Debilitating Factors Affecting Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) in South Africa’s Water Sector: Reflections and Opportunities for Good Governance

This study investigates the debilitating factors impacting public-private partnerships (PPPs) in South Africa’s water sector. Aligned with Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6, which emphasises ensuring water and sanitation availability and sustainable management, the study highlights the critical need for investment in the water sector to secure current and future water resources. The research adopts a qualitative approach and collects data through document review to reflect on the experiences, opportunities, and challenges associated with PPPs in water infrastructure development in South Africa. Content analysis was utilised as the qualitative data analysis method. The study\'s findings indicate to the insufficiency of water provision in South Africa, which is aggravated by huge infrastructure backlogs. Even though PPPs have been acknowledged as a viable investment model at the policy level for addressing these challenges affecting the water sector, the implementation of water PPPs in South Africa is hindered by several factors, including lengthy processes, governance and accountability issues, a lack of political will, problematic risk allocation, high costs, and corruption. The study recommends the imperative of addressing the above challenges to enhance the utility of PPPs in South Africa’s water sector.