Critical factors inhibiting the functioning of service delivery projects in a selected residential area in the City of Cape Town

Abstract

In the South African environment, the provision of services is guided by the basic ideals and principles of the South African Constitution. However, South African townships continue to face significant service delivery and governance challenges, despite the government’s commitment to improving the provision of basic services to its citizens during this period, as part of the provision of local government services. This study was executed to look into the state of service delivery in the underprivileged neighbourhoods of the City of Cape Town (CoCT), in an effort to find ways to stop ongoing violent protests which are said to be linked to lack of service delivery. The township of Khayelitsha was chosen for the study since it is the city’s most extensive area and is where most of the service delivery protests have taken place. As a result, a questionnaire was created. The information gathered from the sources consulted forms the basis for the conclusions of this report. The results show that the majority of Khayelitsha inhabitants, particularly those from its formal neighbourhoods, are unhappy with the quality of service provided. The ineffective implementation of programmes has been caused by a variety of issues, including inadequate intergovernmental relations, poor management, corruption and political infighting. On the other hand, most of the respondents, who came from informal rather than formal settlement areas, stated that they were dissatisfied with the levels of service delivery. The report indicates that most of Khayelitsha’s underprivileged residents are dissatisfied with services, owing to the inability of CoCT to implement policies effectively and efficiently. First, a brief introduction, background information and the key research guidelines are provided in the study. Second, the study outlines the significant findings of the study, as well as the laws and policies that impact service delivery provisions.