every municipality is also required to develop a Performance Management 
System, which includes Key Performance Indicators (KPls). 
The Water Services Act (Act 108 of 1997) 
Section 3 ( 1) of the Water Services Act (Act 108 of 1997) provides that everyone has 
a right of access to basic water supply and basic sanitation necessary to secure 
sufficient water and an environment not harmful to human health or well-being. 
Section 29 of this Act provides for the establishment and disestablishment of water 
boards and water services committees and their power and duties. The primary 
activity of a water board is to provide water services to other water services 
institutions within its service area. 
According to the North West Water Sector Forum (2006: 17), the Department of Water 
Affairs and Forestry (DWAF) fulfils the primary role of regulating and supporting 
Water Service Authority (WSA) in the provision of water services. This is a shift from 
its previous role, in respect of water services, as a provider through use of water 
boards. Since water services infrastructure was transferred to WSAs, the DWAF only 
monitors and regulates water service provision in all aspects of planning, 
implementation, operation and maintenance. According to the research made by the 
Parliament of South Africa (2012: 1) after the first democratic elections in South Africa 
in 1994, the new government made water a universal supply by 2014 a priority. 
The Ngaka Modiri Molema district Water Service Level Policy provides the provision 
of water supply service in the form of yard and/or house connections in all urban 
areas (towns), and basic level of water supply service (stand pipes) in the villages 
within the Ngaka Modiri Molema District Municipalities (NMMDM , 2009:11). This 
policy further provides for the implementation of free water services within the whole 
Water Services Authorities (WSA) area in line with government policy and within the 
WSA capacity in a sustainable way. Therefore, according to the WSA the 
14 
municipalities are responsible for providing water and sanitation services to the 
communities. 
The Municipal Finance Management Act (Act 56 of 2003) 
The Municipal Finance Management Act (Act 56 of 2003) provides for the core 
principles, mechanisms and processes that are necessary to enable municipalities to 
move progressively towards the social and economic upliftment of local communities, 
and ensure universal access to essential services that are affordable to all ; to 
empower the poor and ensure that municipalities put in place service tariffs and credit 
control policies that take their needs into account by providing a framework for the 
provision of services, service delivery agreements and municipal service districts. 
The Division of Revenue Act (Act 1 Of 2010) 
The Division of Revenue Act (Act 1 of 2010) provides for the equitable division of 
revenue raised nationally among the national, provincial and local spheres of 
government for the financial year and the responsibilities of all three spheres 
pursuant to such division; and to provide for matters connected therewith . 
2.2. IDP In Facilitating the Municipal Basic Services 
According to Gibbens (2008:43), from the national sphere of government, the IDP is 
viewed as the principal mechanism to achieve the integration of the activities of the 
different spheres of government. Gibbens (2008:43) is of the view that the IDP should 
serve as basis for communication and interaction between spheres and sectors and 
to harness all public resources of the three spheres of government behind common 
goals within a framework of municipal support. 
According to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) (cited by 
Akinboade et al. 2013:461 ), a part of populations in Africa, especially in the rural 
15 
areas live without access to basic public services. The reasons for the ineffective 
service delivery are many and complex, but most often they relate to lack of 
accountability , transparency and commitment in making services work for the poor 
and marginalized citizens. In many cases, the lack of implementation and absorptive 
capacity of government agencies and citizens , respectively, are problems that 
hamper efficient and effective service delivery (Akinboade et al. , 2013:461 ). 
Bogopane (2012 : 138) indicates that in almost all the cases, democratic participatory 
development process, planning , policies, programmes, and projects in the Ngaka 
Modiri Molema District are based on the ideas of the so-called consultants , who 
wrongfully claim to know and fully understand the needs and aspirations of local 
communities , only to realise that they know almost nothing about such needs and 
aspirations. When looking closer to these IDPs, one notices that such IDPs reflect 
only the misguided ambitions of these consultants, and in no way represent the real 
needs and aspirations of the local communities. This implies that any form of 
exclusion of active community participation in the planning , policy-making, problem-
solving ; and programme and project evaluation and monitoring , will constitute an 
anomaly and possible recipe for disaster (Bogopane, 2012:138) . Municipal executives 
should be accountable as they are granted powers to raise and spent revenue . 
According to COGTA (2011 :3), the State of Local Government Assessment found 
that the Ngaka Modiri Molema district municipal council undermines laws and policies 
that govern local government. Furthermore, there is poor prioritization of services and 
functions by the council. In terms of service delivery, the technical unit is not 
capacitated to perform functions of infrastructure delivery. The Ngaka Modiri Molema 
district does not provide sufficient support to its local municipalities on water, 
sanitation and roads (COGTA , 2011 :3) . 
16 
According to Gibbens (2008: 52), the local government must reach out to involve 
other government spheres because the technical and political demands of today's 
problems and especially the demand for resources, in large part lie outside local 
government's agency. A major source of water loss is ageing infrastructure 
exacerbated by poor operations and maintenance at a municipal level and analysis 
shows that this state of affairs is a multi-faceted problem including a lack of 
managerial and technical skills and funding (DWAF, 2008:2). 
COGTA's State of Local Government in South Africa Report (cited by Senyaoke, 
2011 :27), indicated that the North West Province emerges as one of the provinces 
that has experienced a significant amount of service delivery protests; fraud and 
corruption ; nepotism; political infighting; capacity related problems; and a host of 
other issues. According to the findings of this research, the respondents were of the 
view that the project management systems in the municipalities are not essential in 
responding to water and sanitation service delivery (backlogs eradication) . Senyaoke 
further adds by saying the operational strategy is the main limiting factor in achieving 
the desired results of the water and sanitation infrastructure with bridging finance 
(Senyaoke, 2011 :27). 
Furthermore, Senyaoke (2011 :49) concluded that the bridging finance interventions 
from the Development Finance Institution (DFI) and Development Bank of Southern 
Africa (DBSA) to the municipalities have somewhat failed to achieve the intended 
results that is to eradicate the water and sanitation backlogs and thereby impact 
service delivery significantly. This is further supported by Alebiosu (2005:75) by 
saying that various grants address various aspects of the developmental challenges 
facing municipalities, none of them provide general financial support for the 
developmental role of local government that is to implement a variety of programmes 
and projects identified in the IDP. 
17 
Senyakoe (2011 :8) found that in the Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs 
(COGTA) reports of 2007, the targets set to provide the basic services to all , 
particularly with respect to water supply, seem to be ambitious and require rapid 
increases in capital expenditure and organisational capacity. The researcher argued 
that in order to afford this program, increases in the revenue available to 
municipalities are also required. The report further affirms that a large number of 
municipalities experience severe infrastructural backlogs and have limited capacity to 
implement these backlogs. 
According to Senyaoke (2011 :23), most of the municipalities are generally associated 
with the worst form of financial management. Corruption, financial mismanagement 
and non-compliance with financial legislation are common in most municipalities. 
Consequently, this results in poor performance. Research conducted by Alebiosu 
(2005:30) suggests that skewed power relations and economic, political, or social 
injustices that deny people access to empowering resources such as safe water, 
health services or education can be contributing factors to poverty. This is supported 
by Earle et al. (2005:6) that for people to be able to sustainably access more water 
they will need to become part of the economic development of the country. Until that 
time, it is likely that any water management strategy will be contentious unless broad 
based economic development becomes a reality for all. 
Bogopane (2012:98) found that IDP planning, policies, systems, processes, and 
procedures were far from expressing the genuine needs, aspirations, and interests of 
the local communities. There were no clearly defined and properly designed IDP 
evaluation processes in the District, and this made it very difficult for IDP managers 
and officials to remain accountable to the communities about IDP issues. 
Akinboade et al. (2013:467) argue that some communities blame poor service 
delivery on the deployment of ANC "comrades" to be given positions for which they 
are not qualified and that deficient service delivery has been caused by poor 
governance, individual political rivalries within local government, a lack of 
18 
communication, an ineffective client interface, inefficient management and issues of 
affordability and unfunded mandates (Akinboade, et al. 2013:467). 
According to Alebiosu (2005:34) , the lack of access to public facilities and 
infrastructure is seen as a form of poverty and hence in the South African case, the 
IDP was introduced to provide those facilities and infrastructure in addressing this 
form of poverty. In addition lack of basic environmental infrastructure and location on 
marginal land often translate into disease and lower life spans (Alebiosu 2005:34). 
Urbanised provinces have advantages over the more rural provinces in the delivery of 
infrastructure, the facilitation of demographic transition and the improvement of 
standards in secondary education (Akinboade et al. 2013:462). The authors found 
evidence of poor service delivery to Africans, compared to other population groups, 
as they are more likely to live in shacks in urban areas and in traditional dwellings in 
non-urban areas, and to have insufficient access to domestic infrastructure such as 
water, sanitation and electricity (Akinboade et al. 2013:463). 
According to the North West Water Sector Forum (2006:8), provincial water sector 
planning is an integral part of ensuring that provinces which do not have water 
provision competence, municipalities have the opportunity to participate in the 
development of national planning and strategies, and in particular, making decisions 
regarding water development and management regarding their areas of jurisdiction. 
The overall lack of attention to the provision of rural development in the country's 
draft Rural Development Strategy (South Africa) in 1995 has contributed to more 
rapid migration to cities (Coetzee & Niekerk, 2013:4). The improved provision of basic 
services such as housing , water and electricity in urban areas has also been a driver 
in urban migration. 
19 
Government adopted an infrastructure planning that is intended to transform the 
economic landscape of South Africa as well as strengthening the delivery of basic 
services to South Africans and support the integration of African economies and 
assessed how these would be mitigated (Presidential Infrastructure Coordinating 
Commission, 2012:12). One of the government and municipalities mandate is to 
review water use rights, water allocation reform , water build programmes and 
address water pricing as well as addressing the backlog in delivery of basic services 
(Presidential Infrastructure Coordinating Commission, 2012:12). 
2.3. Provisioning of water services 
According to Minister Edna Molewa, there are challenges in the water sector that are 
emanating from allocation of powers and responsibilities between Water Service 
Authorities (WSA) and Water Services Providers (Department of Water Affairs and 
Forestry, 2013). The minister indicated that lack of proper planning, clarity on roles 
and responsibilities and also lack of necessary capacity issues has compromised 
service delivery. The minister argues that the problem created by the Water Services 
Authorities and water services is that they tend to work in isolation and are attempting 
to address only their own needs, causing gaps or overlaps from a regional to 
provincial perspective (Department of Water Affairs and Forestry, 2013). 
According to the Bushbuckridge Local Municipality (2012:34), there is a challenge 
with water supply to communities around Bushbuckridge Municipality. Poor sanitation 
has been linked to water supply challenges, particularly in the densely populated 
settlements clusters and dispersed small settlements. Approximately 80% of the 
households in the municipal area use pit latrines, 84% of the population do not meet 
sanitation standards (Bushbuckridge Local Municipality, 2012:34). The extensive use 
of unlined pit latrines poses a potential pollution threat to the surface and ground 
water resource as well as life threatening for communities. This is further supported 
by Vuuren (2007:14) on the study conducted at Ratlou and Madibogo village under 
Ratlou Local Municipality that the ground water is generally not treated prior to 
20 
distribution, although chlorine is sometimes added to the reservoir water. However 
the municipality has developed a water services development planning which was 
adopted by municipal council in 2010. This planning will be used to address the 
challenges of water supply in Bushbuckridge Local Municipal. 
Research undertaken by Earle et al. (2005:25) found that government has responded 
to water challenges by increasing the money channelled to local government through 
the Municipal Infrastructure Grant and the equitable share allocation. The municipal 
infrastructure grant should go some way to address water back log for those in poorer 
communities allowing them to enjoy their right to a basic amount of water. However, 
as the minister of Water Affairs and Forestry has indicated , that capacity issues 
comprise service delivery in the municipalities this could delay implementation . 
Accord ing to the Enhanced Local Government Support Approach Concept paper, 
there are long standing gaps in terms of the role of provinces in water issues in 
general and the responsibility for political leadership around water issues at provincial 
level in particular (Department of Water Affairs , 2011 :2) . After consultation with the 
WSA, the department identified key challenge for the DWAF in this regard to be that 
some of the main problems within WSA are of an institutional and political nature, and 
DWAF often does not have control over such issues (Department of Water Affairs, 
2011: 12).The department has further indicated that these challenges have created 
tensions between the Department and WSA where the DWAF has had to intervene in 
the interest of public health and the environment as the support role is usually 
construed to be infinite. 
The Department of Water affairs views that it will have a very little chance of success 
if does not engage politically and seek institutional intervention to address these 
challenges. The Department of Water Affairs further states that it has to be 
acknowledged that the problems are so widespread that it may very well be that the 
21 
current WSA.NvSP model is not a viable one for a developing country such as South 
Africa. 
One of the key challenges contributing to water and sanitation infrastructure problems 
accord ing to Senyaoke (2011 :49), is lack of capacity and ineffective operations within 
the municipalities. These are the major causes of project implementation failure. 
Research undertaken by Bogopane (2012: 98) in the Ngaka Modiri Molema District 
found that IDP evaluation systems and processes in the district were not effective, 
and that the IDP monitoring mechanisms adopted were not adequate to address the 
challenge. Even though there were IDP planning, policies, systems, processes, and 
procedures in the district, they were not implemented and were not given the 
importance that they deserved. 
It has been indicated that the North-West Province is large and diverse, however, it 
has limited water resources, especially in the western part of the province where 
rivers are undammed and dependence is largely on ground water (Department of 
Water Affairs and Forestry, 2013). This has resulted in leaks from illegal connections 
in Madibogo and Setlagole villages through the past years, as well as vandalism of 
infrastructure (boreholes, reservoirs and standpipes) which led to an enormous 
amount of water loss in some areas as a result leading to disruption of normal water 
supply to the community (Botshelo water, 2013b) . 
Some communities in the North West Province have raised concerns to the minister 
of Water Affairs and Forestry about lack of sustainability of water supply. Many of the 
challenges associated with groundwater sustainability can be attributed to skills 
required to manage this resource (Department of Water Affairs and Forestry, 2013). 
This can also be observed in the Bushbuckridge Local Municipality IDP document 
2012-2016 that states that the water supply systems are very complex with some 
short term sub-regional surface water schemes with ground water schemes 
particularly in the distant rural localities (Bushbuckridge Local Municipality, 2012:35) . 
22 
Water supply in the Bushbuckridge local municipality is a dominant problem, 
especially in rural areas where 61% do not meet the RDP standard , more than 60% 
of the households do not have access to portable water, 16% rely on tap water, while 
10.7% rely on boreholes and 3% on natural water (spring and rivers). Water supply 
to settlements and townships is still not reliable. On certain days taps are dry in the 
townships whereas some settlements go through dry taps for days (Bushbuckridge 
Local Municipality, 2012:35). 
However the research conducted in Grahamstown, South Africa found that some of 
the municipal projects in Grahamstown have been completed , some are on their final 
stages and some have not been started, and it is also clear that planning is on-going 
to commence other projects that the community deemed fit. The research found that 
a large proportion (98.8%) have access to water and electricity in their homes 
(Alebiosu , 2005: 129). According to COGTA (2011 :3) the Ratlou Local Municipality 
has problems with the poor condition of boreholes. There is also a need to replace 
diesel boreholes with electrical engines. The RLM has difficulties with storage 
facilities, live stock water resources, service level agreements and connection fees. 
Madibogo and Setlagole villages have over the past years been purged by water 
service complaints by some members of the communities (Botshelo water, 2013a). 
According to Botshelo Water, the Ratlou Local Municipality is one of the water scarce 
areas of operations and the culture of vandalism and illegal connections make it 
difficult for water services institutions to ensure that all members of the community 
have access to clean and healthy water. Efforts of government of ensuring that 
everyone has access to clean water are diluted by acts of illegal connections as well 
as vandalism of water infrastructure by some members of the very same communities 
which have limited natural water resources (Botshelo Water, 2013a). 
The North West Water Sector Forum (2006:14) indicated less that than one million of 
people in the North West Province are still without basic water supply and that factors 
23 
that impact on the eradication of backlogs include insufficient water resources , 
insufficient bulk infrastructure and needs for higher levels of services. Alebiosu 
(2005:34) argues that problems related to the lack of infrastructure such as 
sewerage, waste collection, water or electricity are compounded by high residential 
densities, while in some cases basic infrastructure is lacking. 
According to the North West Water Sector Forum (2006:11) , North West Province is 
situated downstream of continental divide and shares Water Management Areas that 
drain to the Atlantic and the Indian Oceans. It is close to watershed and that implies 
limited water resources. As per North West Sector Forum (2006:11), the state of 
water resources generally is a follows: 
• The state of water quality is a major issue due to high urban densities. 
• The bulk of water comes from the Vaal River system and this means that 
water is transported from far and using high pumping elevations. 
• There are also a number of small dams and rivers. 
• Groundwater is of good quality but under-utilized though limited. 
Earle et al. (2005:6) are of the view that physical scarcity resources of water can be 
overcome through mobilising high levels of economic and political power and 
educating people on how to save water. The study found that there are ways in the 
world to overcome lack of physical water resources through applying social resources 
to construct water transfer and storage infrastructure or to apply principles of water 
demand management (Earle et al. 2005:6). 
According to the Vuuren (2007: 14), as the South African population increases, our 
water resources become more pressured, and to balance water supply and water 
demands will be an ever-increasing challenge. The Setlagole and Madibogo villages 
in Ratlou community have a total population of approximately 23 000, who are all 
dependent on groundwater for their water supply (Vuuren, 2007: 14). It has been 
24 
indicated that the water is sourced from several boreholes and distributed reservoirs 
from where the gravity feeds about 86 communal standpipes. 
The Department of Water Affairs and Forestry has expressed concern over the high 
levels of nitrate is some water resources in the North West province (Vuuren , 
2007: 14). Nitrates occur naturally in soil and water and the excess levels of nitrates 
can be considered to be a contaminant of ground and surface waters and if the levels 
of nitrate get too high , it can pose a potential health risk. As a result, the Water 
Research Commission (WRC) funded a research project, executed by the North West 
University (NWU), to survey the extent of nitrogenous pollution of groundwater in the 
province (Vuuren , 2007:14). 
This study conducted by NWU confirmed high nitrate levels in the groundwater of 
some areas of the North West Province, including Madibogo village. In addition, high 
levels of calcium, magnesium and phosphates were present in the water. 
Furthermore high fluoride levels, which can cause skeletal and dental fluorosis , were 
also detected in some of the boreholes (Vuuren, 2007:14). This alerted that water 
supply in Ratlou local municipality is not the only problem but quality of water is also a 
concern. 
The rate of population growth in the areas of Setlagole and Madibogo can be attested 
by the number of households today versus the number of households several years 
ago (Botshelo Water, 2013b). Setlagole and Madibogo villages rely heavily on natural 
water resources such as underground water therefore when the population grows 
communities are likely to witness a decline in the volume of water (Botshelo water, 
2013b). 
The integrated development plan was designed to facilitate the service delivery 
towards communities in rural and urban areas since for various reason government 
25 
services fail to reach the poor in rural and remote areas. Among the reasons cited by 
Akinboade et al. (2013:461) are inadequate targeting of the poor, supply-driven 
planning , elite capturing of programmes, lack of voice of the poor and their inability to 
reach the government and service providers. 
Underground water is drying out in many communities in the Ratlou Local 
Municipality's area of jurisdiction , for an example, the area experiences continuous 
domestic water shortages (Botshelo water, 2013a). The majority of communities in 
Ratlou are dependent on groundwater as the source of domestic water supply. 
Botshelo water further indicated that there is very limited use of surface water 
because such resources simply do not exist in the Ratlou local municipality. The 
southern part of the area, in particular Setlagole village, is dry and existing boreholes 
have been drying up for a long time now (Botshelo Water, 2013a). "The depletion of 
existing ground water source has been exacerbated by factors including the following 
- Climate Change, Population Growth, Growing Demand due to new developments 
like RDP housing projects" (Botshelo Water, 2013a). Communities in Ratlou local 
municipality rely on water supply from sources such as equipped boreholes, 
transmission mains, storage tanks, and distribution networks. As a result of boreholes 
running dry, most of the sources are failing to meet demand at a basic level of 
service. 
2.4. IDP Challenges 
The research conducted by Bogopane (2012:98) in the Ngaka Modiri Molema District 
discovered that lack of national and provincial government support for IDPs was 
found to be a worrying factor. The absence of visible and well designed IDP 
monitoring devices was observed and singled out as one of the stumbling blocks that 
almost led to the complete collapse of the planning endeavours in the district 
(Bogopane, 2012:98). This is further supported by research conducted by Mofokeng 
(1997:77) which revealed that the uncertainty about the process followed in the 
26 
implementation of the IDP in the Ratlou Local Municipality, as well as institutional 
framework, the financial viability, the community participation and the delivery of 
basic services. Furthermore some of the challenges that limits the ability of the Ratlou 
Local Municipality to implement the IDP are lack of sound revenue, hence the RLM 
depends on conditional grants. The level of unemployment also negatively affects the 
income of the municipality (Mofokeng , 2007: 78). 
The research conducted by Alebiosu (2005:75) indentified three challenges which 
might hinder the proper implementation of IDP: the level of project management 
capacity within the local government, the design of the municipal organisation and the 
redefining of existing functions. The researcher goes further to say that there is a lack 
of project management capacity skills within most of the local government in South 
Africa which has often been identified as blockage in service delivery. Furthermore, 
many local governments are so weak that they cannot perform the most basic 
functions of management and service delivery and a sophisticated level of integrated 
and coordinated planning remains a challenge (Alebiosu , 2005:75). 
According to Gibbens (2008:89), the key challenge is the fact that the IDP in its 
current form is limited in terms of what it can achieve due to the shortage of funding . 
In this regard it is of note that the funding for basic services is not controlled by the 
Department of Water Affairs but is under the control of the Department of Cooperative 
Governance (DCoG). Only half of the municipalities managed to draft project 
proposals which qualify for funding and which include all the relevant information for 
implementation without undue delay (Gibbens, 2008:89). 
Research conducted by the Parliament of South Africa (2012) found that the country 
faced the challenge of providing fourteen million people with access to water and 
twenty four million people with basic sanitation services. The parliament further states 
that by 2001 the water backlog was reduced by 50%. South Africa committed to 
providing potable water to all its people by 2008 and sanitation by 2010. According to 
27 
the Ngaka Modiri Molema Section B Administration version 4, the municipal had a 
total number of 45,725 water supply backlog of which 10,000 was Ratlou Local 
Municipality. 
The study further argues that a threat to the original gains made in service delivery 
improvements is the inability of responsible departments, i.e. Departments of 
Corporate Governance (DCoG) , Human Settlements (OHS) and Water affairs 
(DWA), to effectively eliminate service backlogs, while more recently, infrastructure 
maintenance shortfalls are also threatening water and sanitation services as 
Apartheid-era infrastructure reaches the end of their serviceable life span (Parliament 
of South Africa, 2012 :1). 
According to the North West Water Sector Forum (2006:24) , the following are 
highlighted in the WSDPs of the WSAs in the NW province as issues that need 
attention: 
• Need for bulk of proper infrastructure to support retail water supply systems; 
• Adequacy of current water resources infrastructure to cope with 
increased 
water use demand ; 
• Extension of retail infrastructure to address new settlements versus 
addressing backlogs; 
• Operation and maintenance of existing infrastructures; 
• Water loss management; and 
• Water quality management. 
2.5. Conclusion 
Literature has confirmed that there is wide agreement that IDP was formulated in 
order to contribute towards delivering basic services to historically disadvantaged and 
28 
rural communities. However, it is not clear whether the IDP is having much impact in 
facilitating provision of service delivery towards communities. According to (Pillay et 
al. , 2008:203) IDPs are not addressing the thorniest issues, they are steering well 
clear of radical interventions that would be needed to alter deeply entrenched 
patterns. 
Alebiosu (2005:74) is of the view that there is need for proper planning and the 
implementation of projects in municipalities. Furthermore monitoring and assessment 
of success on the part of the local government in order to get rid of poverty among its 
population is needed. Alebiosu (2005:74) found that while IDP has been reviewed 
every year, its evolution has not been shaped by a clear agenda of understanding its 
impact on service delivery. 
In terms of IDP facilitating the provisioning of water services DWAF has identified 
skills shortages of capacity in respect to engineering , science, technical and artisan 
areas water management sector. Hence implementing some of the projects identified 
by communities in the IDP are not achieved. The literature review revealed that also 
financial resources have largely limited the nature of projects and initiatives that the 
municipality and the community have identified to be implemented in the IDP. 
29 
CHAPTER 3 
RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY 
3.1. Introduction 
Research methodology is a way to systematically solve the research problem or 
studying research problem along with the logic behind it (Kumar, 2008:5). It may be 
understood as a science of studying how research is done scientifically by studying 
various steps that are generally adopted by a researcher (Kumar, 2008:5). 
3.2. Research Design 
Accord ing to Mouton and Marais (1988:32) , the research design is an arrangement of 
conditions for collection and analysis of data in a manner that aims to combine 
relevance to the research purpose with economy in procedure. The authors 
furthermore state that the aim of a research design is to plan and structure a given 
research project in such a manner that eventually the validity of the research findings 
are maximised . The term design in this context refers to the researcher's way of 
arranging the environment in which events take place. The environment consists of 
the individuals or groups of people, places, activities, or objects that are to be 
surveyed (Demining, 1990:26). 
The researcher has aimed at a quantitative research design and survey techn ique 
using structured questionnaire, with closed-ended questions to gather information . 
Quantitative research approach may be described in general terms as that approach 
based on the collection of considerable data from a representative sample of a 
population for a few variables (Baxter & Babbie, 2004:232) . The quantitative 
30 
researcher believes that the best way of measuring the properties of phenomena 
(e.g. the attitudes of individual towards certain topics) is through quantitative 
measurement, i.e. assigning numbers to the perceived qualities of things (Baxter & 
Babbie, 2004:232). 
3.3. Population 
The study is limited to Ratlou Local Municipality (Setlagole village) . The researcher in 
this study looked at the implementation of IDP and its role in Ratlou Local 
Municipality. Targeted participants are participants who are able to give informed 
consent and include municipal officials (IDP, technical services, Municipal Manager, 
corporate services) , and community representative (SANCO, church leaders, EPWP). 
The target participants were chosen on the basis that they would understand the role 
of IDP, residing in Ratlou local municipal and willing to participate in the research . 
Rather than selecting the total population at large, sampling ensures that appropriate 
numbers of elements are drawn from homogeneous subsets of that population . 
3.4. Sampling 
Sampling refers to the methods that guide researchers to select the groups of 
persons, objects, behaviour, performance or phenomena that they actually observe 
(Deming , 1990:23). Demining (1990:25) further explained that in sampling probability 
is a likelihood of an event to occur. An event is given by a number between O and 1, 
with probabilities closer to O indicating that the event is less likely and those closer to 
1 indicating that it is more likely. In this study a stratified random sampling was used 
to select respondents from two groups that were community representative and 
municipal officials. 
31 
3.5. Method of Data Collection 
Data Collection is the process of gathering information. Data for the study came from 
articles, secondary information, books and questionnaires. An advantage of the 
survey questionnaire is that the respondent may review records, think about a 
question before answering and interrupt the process of completing the instrument if 
necessary (Chadwick, 1984:33). 
Questionnaire survey is a useful tool to obtain information about this study. The 
respondents are convinced that the questionnaire is anonymous; therefore 
respondents can freely report attitudes and behaviors without embarrassment or fear 
of reprisal (Chadwick, 1984:34). 
Questionnaires are probably one of the most widely used instruments to collect data 
in survey research . The tool was applied to an investigation into the study. It is easy 
to analyse data when using questionnaires. Questionnaires were distributed to 41 
selected participants. The researcher delivered the questionnaire personally to 
respondents that are, ward leaders, councilors and municipal officials and gave them 
a date for collection. The researcher also collected the completed and non-completed 
questionnaires from the participants on the specified dates. 
3.6. Data Analysis Method 
Data analysis is the process of editing and reducing accumulated data to a 
manageable size, developing summaries, looking for patterns, and applying statistical 
techniques (Cooper & Schindler: 2006: 58) . In order to measure the contribution of 
the IDP in delivering services in Ratlou municipality, closed-ended questions in the 
32 
questionnaire were used to obtain information from participants responding to the 
questionnaire. 
The questionnaire was designed in such a way that respondents only have to choose 
one aspect between given options or between "yes" or "no" in order to safe time in 
completing the questionnaire. Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) 
software was used to interpret all completed questionnaires. The results are in a 
descriptive of percentages, tables and graphs. The result will further be explained in 
the following chapter. 
3.7. Ethical Consideration 
Ethical consideration is significant in a research project, even if the research is not for 
secondary purpose or further investigation. The study got ethical clearance from the 
North West University to conduct research . In this research, the participants were 
assured of confidentiality and anonymity on any information provided and they were 
further assured that the questionnaire will only be used for research purpose. The 
outcome of this research will benefit Ratlou Local Municipality in developing 
strategies to address water supply challenges as well as delivery plan when 
developing the IDP. The cover letter was attached to the questionnaire and it 
informed participants about the purpose of the research and further informed them 
about the value it will add to Ratlou Local Municipality if they do participate in 
answering the questionnaire. Those who did not like to participate were not forced to 
take part in the study. 
33 
CHAPTER4 
DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS 
4.1. Introduction 
Data analysis presents a report on the results of the observed enquiry into the role of 
Municipal Integrated Development Programme (IDP) in prioritising the provision of 
basic services in Ratlou Local Municipality. The questionnaires were handed to the 
respondents and administered as they were filling the questionnaires. Some 
respondents requested the questionnaire to be left with them to be collected after 
some minutes. 
The questionnaires were related to the research objectives and questions, 
respondents data is compared with some of the findings from the literature review. 
The questionnaires were easy as respondents were just ticking the most appropriate 
answer to the question. In order to meet the objectives set for this research study, the 
data was analyzed using descriptive statistics. The data collected was analysed to 
determine if IDP is facilitating the provision of basic services to the community of 
Ratlou Local Municipality. 
4.2. Description of the questionnaire 
The study targeted 45 respondents , 41 questionnaires were distributed and all were 
returned , thus representing a response rate of 91 % of n population. Respondents 
were chosen randomly from municipal officials and community representatives from 
Ratlou local municipality who are familiar with the municipal IDP. The questionnaire 
instrument consisted of 24 questions, grouped into two sections. The first section 
consisted of 4 biography information where respondents were choosing the most 
34 
appropriate answer by ticking . The second section consisted of 20 questions on the 
role of IDP, provision of basic services and access to water services. Respondents 
were asked to tick the most appropriate answer ranged from strongly agree to 
strongly disagree. 
4.3. Response Rate 
All of the 41 self administered questionnaires were completed and returned . This is 
100% of the distributed questionnaires; a sizeable and representative sample of the 
target population , thus meeting the required prerequisite for acceptable 
generalization of the findings. Table 4.1 shows the response rate of the questionnaire 
distributed. 
Table 4.1 Response Rate 
Distribution Feedback Response Rate % 
41 41 100 
Tables 4.1 represents the questionnaires that were distributed to respondents. 41 
questionnaires were distributed and administered . All 41 questionnaires were filled 
and returned which is 100 % of distributed questionnaires. 
Table 4.2 Occupation 
Frequency Valid Percent 
16 39.9 
Municipal Official 
Community representative 25 60.1 
Total 41 100 
35 
Graph 4.1 Occupation 
Occupation 
Municipal 
Official 
39% 
Table 4.2 indicates that out of 41 respondents, 16 respondents were municipal 
officials and 25 respondents were community representative. Therefore the collected 
data represent the views of the municipal official and community representative who 
understands the role of I DP. 
Table 4.3 I understand what IDP is all about and I am involved in designing it 
Frequency Percent Valid% Cumulative 
% 
Valid Strongly agree 15 36.6 36.6 36.6 
Agree 16 39 39 39 
Disagree 3 7.3 7.3 7.3 
Strongly disagree 4 9.8 9.8 9.8 
Not sure 3 7.3 7.3 7.3 
Total 41 100 100 100 
36 
Graph 4.2 
I understand what IDP is all about and I am uinvolved in designing it 
40 -
30 -
.. 
•C .u..   
11 20 -
D. 13s.s91 139.02! 
10 -
!9.7561 
11.3171 11.3171 
0 I I I I I 
strongly agree Agree Disagree strongly disagree Not sure 
I understand what IDP is all about and I am uinvolved in designing it 
In table 4.3 the majority of the respondents at 76% indicated that they understand the 
role of IDP and are involved in designing it. 7% of the respondents were not sure 
about the contents of the IDP and what is it all about. 
Table 4.4 the communities understand the role of IDP 
Frequency Valid Percent 
Strongly agree 4 10 
Agree 17 42.5 
Disagree 6 15 
Strongly disagree 6 15 
Not sure 7 17.5 
Total 41 100 
37 
Graph 4.3 
The communities undersatnd the role of IDP 
50, -
40, _ 
,.. 30 -
•C .u..   
a•.  
20 - ~ 
10 -
G] ~ ~ 
§I 
0 I I I I I 
strongly agree Agree Disagree strongly disagree Not sure 
The communities undersatnd the role of IDP 
Table 4 indicates that the majority of respondents at 43% indicated that Municipal 
officials and community representative are of the view that the community of the 
Ratlou local municipality understands the role of the IDP. However 30% disagree, 
these respondents are of the view that communities do not understand the role of 
IDP whereas 17.5 % are not sure. 
38 
Table 4.5 Service delivery has improved in my area since the introduction of 
IDP. 
Valid 
Frequency Percent(%) 
Strongly agree 9 22 
Agree 10 24.4 
Disagree 11 26.8 
Strongly disagree 9 22 
Not sure 2 4.9 
Total 41 100 
Graph 4.4 
Service delivery has improved in my area since the introduction of IDP 
30 -
20 -
.. 
•C .
•.
....   
C.  !2se3j 
124.391 
12, .9sl !21.9s j 
10 -
14878! 
0 
strongly agree Agree Disagree strongly disagree Not sure 
Service delivery has improved in my area since the introduction of IDP 
Table 4.5 represents the response on improvement of service delivery since the 
introduction of the IDP at Ratlou local municipality. 27 % indicates disagreement, 24 
% indicates agreement and 5% of respondents were not sure if service delivery has 
39 
improved . This indicates that the majority of the respondents to the question 
disagree. 
Table 4.6 Implementation of the IDP projects is being monitored by the 
municipality and community 
Valid 
Frequency Percent(%) 
Strongly agree 5 12.2 
Agree 17 41 .5 
Disagree 12 29.3 
Strongly disagree 7 17.1 
Not sure 5 12.2 
Total 41 100 
Table 4.6 indicates that the majority of respondents at 42 % agree that 
implementation of the IDP projects are monitored, 12 % of respondents strongly 
agree, 17 % strongly disagree, 29 % disagree and 12% are not sure if the IDP 
projects are being monitored. An observation that can be made from the above data 
is that somehow IDP projects are not monitored to maximum by the municipality and 
community. 
Table 4. 7 Community is involved in reviewing the IDP 
Frequency Valid Percent (%) 
Strongly agree 10 24.4 
Agree 11 26.8 
Disagree 10 24.4 
Strongly disagree 6 14.6 
Not sure 4 9.8 
Total 41 100 
40 
Table 4.7 indicates that 26.8% of respondents strongly agree that the community is 
involved in reviewing the IDP, 24.4 % strongly disagree and 14.6 % disagree and 10 
% were not sure about the question asked. 
Table 4.8 Communities are informed about the progress of the IDP projects 
Valid 
Frequency Percent(%) 
Strongly agree 9 22 
Agree 11 26.8 
Disagree 13 31 .7 
Strongly disagree 7 17.1 
Not sure 1 2.4 
Total 41 100 
Graph 4.5 
Communities are informed about the progress ofthe IDP projects 
40 -
30 -
-C 
.•u..   
• 20 -
D.. 
!31 .71 l 
j2s .BJ! 
- 12195 1 10 
j1101j 
I [2.4391 I 
0 I I I I I 
Strongly agree Agree Disagree strongly disagree Not sure 
Communities are informed about the progress of the IDP projects 
41 
Table 4.8 indicates that the majority of respondents (49%) responded negatively 
about the communities being informed about IDP projects in Ratlou local municipality. 
22 % strongly agree and 26.8% agree that communities are informed about the 
progress of the IDP projects. This observation indicates that respondents have 
different views as those who agree compared to those who disagree, however the 
response has a very slide difference. 
Table 4.9 The Municipal services are reaching their intended beneficiaries 
Frequency Valid Percent(%) 
Strongly agree 5 12.2 
Agree 14 34.1 
Disagree 12 29.3 
Strongly disagree 6 14.6 
Not sure 4 9.8 
Total 41 100 
Table 4.9 indicates that 34.1%  of the respondents agree and 12.2% strongly agree 
that municipal services are reaching the intended beneficiaries in Ratlou Local 
Municipality. 29.3% disagree, 14.6% strongly disagree and 4% of respondents are 
not sure. The total respondents who disagree is 44%. This could be concluded that 
somehow the respondents are nearly equally divided in their view of this question. 
42 
Table 4.10 The priorities identified by the community in the IDP are being 
implemented by the municipal IDP 
Frequency Valid Percent(%) 
Strongly agree 2 4.9 
Agree 9 22 
Disagree 16 39 
Strongly disagree 10 24.4 
Not sure 4 9.8 
Total 41 100 
Table 4.10 indicates that priorities identified by the community in the IDP are not 
being implemented by the municipality. Out of 41 respondents, 16 respondents 
disagree and 10 respondents strongly disagree. 2 respondents strongly agree, 9 
respondents agree to that and 4 respondents were not sure. This observation 
indicates negatively to the question asked . 
Table 4.11 There are service delivery backlogs in my area that have not been 
implemented by the municipal IDP 
Frequency Valid Percent(%) 
Strongly agree 8 19.5 
Agree 20 48.8 
Disagree 6 14.6 
Strongly disagree 5 12.2 
Not sure 2 4.9 
Total 41 100 
43 
Table 4.11 indicates that 48.8% and 19.5% of respondents are of the view that there 
are service delivery backlogs in their area that have not been implemented by the 
Ratlou local municipality. 6% and 5% of respondents are of the view that service 
delivery backlog are being implemented in their area. 
Table 4.12. I am satisfied with the implementation of the IDP programme 
regarding the provision of access to water services 
Frequency Valid Percent(%) 
Strongly agree 5 12.2 
Agree 4 9.8 
Disagree 13 31 .7 
Strongly disagree 18 43.9 
Not sure 1 2.4 
Total 41 100 
Graph 4.6 
lam satisfied with the Implementation of the IDP programme regarding the 
provison of access to water services 
50 
40 
1: 30 
"~' 
a".'.  3.IID 
20 
.., , 
10 
o--'----'---,--_.______.__ ---.-~----'---.----'-~ '----,- ---'--'--""""""_;=&_ .______, 
strongly agree Agree Disagree strongly disagree Not sure 
lam satisfied with the implementation of the IDP programme regarding the 
provison of access to water services 
44 
Table 4.12 indicates that the majority of respondents are not satisfied with the 
provision of water services in Ratlou Local Municipality. 76% of the respondents are 
not satisfied. 22% of respondents are satisfied and 2.4% are not sure. The 
observation indicates that respondents are not satisfied with provisioning of water 
services. 
Table 4.13 I am satisfied with the implementation of the IDP programme 
regarding the provision of access to sanitation services 
Frequency Valid Percent(%) 
Strongly agree 7 17.9 
Agree 9 23.1 
Disagree 9 23.1 
Strongly disagree 12 30.8 
Not sure 2 5.1 
Total 41 100 
Table 4.13 indicates that the majority of respondents are not satisfied with the 
provision of sanitation services in the Ratlou local municipality. 54% of the 
respondents are not satisfied . 41% of respondents are satisfied and 5% is not sure. 
The observation indicates that most respondents are not satisfied with provisioning of 
sanitation services. 
Table 4.14 I am satisfied with the implementation of the IDP programme 
regarding the provision of access to electricity services 
Frequency Valid Percent(%) 
Strongly agree 14 35.9 
Agree 20 51 .3 
Disagree 3 7.7 
Strongly disagree 2 5.1 
45 
I Total 39 100 
Table 4.14 indicates that most respondents are satisfied with the provision of 
electricity services in Ratlou local municipality. 87% of the respondents are satisfied. 
13% of respondents are not satisfied. The observation indicates that respondents are 
satisfied with provisioning of electricity services. 
Table 4.15 I am satisfied with the implementation of the IDP programme 
regarding the provision of access to refuse removal services 
Frequency Valid Percent(%) 
Strongly agree 9 23.1 
Agree 8 20.5 
Disagree 9 23.1 
Strongly disagree 10 25.6 
Not sure 3 7.7 
Total 39 100 
Graph 4.7 
lam satisfied with the implementation of the IDP programme regarding the 
provison of access to refuse removal services 
30,- 
20, -
.... 
C 
.u.. u  
u 
a.. 
125.641 
!23 .0Bi 123 .081 
10 - j20.s1 j 
j1.ss2! 
0 
strongly egree Agree Disegree strongly d isegree Not sure 
lam satisfied with the implementation of the IDP programme regarding the 
provison of access to refuse removal services 
46 
Table 4.15 indicates that most respondents are satisfied with the provision of 
electricity services in Ratlou local municipality. 87% of the respondents are satisfied . 
13% of respondents indicated that they are not satisfied . The observation indicates 
that most respondents are satisfied with provisioning of electricity services. 
Table 4.16 Basic service delivery backlogs are successfully resolved by the 
local municipal 
Frequency Valid Percent(%) 
Strongly agree 2 4.9 
Agree 9 22 
Disagree 16 39 
Strong ly disagree 10 24.4 
Not sure 4 9.8 
Total 41 100 
Table 4.16 indicates that 39% of the respondents disagree that basic service delivery 
backlogs are successfully resolved by the Ratlou Local Municipal ity . 24% of 
respondents strongly disagree and 10 % is not sure. 22% of respondents agree and 
5% strongly agree that basic service delivery backlogs are successfully resolved by 
the local municipality. The observation indicates that the majority of the respondents 
do not agree. 
47 
Table 4.17 There are water projects running in my area 
Frequency Valid Percent Cumulative 
Percent 
Valid Strongly agree 4 9.8 9.8 
Agree 8 19.5 29.3 
Disagree 13 31 .7 61 
Strongly disagree 12 29.3 90.2 
Not sure 4 9.8 100 
Total 41 100 
Table 4.17 indicates that the majority of the respondents at 31. 7% disagree and 
29.3% strongly disagree that there are water projects running in their area. 19.5 % 
agree and 9.8% strongly agree that there are water projects running in their area. 
9.8% are not if there are any water projects in their area. 
Table 4.18 There is sufficient budget to implement water projects 
Frequency Valid Percent(%) 
Strongly agree 8 19.5 
Agree 4 9.8 
Disagree 6 14.6 
Strongly disagree 9 22 
Not sure 14 34.1 
Total 41 100 
Table 4.18 indicates that the majority of the respondents 34.1%  are not sure if the 
municipality has sufficient budget to implement water projects. 19.5% strongly agree 
and 19.8 agree that the municipal has sufficient budget to implement water services 
however 22% strongly disagree and 14.6% of respondents disagree to the question 
asked . 
48 
Table 4.19 The municipality has adequate operational capacity (i.e. Human 
resource, systems, and equipment) to deliver services 
Frequency Valid Percent(%) 
Strongly agree 14 34.1 
Agree 9 22 
Disagree 4 9.8 
Strongly disagree 6 14.6 
Not sure 8 19.5 
Total 41 100 
Table 4.19 Indicates that 34% of the respondents strongly agree that the municipality 
have adequate operational capacity (i.e. Human resource , systems, and equipment) 
to deliver services. 22% of respondents agree and 20 % are not sure. 15% of 
respondents strongly disagree and 10% disagree that the municipality has adequate 
operational capacity to deliver services. The observation indicates that majority of 
respondents do agree that the municipality has adequate operational capacity to 
deliver followed by respondents who are not sure. 
Table 4.20 The municipality has adequate technical skills to deliver water 
services 
Frequency Valid Percent(%) 
Strongly agree 5 12.2 
Agree 15 36.6 
Disagree 5 12.2 
Strongly disagree 9 22 
Not sure 7 17.1 
Total 41 100 
Table 4.20 indicates how participants responded to the question asked . 37% of 
respondents agree, 22% strongly disagree, 17% is not sure, 12% strongly agree and 
49 
12.% disagree that the municipality has adequate technical skills to deliver water 
services. 
Table 4.21 The technical unit is effective in implementing water projects 
Frequency Valid Percent(%) 
Strongly agree 3 7.5 
Agree 10 25 
Disagree 7 17.5 
Strongly disagree 12 30 
Not sure 8 20 
Total 41 100 
Table 4.21 shows that the majority of the respondents at 30% strongly disagree that 
the technical unit is effective in implementing water projects. It is followed by 25% of 
respondents who agree that the technical unit is effective in implementing water 
services. 25% of respondents agree and 20% is not sure and 7.5 strongly agree. 
Table 4.22 I access water from 
Frequency Valid Percent(%) 
Home 6 14.6 
Tanks 21 51.2 
Borehole 2 4.9 
Other 12 29.3 
Total 41 100 
According to Table 4.22, most of the respondents 51.2% indicated that they access 
water from tanks that are provided by Ratlou local municipality followed by other 
29.3%. During the distribution of questionnaires that were administered most of the 
respondents who selected others were referring to communal taps.15 % of 
respondents access water from home and 5% access water from borehole. 
50 
4.4. Conclusion 
The respondents in this study were the municipal officials and community 
representative who are actually familiar with the role of IDP in provision of basic 
services and also beneficiaries of municipal services in Ratlou Local Municipality. The 
reason for choosing and selecting these respondents was to verify if RLM is 
experiencing any challenges with provision of basic services to the community with 
more emphasis on water services. 
The effectiveness of IDP is influenced by a number of factors such as planning, 
committment, accountability, capacity, funding and communication . It is also implied 
in the literature that in the absence of the above the IDP may be ineffective in 
delivering municipal services to the community. This study was undertaken with the 
objective of assessing the role of Municipal IDP in prioritising the provision of basic 
services in Ratlou Local Municipality. The principle method of data collection was a 
self-administered questionnaire. The analysis of the data was done in relation to the 
objectives set for the study. 
Findings from the data analysis are interpreted in Chapter 5 as well as conclusion 
and recommendations suggested for the Integrated Development Programme at 
Ratlou local municipality to address challenges in provisioning of water services. 
Chapter 5 will also discuss remedial suggestion for addressing challenges identified 
in the literature and questionnaires. 
51 
CHAPTERS 
FINDINGS, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS 
5.1. Introduction 
This chapter presents findings that are interpretation of analysis that were presented 
in Chapter 4. The findings are discussed and related to the objectives of this study. 
This chapter also provides conclusion on data from the literature review and the 
questionnaire undertaken with the municipal officials and community representatives; 
and suggest recommendations for the challenges relating to the role of IDP in 
prioritising the provision of basic services as well as challenges to water services. 
5.2. Research questions 
The research questions of the study were : 
5.2.1. Does the IDP assist in facilitating the provision of water services in 
Ratlou Local Municipality? 
5.2.2. Does the IDP processes contribute to delivery of basic services in Ratlou 
Local municipality? 
5.2.3. Does the IDP allow for public participation as intended to? 
5.3. Findings based on the research questions 
5.3.1. Does the IDP assist in facilitating the provision of water services in RLM. 
Table 4.5 has shown that 27% of respondents are of the view that municipal services 
have not improved since introduction of IDP. This indicates that even though the 
provision of water has been put as one of the priorities on the Ratlou IDP, some 
communities think that in terms of facilitating the provision of water services, this is 
not happening ; however 24 % of the respondents are of the view that the municipality 
is facilitating the provision of water. Table 4.22 has shown that 51 % of respondents 
indicated that even though there are challenges with provision of water the 
52 
municipality ensures that the community has access to water by means of bringing 
tank water to the community. 
5.3.2. Does the IDP process contribute to delivery of basic services in Ratlou 
Local Municipality 
In table 4.3, the majority of respondents indicated that they are involved in 
designing the IDP 39% of respondents agreed and 37% strongly agreed, and they 
are allowed to identify services that need to be put in the IDP. In table 4.7 only 
27% agreed that they are involved in reviewing the IDP, this might hamper the 
delivery of services that were identified in the IDP. Reviewing the IDP with 
community representative is very important as community is able to track the 
progress of delivery. In table 4.6 majorities of respondents 42% indicated that IDP 
projects are being monitored by both municipality and community. 
5.3.3. Does the IDP allow for public participation as intended to 
Table 4.3 has shown that the majority of respondents at 39% agreed while 37% 
strongly agreed that they participate in the designing the IDP only 7% disagreed. 
However the majority of respondents indicated that they are not involved in 
reviewing the IDP as shown in table 4.7. This implies that to some extended the 
public is not participating fully as required by IDP programme. 
5.4. Empirical Findings 
The majority of the respondents (76%) indicate that they understand the role of IDP 
and are involved in designing it. This indicates that the municipality follows the 
legislative prescription in terms of involving communities in designing the IDP; 
however, this does not happen to the fullest as the majority of respondents indicated 
that they are not participating in reviewing IDP. Respondents indicated that 
53 
communities are allowed to identify services that need to be included in the IDP. 17% 
of the respondents indicated that they do not understand the IDP and are not 
involved; however, there are respondents who understand the role of IDP but they 
are not involved in designing it. 7% of the respondents are not sure about the role of 
IDP. 
According to the study conducted by Mofokeng (2007:46) at Ratlou local municipality, 
55% of participants were uncertain about the community participation at the Ratlou 
local municipality comparing to this study it indicates that there has been 
improvement in commun ity involvement in designing the IDP. In this findings indicate 
that the majority of respondents are of the view that electricity services are being 
provided by the municipality; however, in terms of water services the Ratlou local 
municipality is not delivering . Only minority of the respondents indicated that there are 
still houses with no electricity. 
The general comments made by the municipal officials indicated that the Ngaka 
Modiri Molema district Municipality is responsible for water services. The general 
comments made by the community representative indicated that even though the 
Ngaka Modiri Molema (NMM) District is responsible for water services, the RLM is not 
facilitating the process to ensure that the district municipality is providing water 
services. Identified challenges were sharing of water services functions and roles 
among the NMM district municipality and Ratlou Local Municipality. The Ratlou Local 
Municipality indicated that the budget for water services is with the Ngaka Modiri 
Molema District. The other challenge that has been identified by the municipality is 
that there is no sufficient underground water as the municipality is relying on the 
underground water. 
5.5. Recommendations 
It is recommended that the municipality should make an effort to educate the 
community about the role of IDP and how they can participate in its design. The 
54 
municipality should create a channel of communication between the municipality and 
the community. It is noted that community representatives are one of the channels of 
communicating with community members at large, however the municipality should 
ensure that the community understand their role in designing the IDP. Public 
meetings should continue to be held on an ongoing basis in various wards of the 
Ratlou Local Municipality. 
The municipality should also ensure that its political structures, political office-
bearers, managers and other staff members align their roles and responsibilities with 
the priorities and objectives set out in the municipality's Integrated Development Plan 
(IDP). In terms of water provision, functions , roles and responsibilities need to be 
clarified between Ratlou Local Municipality and Ngaka Modiri Molema district 
Municipality in order to deliver water services to the communities. They need to 
ensure that the technical team and project management are well trained and 
sufficiently skilled to address water challenges. 
Pitt and Alkhaddar (2006:210) suggest that in order to achieve a sustainable water 
supply it is essential that groundwater sources are managed correctly and that the 
safe yield is not exceeded as the impact of this depletion will produce a permanent 
loss of water and severe environmental degradation . The RLM should prioritise 
implementation of water projects as water is one of the priorities on the IDP. 
5.6. Conclusion 
This study revealed that in the Ratlou Local Municipality efforts have been made to 
obtain community participation in designing the IDP. Communities understand 
Integrated Development Programme (IDP) and its role. However, according to the 
55 
respondents on the study IDP is not playing its role of facilitating the provisioning of 
basic services. 
Satisfaction with water services and resolving basic services backlog are ranked very 
low by respondents. In contrast, satisfaction in providing electricity services is 
however ranked high. The municipal officials are of the view that the municipality has 
adequate skills to deliver water projects however but this view is not shared by 
community representatives. It is important for the Ratlou Local Municipality to carry 
out urgent interventions aimed at the efficient and effective functioning and delivery of 
basic services to the communities. 
The community representatives are of the view that the Ratlou local municipality is 
not making efforts to ensure there is rel iable provisioning of water in RLM. The 
municipal officials have indicated that the challenge is insufficient water from 
underground. The municipal technical and project team however will have to look for 
alternative solutions to deliver water services. The Ratlou Local municipality has 
plans in place to ensure that the community have access to water by means of tanks, 
though is not enough . 
56 
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63 
ANNEXURES 
Annexure A: Questionnaire 
Dear Respondent 
My name is Lorato M. Mofela a student at North West University, Mafikeng Campus, 
pursuing a Masters in Business Administration. As part of my studies, I am 
conducting a research project on "The role of Municipal Integrated Development 
planning (IDP) Programme in prioritising the provision of Basic Services in 
Ratlou Local Municipality". I therefore humbly request you to assist me in fill ing this 
research questionnaire. Attached is a survey instrument developed to gather 
research data for this project. 
I assure you of confidentiality on any information provided. I further assure you that 
the responses to this questionnaire will be used strictly for research purpose. 
For any enquiry please contact me on 018 387 6772 or 073 146 2263. 
Rely on your support. 
Regards 
Lorato M Mofela 
MBA Student (Student no: 16473701) 
North West University - Mafikeng Campus 
64 
Please take a few minutes of your time to fill out this questionnaire to help me assess 
the role of IDP in facilitating the provision of water services in Ratlou Local 
Municipality. Questionnaire is divided into two sections. Tick only one appropriate 
answer from each question. 
Section A 
Biographic data 
1. Gender 
11 I Female 
Male 
2. y our aQe Qroup 
1 Below 25 
2 26-35 
3 36-40 
4 41 and above 
3. Occu ation 
1 Munici al Official 
2 
3 
4. A ca d em1c qua r1ti1 ca f1 0n 
1 Post school certificate 
2 Diploma or Bachelor degree 
3 Honours degree or above 
Section B 
Rate the IDP Programme in facilitating the provision of basic services 
Please answer all the uestions and tick the most a 
Strongly Agree Disagree Strongly Not 
a ree disa ree sure 
1. I understand what IDP is 
all about and I am involved 
65 
2. The communities 
understand the role of IDP. 
3. Service delivery has 
improved in my area since 
the introduction of IDP. 
4. Implementation of the IDP 
projects is being monitored 
by the municipality and 
community. 
5. Community is involved in 
reviewing the I DP 
6. Communities are informed 
about the progress of the 
IDP projects 
7. The municipal services are 
reaching their intended 
beneficiaries 
8. The priorities identified by 
the community in the IDP 
are being implemented 
without any delay. 
9. There are service delivery 
backlogs in my area that 
have not been 
implemented by the 
municipal IDP 
10. I am satisfied with the 
implementation of the IDP 
programme regard ing the 
provision of the following 
services 
10.1 Access to water 
10.2 Access to sanitation 
10.3 Access to electricity 
10.4 Access to refuse 
removal 
11 . Basic service delivery 
backlogs are successfully 
resolved by the Local 
municipality. 
66 
12. There are water projects 
runninQ in my area. 
13. There is sufficient budget 
to implement water 
projects 
14. The municipality has 
adequate operational 
capacity (i .e. Human 
resource, Systems, 
Equipment) to deliver 
services 
15. The municipality has 
adequate technical skills 
to deliver water services 
16. The technical unit is 
effective in implementing 
water projects 
17. I access water from Home Yard Tanks Borehole 0th 
er 
18. How does the Ratlou Local Municipal address the issues on water services? 
Thanks for your time and cooperation . 
67 
Annexure B: Table for sample size corresponding to population size 
N= size of population ; S=size of sample 
N s N s N s 
10 10 220 140 1200 291 
15 14 230 144 1300 297 
20 19 240 148 1400 302 
25 24 250 152 1500 306 
30 28 260 155 1600 310 
35 32 270 159 1700 313 
40 36 280 162 1800 317 
45 40 290 165 1900 320 
50 44 300 169 2000 322 
55 48 320 175 2200 327 
60 50 340 181 2400 331 
65 56 360 186 2600 335 
70 59 380 191 2800 338 
75 63 400 196 3000 341 
80 66 420 201 3500 346 
85 70 440 205 4000 351 
90 73 460 210 4500 354 
95 76 480 214 5000 357 
100 80 500 217 6000 361 
110 86 550 226 7000 364 
120 92 600 234 8000 367 
130 97 650 242 9000 368 
140 103 700 248 10000 370 
150 108 750 254 15000 375 
160 113 800 260 20000 377 
170 118 850 265 30000 379 
180 123 900 269 40000 380 
190 127 950 274 50000 381 
200 132 1000 278 75000 382 
210 136 1100 285 1000000 384 
Source (Sahu , 2013:47) 
68