Virtual Stakeholder Meeting towards establishing
the Upper uThukela Catchment Partnership
29 September 2022 @10h00-12h30
Welcome!
Objectives
Get new and old stakeholders up to speed with the partnership
process
Present outcomes of previous meetings/workshops
Build up stakeholder database with roles, activities and
preferences
On the agenda today
1. Introduction to the partnership process
2. Introduction to the WWF SWS Partnership
3. Update on Stakeholders and previous workshops
4. Introductions of meeting attendants
5. Feedback on google form (activities, interest in a partnership)
6. Input into the APP process (concerns, values and vision)
7. What do stakeholders want to get out of this partnership?
Background
•This process of establishing the partnership:
•WasinitiatedthroughWRC-funded SANBI LCP, and
•is being continued through an initiative championed by WWF.
•This is being facilitated by the same LCP coordinating team:
•Institute of Natural Resources NPC (INR),
•Mahlathini Development Foundation (MDF)
•Centre for Water Resources Research (CWRR) at University of KwaZulu-Natal.
•The objective of the SANBI LCP was to establish a community of practice
(CoP) focused on strengthening ecological infrastructure (EI) to ensure
water security.
•Samir Randera-Rees will talk more about WWF’s programme to support
SWSAs.
The SANBI Living Catchments Project
•COLLABORATION, CO-LEARNING AND CO-CREATION AT THE NEXUS OF
BUILT AND ECOLOGICAL INFRASTRUCTURE FOR WATER SECURITY IN THE
uTHUKELA RIVER CATCHMENT: SUPPORTING THE LIVING CATCHMENTS
PROJECT
•A response to the challenge of water insecurity in South Africa.
•A need for creating an enabling environment for integrated planning, co-learning and
collaboration.
•The primary aim of LCP is to ‘establish better-resourced communities of
practice that are involved with managing the built and ecological
infrastructure within important water catchments.’
•4 catchments: Umzimvubu, Olifants, Berg-Breede, uThukela.
•Small budget was provided for implementation to complement LCP (mainly related
to selfsupplysystems).
What have we done so far?
•Initiated multi-stakeholderengagement
•Triedtodrawinallrelevantactors
•Activities in catchment: Climate smart
agriculture, alien clearing, spring
protection & utilization, various research
•Most have been working largely in
isolation but some Aha!! moments
Pic: Erna Kruger
•Starting from no formal structure
•Bringing actors together to see what is needed
•One on one engagements with ‘missing’ actors
•Discussions with WWF about water source partnership
•CoPs falling under a broader forum
Pic: Samir Randera-Rees
Building a
platform / space
forcollaboration
Pic: Bawinile Mtolo
Pic: Erna Kruger
What have we done so far and who have been involved?
•2 workshops: 20 May 2021 and 14 June 2022
•Over 80 stakeholders involved
•Over 60 organizations/groups/communities represented
•From policy and government, operators, financial actors,
interest and influential groups and users
What can stakeholder engagement look like?
What is needed for collaboration around water*
governance?
*water, land and people
Communication ConsultationParticipation Representation PartnershipCo-decision and
co-production
Source: OECD Stakeholder engagement for inclusive water governance
Levels of stakeholder engagement
Create and share
information
Create
awareness
Encourage action
Gather
perceptions,
information and
experience from
stakeholders
(no commitment
to consider
them)
Provide
opportunities to
take part in
policy/project
processes
(stakeholder may
still not influence
decision-making)
Includes
engagement
with
stakeholders to
develop
collective
choices
Agreed upon
collaboration
between
stakeholders
Characterized by
joint agreement
(may be formal
or informal)
Balanced share
of power among
stakeholders
involved
Joint decision-
making
Source: OECD Stakeholder engagement for inclusive water governance
Principles of stakeholder engagements – and how to follow them
Principle
What needs to be done
1.
INCLUSIVENESS AND EQUITY
Map all SH with a stake or an interest: their responsibilities, interests and
interactions with other SH
2. CLARITY OF GOALS, TRANSPARENCY
AND ACCOUNTABILITY
Define decision
-making, the objectives of SH engagement and expected use of
input
3. CAPACITY AND INFORMATION
Allocate proper financial and human resources and information sharing
4. EFFICIENCY AND EFFECTIVENESS
Assess and re
-
assess the process: Learn, adjust and improve the SH engagement
5. INSTITUTION AND STRUCTURE
Embed engagement processess in legal and policy frameworks, organizational
structures/principlesandresponsibleauthorites
6. ADAPTIVNESS
Customize the type and level of engagement to the needs and be flexible to
changing circumstances
Principles of stakeholder engagements – and how to follow them
Principle
What needs to be done
1.
INCLUSIVENESS AND EQUITY
Map all SH with a stake or an interest: their responsibilities, interests and
interactions with other SH
2. CLARITY OF GOALS, TRANSPARENCY
AND ACCOUNTABILITY
Define decision
-making, the objectives of SH engagement and expected use of
input
3. CAPACITY AND INFORMATION
Allocate proper financial and human resources and information sharing
4. EFFICIENCY AND EFFECTIVENESS
Assess and re
-
assess the process: Learn, adjust and improve the SH engagement
5. INSTITUTION AND STRUCTURE
Embed engagement processess in legal and policy frameworks, organizational
structures/principlesandresponsibleauthorites
6. ADAPTIVNESS
Customize the type and level of engagement to the needs and be flexible to
changing circumstances
SHs –
organizations
and their
representatives
SHs’
mandates and
interests
SHs’ influence
in decision-
making
SHs’ roles &
responsibilities
SHs’
interactions
with other
SHs
Projects,
initiatives,
programmes
Do we have a
common
vision/
purpose/
objective?
USERS
Official/
counted:
-Domestic users
-Industry
-Irrigators
Unofficial/
uncounted:
-Subsistence farmers
-Rural communities
-The environment
POLICY AND
GOVERNMENT
National
Government
Provicial
Government
District
Municipality
Local
Municipality
Catchment
Management
Agencies
/Fora
Waterservices
institutions
OPERATORS
INTEREST AND
INFLUENTIAL
GROUPS
Civil society
TradeUnions
NGOs/NPOs
Media
Science and
Academia
FINANCIAL
ACTORS
Donors/
Funders
Financial
institutions
Community
groups
Businesses
/ Private
sector
Tourism/
Hospitality
sector
Resource
users
associations
Local
Conservation
/ restoration
groups
-water resources: governance and management
- land, landscapes, the environment
-people: society and communities
WATER, LAND AND PEOPLE
Traditional
Authorities
Religious
/Spiritual
groups
Powerservices
institutions
Infrastructure
institutions
Nature
Conservation
institutions
Ward
committees
and
councillors
Water
Committees
IN THE UPPER UTHUKELA CATCHMENT
Policy and Government
National
government
DFFE,
DALRRD,
COGTA
,
Provincial
government
DWS, EDTEA,
KZNDARD
District
Municipality
uThukela DM
Local Municipality
Okhahlamba
LM
Wardcommittees
and councillors
AmaNgwane
,
AmaZizi
,
AmaSwazi
Catchment
management
agencies/fora
uThukela
CMF
Traditional
Authorities
AmaNgwane
,
AmaZizi,
AmaSwazi
Operators
Waterservices
institutions
uThukela
Water,
Umgeni Water
,
Rand Water
Nature
Conservation
institutions
EKZNW, SANBI
Powerservices
institutions
ESKOM
Infrastructure
institutions
MISA
Users
Official/ counted:
-
Domestic users
-
Industry
-
Irrigators
Bergville Irrigation
Board,
No-till
Club,
Commercial
farmers
and
forestry
Unofficial/
uncounted:
-
Subsistence
farmers
-
Rural
communities
-The environment
AmaNgwane
,
AmaZizi,
AmaSwazi
Financial
actors
Donors/Funders
Water
Research
Commission
Financial
institutions
Interest and influential
groups
NGOs/NPOs
WWF, INR,
Mahlathini,
Wildtrust,
FSG,
EWT, Conservation
Outcomes, ACT,
Project Africa,
WESSA,
Science and
Academia
UKZN
-CWRR, RU,
FSU
-ARU,
SAEON/EFTEON
Businesses/
Private sector
Golder
Tourism/
Hospitality sector
Alpine Heath
Group
Interest and influential
groups
WaterCommittees
AmaNgwane Water Committees
Local Conservation/
restorationgroups
AmaNgwane
EcoChamps,
Environmental
Monitors (AmaNgwane,
AmaZizi
, AmaSwazi)
Religious/Spiritual
groups
Inspired Hope, Traditional Health
Practitioner (THP),
Religiousleaders
Community
groups
Action groups
(AmaNgwane, AmaZizi,
AmaSwazi
), Amangwane Community
Development NPC,
AmaZizi Concerned
Citizen Committee (ACCC),
AmaZizi
Development Forum (ADF), Wilderness
Groups, No
-till club
Media
TradeUnions
20 May 2021 Drakensville, Bergville
The first multi-stakeholderworkshop
FortheUpperuThukelaSANBILivingCatchmentProject
Purpose:
•Introduce the SANBI LCP
•Initiate/strengthen networking and identify areas of collaboration
•Elicit stakeholders roles and interests
14 June 2022 Sports Complex, Bergville
The second multi-stakeholder workshop:
Adaptive Planning Process for the Upper uThukela Catchment
Purpose:
•Wide range of actors to meet, share perspectives and see potential for
collaboration
•Examine problems from different angles
•Create a shared vision
WaterresourcesmanagementintheUpperThukelaCatchment
Social Technological
Economic
Ecological/
Environmental
Political
Concerns
Challenges
Threats
Hopes and
dreams
Visions
Opportunities
Solutions
Steps of the Adaptive Planning Process:
•STEP 1:Current Concerns
•STEP 2: Vision (towards a brighter future)
•STEP 3:Values(what we thinkisimportant incollaboration)
•STEP 4: STEEP (what forms part of our catchment: Social, Technical,
Environmental, Economic, Political aspects)
Access to (clean) water/
water availability
Waterallocation/ownership/withdrawals-equity
Pollutedwatersources
Protection of water sources
Stakeholder collaboration and engagement
Alien invasive plants
Waterinfrastructure
”Water sources are being shared with
livestock”
”Polluted bore hole water”
”People bath in water sources”
“We are at
the water
source but
we don’t get
water”
“Different entities
interested in
water are not
collaborating and
not working
together”
STEP 1:Current Concerns
Group
1
Group 2
Group 3
Communities take ownership and
stewardship for fair access to clean
water in collaboration with clear
roles for key stakeholders.
Integration of different entities to
conserve and utilize the
functioning water resources to
empower communities while
achieving socio
-economic growth.
Communities work together and
with other stakeholders to protect
springs and maintain and improve
infrastructure for households to
have close access to water.
Communities have environmental
education and awareness to
protect the environment and
water sources.
STEP 3: Visions
STEP 3:Values
Feedbackonthegoogleform
(6 responses)
What are your organization's mandates/roles
regardingwater ornatural resourcesin the
upper uThukela Catchment?
What activities (projects, programs, policy
implementation, initiatives) are you and/or
your organizationinvolvedwithinrelation to
waterand/ornatural resources intheupper
uThukela Catchment?
What do you think the Upper uThukela
Catchment Partnership should do?
Info still being collected
from SHs for the SH
database
Supporting
a CoP in the
catchment
LCP
Securing and supporting
new protected areas in
SWSA's
Establishing a land
owners association
as part of the NRMonitoring of climate,
water, carbon and
biodiversity,
hydrological modelling,
water sources and
vegetation
Monitoring
atmosphericpollutants
and their fate in the
surrounding ecosystem
...next
slide...
Nature
Conservation act
2006
What do you think the Upper uThukela
Catchment Partnership should do?
Facilitatedataexchangeand
collaborationbetween
organisations, and act as
knowledge broker with different
stakeholders. Afirst stepcould be
driving a data gap/needs
assessment
Prioritising environmental
aspects while also promoting
economic and social growth
and development through a
strong governance structure
Not sure at the
moment
Continuing with some of the
gains from related projects,
linking with the various
programmes of work in the
catchment for added effort
Convene stakeholders and
allow for collaboration and
co-learning
Enable collaborative
and aligned action
towards securing
the Northern
Drakensberg SWSAs
work together to conserve
water sources and ensure
that everyone has access to
clean water, and adhere to
the rules of sustainable
utilization.
A consolidated vision (?)
Do we have a common purpose?
What is our long-termobjective?
Group
1
Group 2
Group 3
Communities take ownership and
stewardship
forfair access to
clean water
in collaboration with
clear roles for key stakeholders
.
Integration of different entities
to
conserve
and utilize the
functioning water resources
to
empower communities
while
achieving
socio-economic growth.
Communities work together and
with other stakeholders
to
protect
springs
and
maintain and improve
infrastructure
for households to
have close
access to water.
Communities have environmental
education and awareness
to
protect the environment and
water sources
.
Collaboration
among
stakeholders
Communities:
ownership/
stewardship,
empowered
Socio-
economic
growth
Environmental
education and
awareness
Fairaccess
to clean
water
Functioning
water
infrastructure
Protect/conserve the
environment and
watersources
What do stakeholders want to get out of this
collaboration(towardsa“partnership”)?
Next Stakeholder meeting
Bergville, 9 or 10 November 2022
•Connect and re-connectwith”new”and”old”stakeholder
•Deepening the AAP process towards strengthening the Upper Thukela
SWSP:
•Revisit the outcomes of the previous meetings: roles, mandates, concerns,
values andvision (consolidatevisions)
•Turn the vision into a long-term objective
•Develop actions and plans towards achieving the different parts of the
objective (objectives hierarchy)
•ESmapping:Participatory mappingonanaerialphotograph
(geographical spread of resources, projects, programs, land uses, communities
etc)