Access to Basic Services

This report examines whether the current model for providing basic municipal services—specifically electricity, water, and sanitation—to low-income households in South Africa is effectively improving living standards and reducing poverty and inequality.

• The South African national government is obligated to intervene in communities when municipalities fail to provide affordable services due to inefficiency or a lack of commitment to development and delivery goals, as established in the 1998 White Paper on Local Government.
• The National Development Plan's socioeconomic strategy utilizes a 'social wage' to reduce poverty and inequality. This social wage consists of monetary and non-monetary transfers and subsidies, with social grants being the most visible and budget-significant component in South Africa.
• Subsidised or free services for energy, water, sanitation, and waste removal are intended as part of the social wage to compensate for low household income and raise living standards. Universal access to these quality services is considered critical for South Africa's long-term goals of reducing inequality and poverty, requiring both physical infrastructure and affordability.

APA

Public Affairs Research Institute (2021). Access to Basic Services. https://pari.org.za/short-report-access-to-basic-services/

Chicago

Public Affairs Research Institute. Access to Basic Services. 2021. https://pari.org.za/short-report-access-to-basic-services/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Public Affairs Research Institute |title=Access to Basic Services |date=30 September 2021 |url=https://pari.org.za/short-report-access-to-basic-services/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{publicaffairsresearchinstitute2021access, author = {{Public Affairs Research Institute}}, title = {{Access to Basic Services}}, institution = {Public Affairs Research Institute}, year = {2021}, month = sep, url = {https://pari.org.za/short-report-access-to-basic-services/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }