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Assessing the efficacy of policy reform in Zimbabwe's Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Sector

In 2009 Zimbabwe experienced a cholera outbreak of unprecedented magnitude where over 90 000 cases where recorded an at least 4 500 people lost their lives. It is argued that this outbreak created the impetus for implementation of water sanitation and hygiene (WASH) sector reforms which would contri...

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Main Author: Ncube, Sukoluhle Primrose
Other Authors: Haricharan, Shanildutt
Format: Thesis
Language:English
Published: Graduate School of Development Policy and Practice 2022
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access_status_str Open Access
author Ncube, Sukoluhle Primrose
author2 Haricharan, Shanildutt
author_browse Haricharan, Shanildutt
Ncube, Sukoluhle Primrose
author_facet Haricharan, Shanildutt
Ncube, Sukoluhle Primrose
author_sort Ncube, Sukoluhle Primrose
collection Thesis
description In 2009 Zimbabwe experienced a cholera outbreak of unprecedented magnitude where over 90 000 cases where recorded an at least 4 500 people lost their lives. It is argued that this outbreak created the impetus for implementation of water sanitation and hygiene (WASH) sector reforms which would contribute towards addressing service level challenges and gaps. Through this study the researcher sought to understand the WASH sector reforms implemented and the extent to which they had resulted in the anticipated improvements in service delivery amongst targeted rural communities. The study adopted a mixed methodology descriptive survey to understand the practical aspects and intricacies of policy implementation and reform in the Zimbabwean WASH sector, with emphasis on the benefits of policy reform for enhancing access and management of rural WASH service delivery initiatives. Three empirical data sources were used, comprising of desktop review of documents on WASH policy implementation processes and guidelines, qualitative interviews carried out with four key informants from WASH coordinating committees and the case methodology to study three districts implementing the sector reforms using a semi-structured questionnaire administered to various district and community stakeholders. The researcher found that the WASH sector reforms have not fully achieved the intended objectives, although some strides have been made in terms of improving water and sanitation access to selected communities. However, the researcher notes that the gains in service coverage that have been made in the case districts are proving short-lived and unsustainable as issues such as limited funding, sustainability of the WASH coordination structures, operation and maintenance of infrastructures remain a real challenge. Considering these challenges the researcher recommends that the government explore alternative innovative sources for WASH funding including streamlining the WASH coordinating committees to improve efficiency and effectiveness, strengthening sector financing through adoption of user-pays initiatives and inclusion of community-based management structures in WASH planning and decision making to enhance effective community participation.
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institution University of Cape Town (South Africa)
language eng
last_indexed 2026-06-10T12:32:45.765Z
license_str Not specified — see source repository
provenance_str_mv Harvested via OAI-PMH from UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository
publishDate 2022
publishDateRange 2022
publishDateSort 2022
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spelling oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/36014 Assessing the efficacy of policy reform in Zimbabwe's Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Sector Ncube, Sukoluhle Primrose Haricharan, Shanildutt Hirsch, Alan Development policy And practice In 2009 Zimbabwe experienced a cholera outbreak of unprecedented magnitude where over 90 000 cases where recorded an at least 4 500 people lost their lives. It is argued that this outbreak created the impetus for implementation of water sanitation and hygiene (WASH) sector reforms which would contribute towards addressing service level challenges and gaps. Through this study the researcher sought to understand the WASH sector reforms implemented and the extent to which they had resulted in the anticipated improvements in service delivery amongst targeted rural communities. The study adopted a mixed methodology descriptive survey to understand the practical aspects and intricacies of policy implementation and reform in the Zimbabwean WASH sector, with emphasis on the benefits of policy reform for enhancing access and management of rural WASH service delivery initiatives. Three empirical data sources were used, comprising of desktop review of documents on WASH policy implementation processes and guidelines, qualitative interviews carried out with four key informants from WASH coordinating committees and the case methodology to study three districts implementing the sector reforms using a semi-structured questionnaire administered to various district and community stakeholders. The researcher found that the WASH sector reforms have not fully achieved the intended objectives, although some strides have been made in terms of improving water and sanitation access to selected communities. However, the researcher notes that the gains in service coverage that have been made in the case districts are proving short-lived and unsustainable as issues such as limited funding, sustainability of the WASH coordination structures, operation and maintenance of infrastructures remain a real challenge. Considering these challenges the researcher recommends that the government explore alternative innovative sources for WASH funding including streamlining the WASH coordinating committees to improve efficiency and effectiveness, strengthening sector financing through adoption of user-pays initiatives and inclusion of community-based management structures in WASH planning and decision making to enhance effective community participation. 2022-03-10T08:45:20Z 2022-03-10T08:45:20Z 2021 2022-03-08T11:44:23Z Master Thesis Masters MPhil http://hdl.handle.net/11427/36014 eng application/pdf Graduate School of Development Policy and Practice Faculty of Commerce
spellingShingle Development policy And practice
Ncube, Sukoluhle Primrose
Assessing the efficacy of policy reform in Zimbabwe's Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Sector
thesis_degree_str Master's
title Assessing the efficacy of policy reform in Zimbabwe's Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Sector
title_full Assessing the efficacy of policy reform in Zimbabwe's Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Sector
title_fullStr Assessing the efficacy of policy reform in Zimbabwe's Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Sector
title_full_unstemmed Assessing the efficacy of policy reform in Zimbabwe's Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Sector
title_short Assessing the efficacy of policy reform in Zimbabwe's Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Sector
title_sort assessing the efficacy of policy reform in zimbabwe s water sanitation and hygiene wash sector
topic Development policy And practice
url http://hdl.handle.net/11427/36014
work_keys_str_mv AT ncubesukoluhleprimrose assessingtheefficacyofpolicyreforminzimbabweswatersanitationandhygienewashsector