Bystanders or active participants? Mobilising meaningful participation in River Basin management: lessons from the Gauteng Province, South Africa

Abstract

ABSTRACT This paper explores the concept of meaningful participation in river basin management, using the case study of the Hennops River in Gauteng Province, South Africa. Experiences of different stakeholders and communities regarding their involvement in the management of the Hennops River basin are analysed following engagement through interviews, workshops and clean-up initiatives. Several barriers and enablers for meaningful participation, such as lack of awareness, capacity, coordination, trust and incentives, are identified. Some recommendations are proposed for improving stakeholder and community participation, based on the lessons learned from the case study. This includes the formulation of a social fund to support small community-based projects such as clean-up campaigns. Projects should be reflective, keeping the community engaged and active. The paper argues that meaningful participation requires not only formal mechanisms of engagement and decision-making but also informal and practical actions that empower stakeholders and communities to take ownership and responsibility for their water resources and environment. For meaningful participation to take place, more needs to be done to shift communities away from a ‘bystander’ position to a more active role. A new approach to community engagement is therefore necessary to support stakeholder-driven initiatives and the raising of awareness in poorer communities.