WRC ESS Information leaflet

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Information Leaflet

TOWARDS SUSTAINABLE AND EQUITABLE MANAGEMENT OF WATER RESOURCES:

About the project:

In this project we like to learn more about managing our natural resources and water resources

in a way so that the communities can benefit from these resources, now, and in many

generations to come. A common issue in South Africa, and in other countries, is that society are

using these resources faster than they can recover, so that land becomes degraded and water

sources are depleted.

In a farming community like the ones here in the Drakensberg, most families directly depend on

land and water for food and for their livelihoods. This can be through farming crops, herding

livestock, finding building material, traditional medicine, hunting or harvesting plants for food or

have happened regarding these resources that makes it difficult for the community to use your

land in the ways that you want to.

We also want to go out in the community and see what the condition of the land is – what

vegetation is there, what is the health of the soil and the water, and what do the community

members do – and can do - to make sure the lands maintain healthy.

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After we have an understanding of this we would like to – together with the community – discuss

what plans can be made to maintain the resources for the community today and for future

generation.

experiences in working with communities in agriculture and land issues, and in her team also

Nicholas Madondo and Michael Malinga. We have a student (Mdoda Ngwenya, UKZN, CWRR)

who has experience in community projects both on water and land management and on

conservation of biodiversity. Lastly, it’s Rebecka Henriksson (UKZN, CWRR), who is specialized

in understanding the relationships between people and the environment – how people are

dependent on nature, and how we in turn shape the environment we live in.

This team, which I have just introduced would like to also build a team with the community, with

community leaders and community members, to together learn more about how the community

use the land and the water, what solutions can be found to make sure the resources can be

walks are for us to get a deeper understanding of the ways the communities use and are

dependent on the lands and what the needs of the communities are. The workshops are for

bigger groups to get together, we can feed back what we have learnt from the research, get

questions from the communities, and together discuss possible solutions.

We hope at the end of the project, the communities will have a better understanding of how to

manage and maintain resources, protect water sources, and maintain livelihoods and food for

future generations.

Michael Malinga, Project Facilitator

Mahlathini Development Foundation

Email: malingam14@gmail.com

Cell: +27725619239