Jozini Dam infrastructure and its role on local economic development

Abstract

Water is a scarce commodity worldwide. In South Africa, water services and the management thereof have been under deliberation since the dispensation of the new democratic government in 1994; when the African National Congress (ANC) was handed over the responsibility to ensure the widespread delivery of basic services. The delivery of water services is dependent both on natural resources and the effective allocation and management of these to efficiently ensure that access to water is enshrined as a basic human right, and therefore widely accessible. However, based on the water quality and quantity, the delivery of water services in South Africa has not been without hurdles. With the new dispensation came a shift in government, in terms of policymaking, to a model of New Public Management which denotes that controls be shifted from inputs to outputs, to stress results rather than procedure. In this new way of public management, managers are given powers to conduct hands-on professional management to ensure accountability. As such, policymaking in the water sector has moved away from apartheid-dominated principles that were applied to water provision and land ownership in the country. The Jozini Dam is an economic asset for the country that can contribute to effective water delivery, agricultural development, hydropower generation and electricity distribution; all of which, in turn, ensure local economic development. However, as per the findings of this research report, the expectations of the economic benefits that should emanate from the Dam are erratic and irregular as: there is no consistent water provision to residents; no comprehensive support structures for local farmers; and, other uses of the Dam have not been fully exploited. This report: identifies the relevant institutions and activities that are responsible for the above-mentioned developmental activities, assessing the reasons for the failure in service delivery; and, finally, attempts to provide recommendations for future successes.