Household access to water and willingness to pay in South Africa: evidence from the 2007 General Household Survey

Julious Ngum Kimbung, University of the Western Cape

This study assesses the present level of household water access and the willingness to pay in South Africa. Although the general literature informs that progress has been made in positing South Africa above the levels found in most African countries, there remain marked inequalities among population groups and across provinces. The study looks at the extent to which households differ in access and willingness to pay using data from the 2007 General Household Survey conducted by Statistics South Africa. The scope is national and it employs cross tabulation and logistic regression to establish relationships and the likelihood of accessing safe drinking water. Results presented in this study suggest that the difference is determined by socio demographic characteristics of each household. It throws more light as to what needs to be taken into account when considering demand and supply of and priorities for water intervention from the household perspective.