DRAFT v3 Upper uThukela Catchment Partnership Workshop Report

REPORT

THE UPPER UTHUKELA CATCHMENT PARTNERSHIP

MULTI-STAKEHOLDER WORKSHOP

10 November 2022

At Okhahlamba LM Sports Centre, Golf Road, Bergville, KwaZulu-Natal

Prepared by:

Rebecka Henriksson

HenrikssonR@ukzn.ac.za

TABLE OF CONTENTS 
INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND .....................................................................................................3 
PURPOSE OF THE WORKSHOP ...............................................................................................................3
WORKSHOP PROGRAMME AND OUTCOMES ........................................................................................4 
1 Participants and inclusivity ..................................................................................................................4 
2 Introduction of the partnership and feedback on previous meetings ................................................5 
3 Brief presentations: research and project updates .............................................................................6 
4 SAEON and EFTEON .............................................................................................................................7 
5 A consolidated vision for the catchment .............................................................................................8 
6 Group activities ....................................................................................................................................9 
Feedback from participants .................................................................................................................13
Ways forward and next engagement...................................................................................................13
APPENDIX 1: WORKSHOP PROGRAM ..........................................................................................................14
APPENDIX 2: WORKSHOP PARTICIPANTS ....................................................................................................15

1.INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND

The process towards establishing a strategic water source partnership (SWSP) in the Northern

Drakensberg was initiated in May 2021 when we held the first multi-stakeholder workshop in Bergville

for the SANBI Living Catchment Project (LCP), which aimed at convening stakeholderstowards ensuring

water security in the Upper uThukela. Since then there have been a number of meetings that different

stakeholders participated in (Figure 1), aimingat bringing a diversity of stakeholders together, enabling

knowledge sharing, developing a shared vision and encouraging collaboration towards establishing a

catchment partnership. Thus far, a total of 112 stakeholders have participated, representing over 60

organizations, groups and communities from policy and government, operators, financial actors, interest

and influential groups and users (see Figure 2 for stakeholder categorization).

Figure 1. Series of stakeholder engagements in the Upper uThukela Catchment Partnership

The Institute of Natural Resources (INR), the Centre for Water Resources Research (CWRR) at University

of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN), and the Mahlathini Development Foundation (MDF) hosted the latest meeting

on the 10 November 2022 together with the Southern African Environmental Observation Network

(SAEON) and the Expanded Freshwater and Terrestrial Environmental Observation Network (EFTEON)

team, as their mandate is to bring stakeholders together around their research activities.

2.PURPOSE OF THE WORKSHOP

This workshop was building on the Adaptive Planning Process (APP) workshop on the 14 June 2022, with

the purpose to:

•Getting new and old stakeholders up to speed with the partnership process

•Consolidating the vision for the catchment

•Setting the objectives for the partnership – how can we work towards the vision

•Mapping of stakeholders and their activities, projects and information available for sharing

Figure 2. Categories of stakeholders related to Water, Land and People in the Upper uThukela Catchment,

adopted from the OECD Water Governance Indicator Framework.

3.WORKSHOP PROGRAMME AND OUTCOMES

3.1 Participants and inclusivity

The workshop was attended by 45 participants (24 women and 21 men), representing the local

communities, water committees, action groups, youth Eco Champs, representatives of the Amakhosi

areas AmaZizi, AmaNgwane and AmaSwazi; as well as ward councillors, and representatives from

Okhahlamba Local Municipality, SANBI, WildTrust, the Wilderness group, the Farmers No-till Club, the

Agricultural Research Council, Conservation Outcomes, Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the

Environment, KZN Department of Economy Development,Tourism & Environmental Affairs, Ezemvelo

KZN Wildlife, Maloti Drakensberg Transfrontier Project, Endangered Wildlife Trust, the South African

Environmental Observation Network (SAEON) and the Expanded Freshwater and Terrestrial

Environmental ObservationNetwork(EFTEON), University ofKwaZulu-Natal (UKZN), University of Free

State and Rhodes University (see Appendix 2 for list of participants).

The facilitation of the workshop was designed to create an inclusive environment for such diverse group

of participants, where all perceptions are respected and everybody’s voices are heard. All conversations

and presentations were translated betweenEnglish and isiZulu. Technical terms, scientific jargon and

culture-contextualspecifics were explained/translated in an approachable way to enable equal

participation and meaningfulco-learning.

3.2 Introduction of the partnership and feedback on previous meetings

The workshop started with an introduction of the process for establishing a catchment partnership and

an overview of previous stakeholdermeetings and outcomes. Theorganizing team presented a

framework and principles of stakeholder engagement adopted from the OECD (OECD Stakeholder

engagement for inclusive water governance) by first describing different levels of stakeholder

engagement (Figure 3) as well as the OECD principles of stakeholder engagement, how to follow them

and what we are focusing on for this partnership process (Figure 4).

Figure 3. Levels of stakeholder engagement adopted from the OECD Stakeholder engagement for inclusive

water governance.

Figure 4. The OECD principles of stakeholder engagement, how to follow them and what we are currently

focusing on for this partnership process.

The organizers proceeded to revisit the outcomes of the Adaptive Planning Process (APP) workshop held

on the 14 June 2022 and the online catch-up meeting on 29 September 2022. The APP included the steps

Current concerns, Shared values and a Joint vision to be developed in groups. The vision statements were

further discussed later in the program and are presented in section 3.5 in this report.

3.3 Brief presentations: research and project updates

Knowledge sharing is an important aspect of the partnershipand forms a basis of collaboration and

networking among participants. This workshop saw a few brief presentations from research and other

projects which are taking place in the catchment (Figure 5).

Bawinile Mtolo and Brigid Letty presented work on spring protection in KwaMagaba, funded by SANBI

LCP/WRC. The spring was unprotected and the users had submerged two halfdrums into the wetland,

over the eyes of the spring to allow them tocollect water. Based on discussions with the local households

and an agricultural engineer, a covered concrete chamber with a lid was built to replace the metal drums

and the area was fenced to reduce trampling and pollution from livestock.

Brigid and Senzo Dunywa presented updates on INR’s restoration work funded by WWF/PepsiCo in

AmaSwazi (in partnership with WildTrust) and in Stulwane (in partnershipwith Mahlathini). The

restoration work includes the use of waste from wattle clearing to construct brushpacks that are placed

on the contour to slow down run-off and capture sediment. The captured sediment allows for effective

revegetation of the slopes and gullies that are being revegetated.

Erna Kruger presented Mahlathini’s work on community based climate change adaptation (CbCCA) in

Costone, Ezibomvini and Vimbukhalo. Decades of work in co-developing climate resilience activities in

small-holder farming systems across 18 villages, have resulted in a diverse set of solutions including

conservation agriculture, livestock integration, intensive homestead food production,soil and water

conservation and community owned local water access.

Rebecka Henriksson presented WRC funded researchon Co-learning for sustainable land and water

management in Ezibomvini and Costone. This transdisciplinary project includes research on rainfall and

water quantity, ecosystem health and functioning, mapping of land use, ecosystem services and

livelihood as well as decisions around community resources. Co-learning workshops have focused on land

and water use, dependency and management practices and options.

These presentations sparked a conversation about the importance on creating partnerships with

community members in order to hear their interests and priorities and for communities to take

responsibility so that projects can carry on beyond the timeframe of the project.Participants expressed

appreciation learning from the work done through these presentations and suggestions were made to

learn from and share with communities from other areas and catchments.

Figure 5. Projects in the Upper uThukela catchment presented by partners and collaborators within the

partnership.

3.4 SAEON and EFTEON

Kathleen Smart introduced the NRF-funded Expanded Freshwater and Terrestrial Environmental

Observation Network (EFTEON). In the Northern Drakensberg, the EFTEON landscape is being hosted by

the SAEON Grasslands Node, who works in Cathedral Peak. The Northern Drakensberg Landscape is one

of six EFTEON landscapes spread across South Africa where long-term monitoring will take place,

including weather,social data, biodiversity data, mapping soils anderosion, pollution andthe flow of

nutrients as they move through the ecosystem (soils, plants, rivers). This in situdata will be combined

with remotely sensed data and used in models, and it all provides a platform for training students and

engaging with citizen science. EFTEON and SAEON want to be long-term interdisciplinary partners in the

Upper uThukela Catchment partnership. EFTEON will work across the landscape, in the communities. The

information will be important for the community, the partnership, but also to raise the voice of the

“global south” in international discussions and negotiations.

Questions were raised about the relevance of the long term monitoring to the communities and how the

information will be shared. It was explained that this initiativeis collaborative and how the monitoring

should look like and how the information will be sharedwill be co-designed with the communities.

EFTEON will purchase, install and maintain the equipment, and the data collected is for the community.

All the data is open source, available to everyone, and where possible, available in real time.EFTEON

technicians will collaborated with clinics, schools, local NGOs and community actiongroups to be engaged

in surveys, data collection, knowledge sharing and education camps and assure that the information

reach the communities in the forms and ways that are useful for them.

Figure 6. Kathleen Smart introducing the EFTEON landscape fora and the thematic technical areas of

monitoring and research to be strengthened and/or implemented in each landscapes, including the

Northern Drakensberg. Michael Malinga providing translation and explanation in isiZulu for participants

to understand technical concepts and scientific terms.

3.5 A consolidated vision for the catchment

Do we have a common purpose among the participants in the meeting? What is our long-term objective

for the catchment? Those are important questions towards establishing a partnership and has been in

focus during each of the stakeholder engagements. Three vision statements were developed during the

APP workshop on 14 June 2022, and further discussed during the catch-up online meeting on 29

September 2022. Elements of the vision statements include:

-Collaboration among stakeholders

-Empowered communities through ownership and stewardship

-Protection and conservation of the environment and water sources

-Functioning water infrastructure

-Environmental education and awareness

-Socio-economic growth

-Fair access to clean water.

During this workshop, the participants discussed the following vision statement in plenary:

“Integration of different entities to conserve and utilize the functioning water resources to empower

communities while achieving socio-economic growth”.

A question was raised to why the focus of the vision is on water when other aspects of the catchment

are also important. It was explained that during all previous engagements, the water issues have been

central, urgent and critical to the participants. It was discussed that water is fundamental to other

aspects such as land, agriculture, livelihoods and conservation, and in terms of funding, the attention

has predominantly been on addressing water scarcity and water insecurity in the catchment. In order to

keep the focus on water in the vision, but also emphasize other areas, it was agreed that the vision

should tentatively be accepted as follows:

“Integration of different entities to conserve and utilize the landscape and its water, cultural and other

natural resources fairly as well as empower its people, to build resilience and achieve sustainable socio-

economic growth”.

3.6 Group activities

The participants were divided into four groups, two groups who worked on identifying the top actions

and activities needed to achieve the vision, and two groups who were engaged in a participatory mapping

activity were stakeholders were marking out where they or their organizations have projects or activities

on a catchment map.

3.6.1 Group activity 1: Identifying top actions and activities needed to achieve the vision

The groups were instructed to view the vision as a long-term objective for the catchment and facilitated

to consider what is needed to continue, do differently or do better in order to move towards the vision.

The groups were listing activities and actions as presented below. The step after listing actions was to

identify in whichorder various activities would berequired to takeplace for each category. The time

allocated for this exercise was not sufficient and will need to be continued at an upcoming workshop.

Figure 7. Photos from group activity 1, group 1 and 2.

The first group, facilitated by Erna Kruger, wrote down actions required to reach the vision on cards and

characterized them according to the various parts of the vision statement (Table 1).

Table 1. Group 1 listing actions, identifying order of actions to achieve the various aspects of the vision

The second group, facilitated by Ntombiyenkosi Hadebe, listed actions required to reach the vision, which they wrote down on cards and shared

with each other. Time was not sufficient for the group to prioritize actions and list in which order activities needs to be achieved. The actions are

presented in Table 2 categorized in seven main themes; Stakeholder mapping and situational analysis, Water and land management, Education,

awareness and capacity building, Funding, Local livelihoods, Data sharing, and, Structures for governance, management and collaboration.

Table 2. Group 2 listing actions required to achieve the vision

3.6.2 Group activity 2: Participatory mapping

Two groups were marking out where they or their organizations have projects or activities on a catchment

map (Figure 8). The geographic scope of the Upper uThukela Catchment Partnership has been in

discussion during previous meetings (eg. the online catch-up meeting on 29 September 2022), and an

exact delineation has not yet been established. For the purpose of the participatory mapping exercise

the participants was drawing on large plastic prints of the map, which indicated the delineation of the

Northern Drakensberg Strategic Water Source Area and the EFTEON NorthernDrakensberg Landscape

Boundary (see Figure9).Participants filled out sheets listing their activities, geographic location and

marked those on the map.

Figure 8. Participants engaging in group activity 2, mapping out their/their organizations’ activities and

projects in the catchment.

Figure 9. Amap of the Upper uThukela Catchment indicating the delineation of the Northern Drakensberg

Strategic Water Source Area and the EFTEON Northern Drakensberg landscape boundary.

Participants also listed what information they/their organization have available to share with others

(data, maps, knowledge, documents) and what information they think is missing that they/their

organization would like to haveaccess to.The Catchment partnership conveners are inthe processto

compile the spatial and non-spatial information about the stakeholders’ activities and projects in the

catchment from this and previous meetings and will share with participants in due course.

4.Feedback from participants

After the workshop, participants filled out an evaluation form, responding to the following three

questions:

1. What was the most interesting or useful part of this workshop?

2. What have you learnt that you will use in future?

3. What was not so good with this workshop?

Participants have provided overwhelmingly positive feedback. The most interesting and useful aspects of

the meeting was the diversity of participants, inclusive facilitation, two-way translation between isiZulu

and English, knowledge sharing, co-development of a vision and actions toward achieving the vision,

networking and opportunities to collaborate with others. It was highlighted that the presence of

community members was a crucial part of the meeting and that all could participate in discussions in an

equal and respectful manner.

The biggest lessons and learnings for participants were the importance of inclusivity and diversity for

fruitful collaboration, knowledge about the variety of projects and activities in the catchment andthe

important connections between water, land and people. Other than challenges with the time keeping of

the workshop program, the main concern that participants expressed was that some key stakeholders

are still not present during the meetings, despite their crucial role and authority around water distribution

and allocation. uThukela District Municipality, uThukela water, the Catchment Management Agency,

Department of Water and Sanitation, Department of Agriculture, land reform and rural development,

local political leaders, traditional authorities, the forestry industry and the private sector were among the

stakeholders that are expected to form part of the partnership process going forward. Other outstanding

categories of stakeholders that were mentioned during the meeting were education, tourism, religious

leaders, legal, funders and media. The convening team will continue making efforts to engage with these

stakeholders to ensure their participation in upcoming meetings.

5.Ways forward and next engagement

The next meeting has been scheduled to take place in Bergville inthe second quarter of 2023. Prior to

this date, specific contacts will be made with targeted stakeholders to initiate the process of formalizing

a partnership that includes formal agreements and memorandums of understanding for the Upper

uThukela Catchment Partnership.

APPENDIX 1: WORKSHOP PROGRAM

Time

Session

09:30-

10:00

Arrival and tea

10:00-

10:15

Welcome and introduction to the Partnership

10:15-

10:40

Feedback on previous meetings, APP

10:40-

11:00

Research/Project presentations

Spring protection - KwaMagaba

Restoration AmaSwazi and Stulwane

Climate change adaptation Costone, Ezibomvini, Vimbukhalo

Co-learning for sustainable land and water management Ezibomvini and Costone

11:00-

11:30

Introduction to SAEON/EFTEON – Northern Drakensberg Landscape

11:30-

13:00

Revisiting and consolidating the vision for the catchment

Setting the objectives for the partnership –identifying the top actions, and activities

needed to achieve the vision

13:00-

14:00

LUNCH

14:00-

14:45

Participatory mapping of stakeholders, their activities, projects and information

available for sharing

14:45-

15:00

Wrap up, ways forward, reflections from participants

15:00

Closure and departure

APPENDIX 2: WORKSHOP PARTICIPANTS

Organization

Representative

Organization

Representative

Agricultural Research Council

Alanna Rebelo

Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife

Benedict Nene

Agricultural Research Council

Liam Cogill

Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife

Mark Robertson

Agricultural Research Council

Thandeka Skosana

Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife

Siphiwe Khoza

AmaNgwane - Vimbukhalo -

new water committe

Nikeliwe Ngubane

Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife

Zandile Mtambo

Amangwane action group -

Mnweni

Khumbulani Ndaba

Institute of Natural Resources

Brigid Letty

AmaNgwane Ecochamp

Stulwane/Ezibomvini

Boniswa Hlongwane

Mahlathini Development

Foundation

Erna Kruger

AmaNgwane Ecochamp

Stulwane/Ezibomvini

Silindile Mpinga

Mahlathini Development

Foundation

Hlengiwe Hlongwane

Amangwane Environmental

Monitors

Mzokhona Hlongwane

Mahlathini Development

Foundation

Mazwi Dlamini

AmaNgwane Stulwane -

Water committe

Nothile Zondi

Mahlathini Development

Foundation

Michael Malinga

Amangwane Traditional

Council

Thomson Zwane

No-till club

Anthony D Muirneay

Amangwane Ward Councillor

Ward 14 (Stulwane)

Thembinkosi Jeffrey

Dladla

Okhahlamba Local

Municipality

Nkosingiphile Malinga

AmaSwazi Livestock

association Emakhwelela

Bongumusa Khoza

Rhodes University/ LCP

student

Philisa Dunyana

AmaSwazi Livestock

association KwaMlotha

Robert Hlophe

SAEON

Sachin Doarsamy

AmaZizi Okhombe

Nkosithandile Ndlovu

SAEON/EFTEON

Kathleen Smart

AmaZizi Ward Committee

Ntombile Radebe

SANBI

Dan'sile Cindi

AmaZizi Wilderness group

Bawinile Mtolo

SANBI

Hulisani Magada

Conservation Outcomes

Steve McKean

UKZN -CWRR

Ntombiyenkosi

Hadebe

DFFE - Dept Forestry,

Fisheries and the

Environment

Sappi Buthelezi

UKZN -CWRR

Rebecka Henriksson

EDTEA - KZN Dept Econ Dvmt,

Tourism & Env Affairs

Bheki Gwala

University of Free State

Aliza Le Roux

EKZNW - MDTP

Joyce Loza

University of Free State

Neo Mathinya

EKZNW Cathedral peak

Selby Mkhize

Wildtrust

Mbongiseni Shongwe

Endangered Wildlife Trust

Samson Phakathi

Wildtrust

Kirsten Oliver

Wildtrust

Senzo Dunywa