The state of basic service delivery in South Africa: in-depth analysis of the Community Survey 2016 data

The state of basic service delivery in South Africa: in-depth analysis of the Community Survey 2016 data report claims that "Tremendous progress has been made over the past few decades in the delivery of basic services. The Community Survey 2016 found that 89,8% of households used piped water, that 63,4% used flush toilets connected to either the public sewerage or to a local septic system, that 63,9% of households receive refuse removal services, and finally, that 87,6% of households had access to electricity. These headline figures, however, hide a lot of variation across provinces, district councils and between local municipalities. Households living in rural municipalities usually have access to far less, and usually also more inferior services to those living in wealthier, particularly more urban municipalities. Although the reasons for the existence of backlogs differ by service and between municipalities, part of the reason relate to the legacy of unequal development which still haunt former homeland areas, high levels of poverty that limit households’ ability to pay for services, as well as the practical constraints of extending services to far off rural areas or densely populated informal areas at great expense to the local municipality."