Abstract
Water supply disruptions are prevalent in various parts of South Africa. The Lower Sundays River Valley is not an exception. However, there is currently no physical shortage of water in the catchment. This study defines institutional arrangements and dynamics in the water sector in South Africa, using the Lower Sunday River Water Users Association as the case study. Key informant interviews reveal that relevant stakeholders are not adequately represented in management committees. Such institutional arrangement vacuums can lead to a failure of the water institutions in the catchment to provide water resources effectively.
Highlights
The need for water management and allocation policies and legislation that advocate for equitable distribution, sustainability and efficiency of water resources has prompted the South African government to undertake massive reforms and policy restructuring since 1994
This paper provides an in-depth analysis of the Lower Sundays River Water Users Association (LSR-WUA) as an institution operating at the local level
This paper answered the research goal though presenting the historical context of the LSR-WUA and discussing how embedded interests and path dependency have shaped the operations of the Association to date
Summary
The need for water management and allocation policies and legislation that advocate for equitable distribution, sustainability and efficiency of water resources has prompted the South African government to undertake massive reforms and policy restructuring since 1994. Such legislation was conceived in the form of the Water Services Act of 1997 and the National Water Act of 1998. The key mandate of both pieces of legislation was to address socioeconomic problems such as rural poverty and high levels of inequality that were inherited from the apartheid regime This was done through promoting equity and sustainability in water management, and by accommodating developments in the sector such as local, provincial and national institutions (Perret, 2002). This paper provides an in-depth analysis of the Lower Sundays River Water Users Association (LSR-WUA) as an institution operating at the local level
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