Unlocking franchising to improve water services: a pilot

Abstract

South African research has found that operations and maintenance partnerships, using the basic principles of franchising, could address many challenges in the operation and maintenance of water services. Franchising provides appropriate training and incentives to on-site personnel, and also offers backup off-site skills. Findings indicate that many opportunities lie in the franchising of suitable elements in the water services value chain, and a selection of these has been modelled. The franchising concept is being piloted with considerable success in the Eastern Cape province. Under the guidance of a franchisor, trainee franchisees are undertaking the cleaning and routine maintenance of the sanitation facilities at 400 schools. Irish Aid is funding the concept development, while the franchisees are paid by the provincial Department of Education from the normal departmental budgets for operation and maintenance. Services delivery has shown such a marked improvement that the Department is requesting rollout to a further 1000 schools.