SERVICE DELIVERY BY JESSIE TAYLOR
D
espite the numerous gains made during South Africa’s democratic years, service delivery shortfalls still exist in several areas. Service delivery is one of the key ways to eradicate poverty and uphold human rights, and civil organisations play an essential role in lobbying for these. Civil society organisations provide partnerships for Government to reach communities, and with their roots in these communities, are the first in line to highlight areas in which the government can increase its presence. Bridging the gap In South Africa, there are still millions of people who do not have access to basic services. Around 20 million South Africans cannot access safe water and 14 million have no access to basic sanitation.
Many also have no access to formal housing, with around 12.5 million people living in informal settlements.
have a role to play in raising awareness of socio-economic issues and holding authorities accountable for their failures.
With basic services such as these enshrined in the Constitution, service delivery is an essential role that not only improves the circumstances in which people live but also underpins the country’s democracy.
A helping hand South Africa has an active civil society in which many organisations lobby for the rights of citizens and access to services, of which the following are a few:
Service delivery is critical to reducing poverty and inequality. It can improve the standard of living for South Africans by reducing poor health, lack of education, and other environmental factors, in turn having a direct impact on child mortality, healthcare, water access and sanitation levels. While service delivery remains the responsibility of the government, civil organisations
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- Section 27 Section27 is a public interest law centre lobbying for social justice. The organisation focuses on improving access to healthcare and education, with the goal of achieving structural change and accountability to ensure the dignity and equality of everyone. The organisation works to secure vital resources for the education sector, such as textbooks and funding, while also lobbying for safe and hygienic education facilities.
