THE LOCAL GOVERNANCE OF MUNICIPAL ELECTRIFICATION IN TOWNSHIP INFORMAL SETTLEMENTS

The main role of local government is to help safeguard communities from social and economic problems by providing develop-orientated public services. While this is the anticipated standard, in practice, local government frequently faces difficulties in providing services such as electricity, particularly in impoverished and informal township regions. Tis paper explored how municipal electrification is managed in informal settlements within the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality (NMBM). The authors used a qualitative research methodology that relied on secondary data collected from online sources, and municipal documents to address the objectives of the paper. This data was analysed using thematic content analysis to identify themes. The study found that community members residing in informal settlements use other forms of energy because municipal electricity is too often unavailable. The NMBM mainly uses grid extensions to supply electricity to these areas. While the municipality provides electricity to many different types of settlements, the system faces challenges such as poor coordination, limited community participation, a lack of funds and technical skills, and the growth of new informal areas. The paper concluded that the main problems in providing electricity come from rapid urbanisation in townships and the long history of informal settlement development. It is recommended that stronger community participation, better interdepartmental coordination, and innovative financing be used to expand affordable electricity access