CHALLENGES OF WATER, REVENUE COLLECTION AND HOMELESS PEOPLE FACING LOCAL GOVERNMENT DURING THE COVID-19 ERA: AN EXPERIENCE OF NYANDENI LOCAL MUNICIPALITY

Abstract

As a developing country, South Africa is facing many challenges, which include poverty, unemployment, political, social, and cultural conflict. Besides the existing challenges that are faced by South African local government, the global pandemic COVID-19 has disrupted and devastated the local government. The study aims to provide a detailed description of the situation that the local government faced during the COVID-19 era. The qualitative research approach was employed by the researchers, to better comprehend the extent to which COVID-19 has adversely affected the local government’s capacity to provide services to the people. The purposive sampling technique was embraced, and data was collected through scheduled interviews with fifteen (15) participants. The findings indicate that the pandemic has added new challenges and restricted the delivery of services (water services) that are essential to society. Additionally, the lack of funding and the appropriate equipment has been noted as one of the difficulties local governments would encounter in dealing with this pandemic. Finally, the study recommends that the National government needs to allocate enough budget to local governments to improve at least the basic services delivery.