Arrested development : a project management approach to service delivery in rural areas

Abstract

Paper presented at the 33rd Annual Southern African Transport Conference 7-10 July 2014 "Leading Transport into the Future", CSIR International Convention Centre, Pretoria, South Africa.

Since the introduction of the national policy to provide basic services to all South Africans, the effectiveness of service delivery and returns on infrastructure investments have become a point of growing concern, particularly in rural and peri-urban areas as well as small rural towns. An increasing awareness of the discrepancies between what is expected and required of government in terms of service delivery and what is actually being provided is reflected in the public unrest erupting in local authorities suffering from service delivery blockages and failures. Questions over the reasons for under-delivery, the locus of backlogs in municipalities and the viability and ability of municipalities to deliver services have thus never been more acute. The paper profiles a variety of policy interventions that have sought to reverse the situation with mixed results. It singles out amongst other missing ingredients the importance of visionary leadership and strong management. With the help of a case study – the KSD Presidential Intervention Program – this paper argues for a project management approach undergirded by extensive training and capacity development to addressing service delivery blockages in municipalities characterized by capacity problems and governance issues.