An assessment of customer perception of water service quality at uMgungundlovu municipality

Abstract

Background: Municipalities in South Africa are grappling with water service delivery needed to sustain the quality of life for the broader society. Even though the government in post-apartheid South Africa provides safe drinking water, it is still challenged to maintain quality water services by satisfying customers’ expectations.

Aim: This study investigates communities’ perception of water service quality at the uMgungundlovu district municipality. This study intends to recommend strategies to enhance water service provision at uMgungundlovu district municipality.

Methods: To address the research aim, this study adopted a mixed-methods approach. This study used a stratified sample of 300 participants drawn from the population of three sub-urban areas and two villages. Data were collected by distributing questionnaires and conducting interviews with participants. A Statistic Package for Social Science was used to analyse quantitative data, and a thematic method was adopted to analyse qualitative data.

Results: Findings from this study demonstrate a gap in the dimensions of water services, such as the tangibles, reliability, responsiveness, assurance, and empathy of water services. Therefore, the customer expectations of the determinants of service quality compared were not fully met by the uMgungundlovu district municipality.

Conclusion: This article demonstrates that the service quality approach assessed in this study can identify areas of improvement in uMgungundlovu municipality, thereby responding to customers’ and stakeholders’ needs at uMgungundlovu district municipality.

Contribution: This study recommended strategies that can enhance water service quality at uMgungundlovu district municipality.