Assessing the current access to water and sanitation in informal settlements: a case study of Lerato Park, Northern Cape Province, South Africa

Access to water and sanitation remains a pressing global challenge, particularly in informal settlements where infrastructural inadequacies, insecure provision modalities, and unreliable supply networks characterise service delivery systems. This paper examines the current access to water and sanitation in the Lerato Park informal settlement located in Kimberley, Northern Cape Province, South Africa. The study employed qualitative methods, including semi-structured questionnaires with residents, key informant interviews with officials from Sol Plaatje Municipality, and direct field observations. Findings reveal that residents rely heavily on illegal water connections and temporary private contractors due to the absence of formal municipal reticulation and bulk infrastructure. Sanitation provision is primarily dependent on shared bucket toilets, which are severely overcrowded, poorly maintained, and pose significant public health, safety, and gender-based vulnerability risks, particularly for women and children. While municipal authorities acknowledge these challenges, responses remain largely reactive, constrained by limited fiscal capacity, insecure land tenure arrangements, and systemic hydrological scarcity in the Northern Cape. The paper concludes that bridging the gap between South Africa’s progressive legislative and policy frameworks and the on-the-ground realities of informal settlements requires urgent capital investment in service infrastructure, strengthened participatory planning processes, and the systematic integration of informal settlements into municipal spatial planning and service delivery instruments to ensure equitable, safe, and sustainable access to basic services.