State lethargy the source of strikes

Our constitution states that municipalities have the responsibility to make sure that all citizens are provided with basic services.

Over the years, South Africa has been hit by high volumes of social protests. The ongoing service delivery protests paint a negative picture of South Africa locally and abroad.

Communities are expressing their frustration with poor service delivery, lack of access to water, maladministration and corruption through protests, which have been occurring regularly across the country.

Today we have better tools, better infrastructure and even, in many cases, better access to funding. So why, with all of these modern advances and newfound attention to the social service sector, are we still struggling to make even the most basic advances in improving our service delivery?

Public services account for a large amount of our government budget, but increased spending has often not been matched by improvements in outcomes. Public services continue to be troubled by corruption, which leads to money intended for books, teachers, dispensaries, medical supplies and infrastructure being syphoned off by officials and private contractors.

Just increasing resources, equipment or personnel does not guarantee that the quality of education or healthcare will improve. The quality of service delivery is critical.

By identifying services responsible for the greatest dissatisfaction, as well as the underlying causes, government can design targeted initiatives for improving citizens’ lives.

Nasrine Akoob North Beach, Durban