Analysing the equity dimensions and governance drivers of water security challenges in Hammanskraal, City of Tshwane, South Africa
- Mahlatsi, Malaika Lesego Samora
- Authors: Mahlatsi, Malaika Lesego Samora
- Date: 2024-10-11
- Subjects: Uncatalogued
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/465011 , vital:76565
- Description: South Africa is faced with a national water security challenge that is increasingly worsening due to a myriad of structural and governance factors. Over the past few years, several municipalities across the country have experience temporary loss of water access, while some have come dangerously close to Day Zero – a day when water levels of the major dams supplying water to residents would become critically low, resulting in households having no running water. But for the people of the township of Hammanskraal in the City of Tshwane metropolitan municipality, water insecurity has reached crisis point. Since 2005, the township has been battling with a chronic lack of access to safe drinking water. The water quality in Hammanskraal has been so dire that in 2019, the South African Human Rights Commission declared it unfit for human consumption and deemed it a violation of human rights. Despite this, the crisis has persisted. In 2023, Hammanskraal became the epicentre of a cholera outbreak that claimed a number of lives in several provinces across the country. Using a qualitative approach, this study analyses the equity dimensions and governance drivers of water security challenges in Hammanskraal. Through interviews with residents in Hammanskraal and government officials in the City of Tshwane metropolitan municipality and the Gauteng Provincial Government, the study explores the lived experiences of those affected by the water insecurity, as well as the governance drivers that inform the crisis. The study, using water justice theory and conflict theory/Marxism, contends that the water security challenges in Hammanskraal are driven by physical, economic and political factors. These factors have their roots in the geo-history of the township as well as contemporary responses to spatial development and water resource management by the post-apartheid government. The study finds that there are equity dimensions to the water security challenges in Hammanskraal. Contextually, the legacy of apartheid’s policy of separate and uneven development, coupled with contemporary failings of the implementation of the National Water Act, impact water access. In terms of water governance, while factors such as climate change and urbanisation are contributing determinants, the water security challenges in Hammanskraal are fundamentally the result of institutional failings that include lack of planning and investment as well as lack of infrastructure maintenance. The implications for South Africa in general is that failure to resolve water inequities and to strengthen water governance will result in the reproduction and persistence of structural inequalities. Key recommendations of the study include the expansion of the Temba Water Purification Plant, strengthening and coordination of institutions for water security, the setting of water allocation ceilings in Gauteng municipalities and investment in alternative water sources and tools for water conservation. The study also recommends further study into the extent to which water security challenges impact social unrest in South Africa. , Thesis (MSc) -- Faculty of Science, Institute for Water Research, 2024
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2024-10-11
- Authors: Mahlatsi, Malaika Lesego Samora
- Date: 2024-10-11
- Subjects: Uncatalogued
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/465011 , vital:76565
- Description: South Africa is faced with a national water security challenge that is increasingly worsening due to a myriad of structural and governance factors. Over the past few years, several municipalities across the country have experience temporary loss of water access, while some have come dangerously close to Day Zero – a day when water levels of the major dams supplying water to residents would become critically low, resulting in households having no running water. But for the people of the township of Hammanskraal in the City of Tshwane metropolitan municipality, water insecurity has reached crisis point. Since 2005, the township has been battling with a chronic lack of access to safe drinking water. The water quality in Hammanskraal has been so dire that in 2019, the South African Human Rights Commission declared it unfit for human consumption and deemed it a violation of human rights. Despite this, the crisis has persisted. In 2023, Hammanskraal became the epicentre of a cholera outbreak that claimed a number of lives in several provinces across the country. Using a qualitative approach, this study analyses the equity dimensions and governance drivers of water security challenges in Hammanskraal. Through interviews with residents in Hammanskraal and government officials in the City of Tshwane metropolitan municipality and the Gauteng Provincial Government, the study explores the lived experiences of those affected by the water insecurity, as well as the governance drivers that inform the crisis. The study, using water justice theory and conflict theory/Marxism, contends that the water security challenges in Hammanskraal are driven by physical, economic and political factors. These factors have their roots in the geo-history of the township as well as contemporary responses to spatial development and water resource management by the post-apartheid government. The study finds that there are equity dimensions to the water security challenges in Hammanskraal. Contextually, the legacy of apartheid’s policy of separate and uneven development, coupled with contemporary failings of the implementation of the National Water Act, impact water access. In terms of water governance, while factors such as climate change and urbanisation are contributing determinants, the water security challenges in Hammanskraal are fundamentally the result of institutional failings that include lack of planning and investment as well as lack of infrastructure maintenance. The implications for South Africa in general is that failure to resolve water inequities and to strengthen water governance will result in the reproduction and persistence of structural inequalities. Key recommendations of the study include the expansion of the Temba Water Purification Plant, strengthening and coordination of institutions for water security, the setting of water allocation ceilings in Gauteng municipalities and investment in alternative water sources and tools for water conservation. The study also recommends further study into the extent to which water security challenges impact social unrest in South Africa. , Thesis (MSc) -- Faculty of Science, Institute for Water Research, 2024
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2024-10-11
Participatory mapping of key drivers of ecological change and analysing equity dimensions of ecosystem services flow in the Kat River Catchment
- Authors: Seriki, Esther Ahuoiza
- Date: 2024-10-11
- Subjects: Uncatalogued
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/465024 , vital:76566
- Description: Rivers are important ecosystems which supply ecosystem services critical to social-economic well-being. However, many rivers are degraded due to human activities. Degradation of river systems compromises the quality and quantity of ecosystem services they can supply. Managing important drivers of ecological change requires broad-based stakeholder participation to mobilise collective actions for an effective rehabilitation strategy. This study looked at two crucial research objectives in the Kat River catchment. The first was to undertake a multidimensional, participatory, engaged mapping of ecological changes, as well as current and changing ecosystem services in the Kat River catchment, and the second was to analyse the equity dimensions of ecosystem services flow in the Kat River catchment. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and participatory GIS mapping exercises. A purposive sampling method was applied to recruit research participants for interviews and workshops. Between March 13th and May 31st, 2023, thirty-one (31) participants representing four social groups, non-farming individuals, catchment management forum members, commercial and subsistence farmers, participated in interviews. Additionally, twenty-two (22) stakeholders attended 2-day workshops held between 20−21 April 2022, and 30−31 May 2023. Data collected from interviews and workshops were analysed using thematic analysis. The results of stakeholder perceptions regarding the perceived ecological changes and their key drivers in the Kat River catchment revealed a concerning trend. Participants reported significant changes to the catchment area over time, including increased occurrences of flooding and water pollution and decreased aquatic biodiversity. Furthermore, degradation of ecosystem services, such as water quality, availability of medicinal plants, reeds, and fish populations, was noted. These environmental shifts have been accompanied by a rise in social-economic burdens, including the prevalence of water-borne diseases, cultural burdens (particularly the inability of certain groups to access ancestral grave sites) and declining fish populations. These findings emphasise the urgent need for intervention strategies to mitigate further degradation of the catchment area and safeguard the well-being of both the human population and the integrity of the ecosystems. Recommended intervention measures include improving wastewater management practices and creating targeted public awareness campaigns. By addressing these challenges, stakeholders can work towards preserving the integrity of the catchment area, protecting water resources and conserving biodiversity for future generations. The equity dimensions (distributive and procedural equity) analysis revealed notable disparities in access to the benefits of ecosystem services, as well as in participation of residents in the Kat River Water Users Association. Certain social groups, such as commercial farmers, were observed to receive more benefits from ecosystem services, while other groups, including the elderly and disabled individuals, seem to be negatively impacted by the activities of those who benefit most from ecosystem services in the Kat River catchment. This raises not only an equity issue but also the issue of how costs are externalised by certain groups. Of particular concern was the finding that seventy (70) per cent of the research participants were not aware of the presence of the Kat River Water Users Association, raising concerns about procedural equity in water resource management processes. Additionally, ninety (90) per cent of the participants had the perception that there was unfair water access and allocation across the various social groups, highlighting possible distributive inequities. The participants expressed a clear interest in learning more about the existence and operation of the Kat River Water Users Association, signalling a need for increased awareness and participation among social groups. Addressing these equity concerns is crucial to ensure that water resource management processes are designed to provide all stakeholders and water-dependent actors with equitable and fair access to decision making. Moving forward, efforts should be directed towards raising awareness of the Kat River Water Users Association and to promoting inclusive participation among all social groups. This awareness may involve targeted outreach campaigns, community engagement initiatives and policy reforms to foster more equitable water governance practices within the catchment. , Thesis (MSc) -- Faculty of Science, Institute for Water Research, 2024
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2024-10-11
- Authors: Seriki, Esther Ahuoiza
- Date: 2024-10-11
- Subjects: Uncatalogued
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/465024 , vital:76566
- Description: Rivers are important ecosystems which supply ecosystem services critical to social-economic well-being. However, many rivers are degraded due to human activities. Degradation of river systems compromises the quality and quantity of ecosystem services they can supply. Managing important drivers of ecological change requires broad-based stakeholder participation to mobilise collective actions for an effective rehabilitation strategy. This study looked at two crucial research objectives in the Kat River catchment. The first was to undertake a multidimensional, participatory, engaged mapping of ecological changes, as well as current and changing ecosystem services in the Kat River catchment, and the second was to analyse the equity dimensions of ecosystem services flow in the Kat River catchment. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and participatory GIS mapping exercises. A purposive sampling method was applied to recruit research participants for interviews and workshops. Between March 13th and May 31st, 2023, thirty-one (31) participants representing four social groups, non-farming individuals, catchment management forum members, commercial and subsistence farmers, participated in interviews. Additionally, twenty-two (22) stakeholders attended 2-day workshops held between 20−21 April 2022, and 30−31 May 2023. Data collected from interviews and workshops were analysed using thematic analysis. The results of stakeholder perceptions regarding the perceived ecological changes and their key drivers in the Kat River catchment revealed a concerning trend. Participants reported significant changes to the catchment area over time, including increased occurrences of flooding and water pollution and decreased aquatic biodiversity. Furthermore, degradation of ecosystem services, such as water quality, availability of medicinal plants, reeds, and fish populations, was noted. These environmental shifts have been accompanied by a rise in social-economic burdens, including the prevalence of water-borne diseases, cultural burdens (particularly the inability of certain groups to access ancestral grave sites) and declining fish populations. These findings emphasise the urgent need for intervention strategies to mitigate further degradation of the catchment area and safeguard the well-being of both the human population and the integrity of the ecosystems. Recommended intervention measures include improving wastewater management practices and creating targeted public awareness campaigns. By addressing these challenges, stakeholders can work towards preserving the integrity of the catchment area, protecting water resources and conserving biodiversity for future generations. The equity dimensions (distributive and procedural equity) analysis revealed notable disparities in access to the benefits of ecosystem services, as well as in participation of residents in the Kat River Water Users Association. Certain social groups, such as commercial farmers, were observed to receive more benefits from ecosystem services, while other groups, including the elderly and disabled individuals, seem to be negatively impacted by the activities of those who benefit most from ecosystem services in the Kat River catchment. This raises not only an equity issue but also the issue of how costs are externalised by certain groups. Of particular concern was the finding that seventy (70) per cent of the research participants were not aware of the presence of the Kat River Water Users Association, raising concerns about procedural equity in water resource management processes. Additionally, ninety (90) per cent of the participants had the perception that there was unfair water access and allocation across the various social groups, highlighting possible distributive inequities. The participants expressed a clear interest in learning more about the existence and operation of the Kat River Water Users Association, signalling a need for increased awareness and participation among social groups. Addressing these equity concerns is crucial to ensure that water resource management processes are designed to provide all stakeholders and water-dependent actors with equitable and fair access to decision making. Moving forward, efforts should be directed towards raising awareness of the Kat River Water Users Association and to promoting inclusive participation among all social groups. This awareness may involve targeted outreach campaigns, community engagement initiatives and policy reforms to foster more equitable water governance practices within the catchment. , Thesis (MSc) -- Faculty of Science, Institute for Water Research, 2024
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2024-10-11
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