Exploring the mode of communication used by the stakeholders of the water service sector of the Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality (MMM)

Abstract

Mangaung City has been affected by water shortages, which at times last for extended periods of time. Ageing infrastructure is one of the main causes. The consequences of ageing infrastructure include poor water quality and poor service delivery. The Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality (MMM) is the Water Service Authority (WSA), as well as the Water Service Provider (WSP), that works in collaboration with Bloem Water. The latter is the WSP to a part of Mangaung consumers on behalf of the MMM. Water provisioning and quality challenges seem to emanate from the two organisations that are responsible for providing water. These challenges are mainly because of communication issues. There seems to be a communication gap between the two WSPs. Conflicts result from the fact that the roles of the WSA and the WSP are not clearly specified. The communication failure stems from a lack of distinguishing between the functions of the WSA, the WSP, and the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS), as well as a lack of devoted skills and capacity. The DWS is not financially independent. The income derived from water and sanitation services is paid into the municipal account, and the MMM’s DWS obtains its budget allocation from Bloem Water’s water board. This means that the DWS competes with the MMM for budget allocations (South African Local Government Association [SALGA], 2011). Water commerce is a critical component of the economic viability and sustainability of the municipality; a lack of efficient management and adjustments therefore places the institution at risk. The provision of water requires the capacity and ability to regulate; however, most municipalities lack the knowledge and skills to maintain the function of a WSP (SALGA, 2011). Communication challenges between those responsible for water have consequences; among which the provision of poor water quality by the municipality. Communities have developed a negative perception of the MMM and the DWS, which is caused by the current communication challenges. The community expects the MMM to provide high-quality services and to be informed at the correct time of any challenges or difficulties that may affect them. Furthermore, if the local government applied an efficient communication strategy, the reputation and relationship would not break down if a crisis occurs. This study sought to explore and understand how the MMM communicates with its stakeholders, both internally and externally, what method of communication it uses for external communication with its consumers, and whether the communication is effective at all levels. This study employed the qualitative research approach with an interpretivist perspective to address the research questions and objectives. The research found that the majority of communication is carried out internally via emails, meetings, and telephone calls, while external communication is mostly conducted via social media, followed by emails, radio, WhatsApp groups via the corporate body, and traditional word of mouth. The study found that the communication is not effective, based on the feedback of the respondents who participated in the study. Many of them raised complaints of an absence of communication between them and those responsible for water, which means that the communication is one way and that it is only those responsible for communication that sends the information, and not vice versa. The community complains about the MMM’s call centre telephones going unanswered, unavailability to the community, as well as a lack of feedback. Due to the size of the sample, this study’s research results cannot be generalised.