AUTHOR=Muchaku Shadreck , Zhou Leocadia 

TITLE=Nuanced perspectives on the challenges, prospects and opportunities confronting sustainable access to potable water and sanitary services in South Africa’s Nompumelelo community

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Sustainable Cities

VOLUME=Volume 7 - 2025

YEAR=2025

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/sustainable-cities/articles/10.3389/frsc.2025.1560630

DOI=10.3389/frsc.2025.1560630

ISSN=2624-9634

ABSTRACT=Access to safe water and adequate sanitary services in South Africa’s peri-urban areas remains a major challenge, despite being recognized as a basic human right that is essential for people’s dignity, health and well-being. Efforts to address this deficiency are often undermined by the rapid growth of informal settlements and inadequate waste management and the adverse effects of climate change. This study provides informative insights into the link between excessive alcohol abuse and sanitation nature and explores potential solutions based on case study data. The study used semi-structured interviews with 15 purposively selected key informants, including local leaders, WASH experts, policymakers, youth and women representatives, health staff, and NGO members. A matrix questionnaire method was also applied to evaluate the alignment between key informants’ views and broader community perspectives. Thereafter, the information compiled was analyzed using ATLAS.ti24 and matrix scoring. ATLAS.ti 24 facilitated theme generation through systematic coding and categorization, while network visualizations were employed to map relationships and uncover patterns within the data, enhancing analytical depth. The results show that infrastructural deficiencies, poor maintenance, lack of community engagement and wide-ranging climate change-related externalities are the main barriers that continue to undermine securitized access to safe water and adequate sanitary services. Our findings suggest that community-led initiatives, local partnerships, and informed adaptation strategies can improve sustainable access to potable water and sanitation services. The take-home message from these findings is that sustainable access to WASH services can be enhanced by assimilating objectively informed climate change interventions, improving the infrastructure facilities at our disposal, building capacity through community education and collectively promoting the increased uptake of user-friendly, climate-smart and indigenous adaptation strategies. The study concludes by urging and inviting those interested to complement our efforts by offering innovative strategies on how to advance our capacities to sustainably provide adequate WASH services.