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This chapter describes the political, social and economic context in which South Africa’s water reform was designed and implemented. The water reform was part of the nation’s wider transformation after 1994 from white minority rule and territorial and institutional segregation, to a democratic, non-racial state. This implied a major challenge to redress the legacy of gross inequities in access to...
This chapter provides background to the state of water resources in South Africa and how those resources have been strategically developed and managed and the policy environment that guided their allocation and use pre- and post-1994. The topography and weather patterns strongly influence rainfall and evaporation, which result in highly varying rainfall patterns and even more erratic surface run-off...
Since 1994, South Africa’s government has demonstrated profound commitment to achieving universal access to water and sanitation – through ambitious policy reforms, institutional restructuring and substantial funding for infrastructure development and operating subsidies. It has met its 2015 MDG goals for both water services and sanitation. But the country as a whole has underestimated what it takes...
In South Africa, flush toilets have historically been associated with white privilege, and dry toilets with racial discrimination. The sector slogan ‘Sanitation is Dignity’ has deep resonance, and in urban areas, anything other than a flush toilet is regarded as inferior and at best an interim option. The emphasis on dignity, rights and aspirations has led to a focus on toilet technologies, rather...
The onset of democracy in South Africa provided the opportunity to make sweeping changes to legislation to allow for the proactive reallocation of water to address the effects of past racial discrimination. This is done through compulsory licensing provisions in the National Water Act. However, this process must balance the need to address social inequity, inefficiency in water use, economic growth...
A global and South African context is provided for the policy and legislative requirements to ensure water ecosystem protection and sustainable use of water resources. The South African resource directed measures (RDM) strategy is analysed in terms of the methods, components and their application in the implementation of provisions of the country’s water legislation. The analyses include the...
This chapter highlights the decentralisation of water resources management to a local level through the establishment of Catchment Management Agencies (CMA). The first 8 of 19 proposed CMAs have been established and a number of institutional challenges have been identified. Stakeholder participation in the establishment of CMAs has been largely successful, but the process of establishment has been...
Since South Africa is a water scarce country, water resources planning is a critical part of ensuring national water security. Since 1994, there has been a paradigm shift to a more holistic approach to water resources planning, underpinned by South Africa’s enabling Constitutional provisions, legislative framework and water policy, and implementation challenges. This new paradigm involves an integrated...
The National Water Act (Act No.36 of 1998) recognises that water is a scarce and unevenly distributed national resource and that it is the responsibility of Government to ensure that the resource is managed in an equitable and sustainable manner. Due to the high costs and limited exploitable potential associated with supply-side water management solutions, demand-side management is becoming increasingly...
Gender mainstreaming figures high in the post-1994 policies and laws in South Africa in general, and water policies in particular. This chapter analyses the implementation of these policies in two domains: within DWAF as a gender-sensitive workplace with sound gender training of its staff, and externally in the performance of DWAF in implementing its mandate for the benefit of all its citizens, in...
The primary aim of water information systems management is to serve the social processes which give the information systems context and meaning. The social processes related to water in South Africa have changed substantially in the past 25 years and particularly since 1994. This chapter will consider the past, present and future roles of information systems management in the context of these changes...
The South African water sector endeavours to ensure that scarce water resources are, and will continue to be, managed and used optimally and sustainably for the benefit of all citizens. Given the numerous and often serious challenges faced by the sector, strong support is needed in the area of research and development (R&D). Since 1971, water-related research and development on behalf of...
In order to contextualise the current South African approach to transboundary water resources management this chapter provides a brief background of the political and legal developments leading towards the establishment of the Orange/Senqu River Commission and the ongoing activities of the Commission. This illustrates the change of direction of South Africa’s approach to transboundary water management...
This book discusses some issues of water policy and its implementation in South Africa. This chapter highlights some key, overarching issues related to the implementation of water policy in South Africa. These issues are discussed in the context of good water governance, based on three principles: a professional bureaucracy; predictable, open and enlightened policy making; and a strong civil society...
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