Towards a systematic review of the Water Services Authority model

In South Africa, the Constitution assigns the responsibility for provision of water services to local government. Municipalities designated as Water Services Authorities (WSAs) are responsible for the overall management and regulation of water and sanitation services within their area of jurisdiction. The role of WSAs is separated from that of Water Service Providers (WSPs), which are responsible for providing water supply and sanitation services within a specific area. WSAs may opt to allocate the WSP function to other entities, including other municipalities, water boards and private companies, or perform this function themselves. Enabled collectively through the Water Services Act, Municipal Structures Act and Municipal Systems Act, this is known as the WSA model. Challenges with water service provision in South Africa have been well documented. This project set out to examine the extent to which inherent factors in the design of the WSA model have contributed to these challenges. The study consolidated existing knowledge and identified gaps for future research, to inform an evidence-based approach to future improvement of the WSA model.