The impact of urbanization on the basic services delivery by the municipalities in Gauteng Province

M.Com. (Development Economics)According to section 152 (1) of the Republic of South African Constitution Act (No. 108 of 1996), the municipalities are required by law to provide basic services in a sustainable manner to their respective communities. However, the municipalities have been facing challenges in carrying out their mandate successfully. One of the major obstacles in this regard has been the increasing rate of urbanisation due to various factors. Service delivery protests by the respective communities continue to be on the rise as well due to insufficient access to the basic services provided by the municipalities. The main aim of this paper was to explore the impact of urbanisation on the delivery of basic services by the municipalities in Gauteng Province. In this study, the four basic services categories namely, access to water, electricity, sewerage and sanitation as well as solid waste management formed an integral part of the weighted service delivery index and thus the dependent variable. Urbanisation, capital expenditure and operating expenditure were the explanatory variables. The research has demonstrated that urbanisation does have an impact on the level of basic service delivery. Even though the government mobilises resources towards the delivery of basic services, these resources are insufficient to cater for the needs of the population as a whole