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The role of stakeholder engagement in sustainable water resource management in South Africa

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  • Richard Kwame Adom
  • Mulala Danny Simatele

Abstract

The effort to promote participation in decision and policy making, as well as programmes in water management is designed to give everyone who has a stake an opportunity to express an opinion or a preference. Although stakeholder engagements are welcomed initiatives, which lead to public participation, they are often embraced in ideological strife and political propaganda. Nevertheless, stakeholder engagement and participation are prerequisites for any innovative sustainable system of water resource management in post‐independence South Africa. Additionally, stakeholder engagement is an essential component of reforms and a bedrock in developing comprehensive pieces of legislation and policies for sustainable water resource management. It has been a legal requirement for adopting environmental legislation, such as the National Environmental Management Act of 1998, the 1996 Constitution, the National Water Act and the legal instrument for its implementation— the National Water Resource Strategy. In spite of these legislative requirements, the country is yet to realize an inclusive and practical way to engage stakeholders in the water management at the local level. This paper explores the structural and systematic constraints that hinder effective participation of stakeholders in water management. A purposive sampling technique to survey 60 participants from the water sector is used in the study. The findings identified lack of community empowerment and capacity building, inconsistencies in regard to roles and responsibilities of stakeholders, and apathy towards public engagements as fundamental barriers to their effective participation. It is observed that unless efforts are made to enable marginal voices to be raised and heard, claims to inclusiveness and transformation in the water sector will remain only a theory.

Suggested Citation

  • Richard Kwame Adom & Mulala Danny Simatele, 2022. "The role of stakeholder engagement in sustainable water resource management in South Africa," Natural Resources Forum, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 46(4), pages 410-427, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:natres:v:46:y:2022:i:4:p:410-427
    DOI: 10.1111/1477-8947.12264
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    2. Henrietta E. M. George-Williams & Dexter V. L. Hunt & Christopher D. F. Rogers, 2024. "Sustainable Water Infrastructure: Visions and Options for Sub-Saharan Africa," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(4), pages 1-30, February.
    3. Desmond Adjaison & Antwi-Boasiako Amoah, 2026. "Assessing Accra’s Climate Action Plan as a case of vertical integration to achieve sustainable development," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 28(4), pages 8943-8966, April.
    4. Aina, Ifedotun V. & Thiam, Djiby Racine & Dinar, Ariel, 2023. "Hydro-economic Modelling of irrigated Agriculture Water Use: Evidence from an inter-basin transfer scheme in Southern Africa," 2023 Annual Meeting, July 23-25, Washington D.C. 335539, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    5. Konstadinos, Mattas & Pantazis, Georgiou & Dimitra, Lazaridou C. & Christos, Mattas & Stefanos, Nastis A. & Giovanna, Seddaiu & Mantent, Kombiok James & Joseph, Adjebeng-Danquah & Adombilla, Ramson, 2025. "Assessing sustainable water management in a resource-scarce environment (Ghana, West Africa) via the Analytic Hierarchy Process," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 313(C).
    6. Kumo Hassan Ali & Mat Naim Abdullah @ Asmoni & Mohd Saidin Misnan & Ahmad Sha’rainon Bin Md Shaarani, 2025. "Water Infrastructure and Facilities in Africa: An Integrated Overview and Approach to Addressing Issues in Governance, Sustainability, and Technology," International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS), vol. 9(9), pages 7087-7114, September.
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    8. Pandey, Dharen Kumar & Hunjra, Ahmed Imran & Bhaskar, Ratikant & Al-Faryan, Mamdouh Abdulaziz Saleh, 2023. "Artificial intelligence, machine learning and big data in natural resources management: A comprehensive bibliometric review of literature spanning 1975–2022," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 86(PA).

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