Page 18 - Research Report 2025.1

Public libraries, Roads and Traffic services
Participant 7 further provides an overview of the range of services that municipalities are responsible for, including public libraries, roads and traffic services.
Theme 2:
Payment for essential services
This theme explores the divide between urban and rural areas in terms of who pays for essential services such as water, refuse removal and electricity and how these payment structures reflect broader socio-economic disparities.
Paid Services in Urban Areas and Towns
One of the most significant findings is the divide between urban and rural areas when it comes to payment for essential services. In urban areas, services such as water, refuse removal and electricity are paid for by the residents and businesses. This payment system helps to generate much-needed revenue for the municipality and allows urban areas to have more financially sustainable service delivery models. As Participant 5 and Participant 6 pointed out, urban residents are expected to contribute financially to services, especially because these areas house businesses.
In contrast, rural areas, which are home to the majority of indigent populations, are not required to pay for essential services, such as water and electricity. Instead, these services are provided free of charge, reflecting the economic vulnerability of rural residents.
Theme 3:
Challenges in Accessing Services
This theme highlights the difficulties rural communities face in accessing essential services, such as healthcare, education and security, due to socio-economic disparities, geographical distance and infrastructure challenges.The findings emphasise that although services may be available, barriers such as long travel distances and poor road conditions prevent many rural residents from accessing them in a timely manner.
Participant 5
“For the areas that are in town, services are not really free. For example, the water services are not free. They are paid for.
But it’s only for those that are residing in town. Remember, in town, they are those who have businesses. There’s no way that we can sustain such services without them being paid for. But for the RDP standard services, they don’t pay for.”
Participant 6
“Yeah. Other services, are billed, paid by the communities, especially in the urban area. Just like the refuse removal. Not
in rural areas. Focusing on urban area only... They are being paid by the rate payers. Those services that are directly to rate payers only.”
Participant 1
“Because remember, the municipality is rural in nature, so they are given services that are on an RDP standard, that they don’t necessarily pay for, err water I
mean, sorry, roads and the and the electricity. When you say a municipality is poor, it means that a high volume of the community members is indigent. So most services, they are free except for the urban area that I mentioned earlier that they have to pay for the services, and the rates”
Challenges in Accessing Services
Participant 2
It therefore gives you an idea already that, in terms of private access to private services is isn’t something that could be sustainable in the area. Though there are a few schools that are that are privately run. Yeah. There is a clinic as well, but it’s only serving a fraction of the population. Of course, because of the class divisions.
16 | STUDY OBJECTIVE I