In 1994, South Africa adopted intergovernmental relations (IGR) to facilitate service
delivery. Sections 40-41 of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996, link
service delivery with normative aspects of IGR, which include cooperation, transparency,
accountability, mutual support, and coherence. A coherent implementation of IGR was
subsequently emphasised by the Intergovernmental Relations Framework Act 13 of 2005.
However, South Africa continues to experience service delivery challenges, especially in
marginalised and poor communities in the current and former informal settlements. The
selected Diepsloot was established as an informal settlement in 1995 and has been under
an in situ upgrade programme.
The study’s focus was on the provision of potable water in the City of Johannesburg with
specific reference to Diepsloot. A case study approach was used to assess lived
experiences among the actors within the intergovernmental context of cooperative
government. A qualitative methodology was utilised to source data about
intergovernmental interactions among actors from the public institutions by means of
semi-structured interviews and documentary analysis. Lastly, a focus group was utilised
for members of the ward committees in Diepsloot.