Tag: south africa

Water Stewardship in Action: Learning Exchange Between UWASP and LuWSI in uMhlathuze

Written by Johanna Lübbers on 17. December 2025. Posted in Countries, South Africa.

In November 2025, the uMhlathuze Water Stewardship Partnership (UWASP) in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, a region facing increasing water insecurity, hosted the Lusaka Water Security Initiative (LuWSI) for a three-day learning exchange. The event highlighted how collaboration, good governance and community-led action lie at the heart of building long-term water resilience.

Co-hosted by the UWASP partners and the GIZ Natural Resources Stewardship Programme II (NatuReS II), the exchange convened stakeholders from government, the private sector, academia, civil society, water utilities and local communities. Held in the City of uMhlathuze – a strategic port city and vital industrial hub – the gathering centred around a shared purpose: safeguarding water for people, ecosystems and economic development.

Shared responsibility for a vital resource

Liteboho Makhele, Component Manager of NatuReS II in South Africa, opened the exchange. She welcomed all partners, thanked the Richards Bay Industrial Development Zone (RBIDZ) for hosting the workshop and shared the vision that would guide the three-day exchange: “Over the next three days, we will listen, learn, walk together, and strengthen our shared mission of building resilient, inclusive, and sustainable catchment partnerships. Today, we focus on governance, institutional sustainability and practical peer learning between the UWASP and LuWSI partnerships. Tomorrow, we deepen the dialogue through innovation and tools. And on Day 3, we take these lessons into the field to witness stewardship in action.”

Her remarks set the tone for an exchange grounded in collective responsibility, a sentiment echoed by partners throughout the day. “It is our responsibility to look after water resources and ensure that all users – communities and industries alike – have equitable access”, reflected Brenda Strachan, Manager for Spatial and Environmental Planning in the City of uMhlathuze. In his keynote address, Acting Deputy City Manager Mthokozisi Mhlongo reiterated that water security sits at the centre of sustainable development. “Water affects everything – our cities, our economy, our environment and our future”, he noted. With Richards Bay port contributing close to 60% of South Africa’s exports, the reliability of water in uMhlathuze is inseparable from national economic stability. However, growing pressures from industrial discharge, agricultural runoff, invasive species, wastewater treatment failures and aging infrastructure have underscored the urgency of water stewardship efforts in the region.

The UWASP journey

UWASP as the hosts of the exchange then outlined the journey of the partnership to the guests from Zambia. Dr. Reuben Thifhulufhelwi from WWF-South Africa traced the evolution of UWASP following the 2016 drought, when dam levels dropped to just 16%, bringing economic activity in the region to the brink of collapse. What followed was an unprecedented collective response that brought upstream and downstream users together in a shared decision-making space. “There is no alternative to water. Managing it better was no longer optional, it became a necessity”, Dr. Thifhulufhelwi emphasised. Today, UWASP’s steering committee has a shared long-term vision for strengthening governance, improving data systems, and enabling more coordinated infrastructure planning in the stressed catchment.

Providing a municipal perspective, Thembekile Sithole (Operations Manager: Water and Sanitation, City of uMhlathuze) gave an overview of the City’s water supply and wastewater management system, highlighting key infrastructure, current operational realities, and ongoing initiatives to strengthen service delivery and long-term resilience.

Learning from LuWSI: perseverance and reform

Turning to Zambia, the Zambian delegation delivered a dynamic walk-about presentation showcasing the evolution of the LuWSI partnership. Founded in 2016 through a Memorandum of Understanding, LuWSI has grown into a multisectoral platform bringing together over 40 partners from government, private sector, civil society and academia. With strong political buy-in, the initiative has managed to expand its reach and impact. It is now guided by a 13-member steering board, supported by active partnerships with universities, robust private sector engagement and school-based environmental education programmes.

“Collaboration gave each partner the opportunity to perform better than it could alone”, said David Mwamba, Senior Technical Advisor from GIZ NatuReS Zambia, reflecting on the initiative’s resilience despite challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic and shifting donor landscapes. Today, LuWSI stands as a legally recognised coordination body and an amplifier of collective water security action. The LuWSI delegation, alongside representatives from key Zambian stakeholders, shared valuable lessons and unpacked the realities of establishing such a partnership.

Cross-country exchange on stewardship for water resilience

A panel discussion with LuWSI and UWASP partners explored the role of advocacy in driving water stewardship and how industry can be more effectively engaged for long-term commitment. Further, Sanele Vilakazi from uMngeni-uThukela Water highlighted the Amanzi Champions programme. This initiative equips young people to become citizen scientists by collecting and sharing vital water data.

A visit to Amandosi Primary School in Esikhaleni, then illustrated community-led adaptation in action. Supported by the GIZ Cities Adapt project, the school is demonstrating how communities can be engaged in co-creating solutions – from rainwater harvesting and drip irrigation to heat-resistant roofs and food gardens – showing how education, water management, climate adaptation and food security can intersect. In fact, the role of communities as active custodians of water systems was a recurring theme throughout the exchange. “When communities are empowered with skills, tools and knowledge, they move from being recipients to becoming protectors of natural resources”, participants echoed.

Data for decision-making

One of the highlights of the learning exchange was the launch of the FlowTracker Phase 2. This is a mobile monitoring application designed to strengthen catchment water management by integrating real-time monitoring tools with stakeholder-driven decision-making. Phase 1 (2022–2023) was co-funded by NatuReS. Going into Phase 2, commissioned by UWASP partners Mondi and WWF-SA and implemented by AWARD, the aim is to expand coverage and capabilities. Participants also explored advanced monitoring technologies such as GLOFAS and Digital Earth Africa, which provide real-time insights into flood risks, dam levels and historical water surface changes. Live demonstrations showcased how these tools support evidence-based action and collaborative planning. “Data is power in decision-making”, said Hugo Retief from AWARD. “The more reliable the data, the stronger and faster the response.”

The delegation also visited key water sites in the area including Lake Mzingazi, Lake Cubu and the uMhlathuze Weir and Pumpstation, gaining firsthand insights into local water systems and ongoing interventions.

Commitment to stewardship

As the learning exchange drew to a close, participants voiced a collective commitment to:

Strengthen partnerships
Prioritise community education and participation
Invest in sustainable infrastructure
Support data-driven decision-making
Elevate water stewardship as a shared responsibility.

As one participant summed it up: “Partnerships are not linear. They require patience, trust, learning – and action”. This learning exchange reaffirmed that when diverse stakeholders unite around transparency, collaboration and a shared vision, water becomes more than a resource – it becomes a catalyst for transformation.

Water Stewardship for Economic Resilience – Updates from the Collaboration in Rosslyn

Written by Johanna Lübbers on 29. September 2025. Posted in Countries, South Africa.

In South Africa, the NatuReS programme continues to drive efforts to establish a stewardship multi-stakeholder partnership (SMSP) for the Rosslyn Industrial Area (RIA). SMSPs are participatory formats in which the public sector, private sector and civil society develop joint solutions for more sustainable management and use of natural resources. In this context, NatuReS supports the ongoing work in the Rosslyn Improvement District (RID) led by the Capital City Business Chamber (CCBC) towards a more sustainable way of production and improved water efficiency. The goal for the RIA is heading towards an Eco-Industrial Park (EIP) approach. Rosslyn is located in the northern part of the City of Tshwane (Pretoria) and is home to major industries including a concentration of automotive industries and large companies such as BMW, Nissan, South African Breweries, Renault, TATA, and Nampak. More than 200 businesses operate from here and provide employment to more than 20,000 workers.

GITEC consultant and NatuReS team observing a company’s onsite water treatment plant and effluent process flow. ©GIZ

Assessing the state of water metering

To support measures for improved water security in the RIA, NatuReS contracted the consultancy GITEC, which specialises in digital water and wastewater measurement as well as water resource efficiency. For a week in early August, the partners went on several site visits to discuss solutions for the state of water and wastewater metering and the potential for more resource efficient ways of production. The engagements included the City of Tshwane Municipality as well as nine medium, large, and multinational companies from several sectors active in the RIA, such as automotive, leather processing, packaging, train maintenance, beverages, and feed production.

The City of Tshwane expressed their interest in collaborating around the digitisation of meters for water supply as well as wastewater discharge quality. Since so far, the reading of meters and the assessment of effluent quality happens manually, which is labour-intensive, costly, and time-consuming. On the companies’ side, all meter their water supply and treat it, if necessary, before discharging to the municipal sewer system. While some companies already use digital equipment to assess their water consumption, some expressed interest in adopting such technology.

Assessing water meters in the RIA, left a company’s on-site meter and right a municipal meter. ©GIZ

Wastewater reuse as significant potential for Rosslyn

Beyond metering, all companies are very keen to explore opportunities for water reuse, both internally and with other businesses in the area. Given the magnitude of industrial demand, economically feasible reuse schemes could yield substantial benefits for reliability, cost control, and environmental performance. For example, one company’s treated wastewater could become the process water of another company and does not necessarily need to be of potable quality. This same concept could also be explored for water used for heating and cooling.

This appetite for collaboration illustrates the growing interest in industrial symbiosis, a form of industrial ecology where companies collaborate to exchange resources like materials, energy, and water to reduce waste and improve efficiency. Therefore, NatuReS together with the CCBC, is planning to organise a workshop for interested companies to strategically discuss these topics and develop joint projects.

On-site water treatment plant of a company located in the RIA. ©GIZ

Water security – a question of economic stability for South Africa

These local-level efforts are particularly important as South Africa faces significant and interlinked natural resource pressures that threaten long-term economic stability and social cohesion. Water, in particular, has emerged as one of the most critical pressure points. Climate change, ageing infrastructure, and mounting demand from both industry and growing urban populations are further exacerbating the already chronic water stress.

Especially the Gauteng Province, home to the administrative capital of Pretoria and the economic capital of Johannesburg, is projected to face serious challenges in the future due to limited water sources and a rapidly growing population. Concurrently, the province is the economic engine of the country contributing to over 34% of South Africa’s total GDP, and accounting for nearly 7% of Sub-Saharan Africa’s GDP. Therefore, ensuring long-term water security is crucial to maintaining this status.

Partnerships to align industrial growth with responsible resource management

These implications have also been understood in Rosslyn, where the seeds of collaboration are already being planted. By bringing businesses, government, and civil society to the same table, the SMSP approach is proving that sustainable water security and industrial competitiveness are not opposing, but mutually reinforcing goals. Building on work happening in the East London IDZ, Rosslyn can demonstrate how South Africa’s economic hubs can successfully align industrial growth with responsible resource management. It is a powerful reminder that a Just Transition is not only possible, but achievable when we act together.

Stewardship for a Just Transition in Economic Zones: Preparations for a New Partnership in the Rosslyn Industrial Area, South Africa

Written by Johanna Lübbers on 9. May 2025. Posted in Countries, South Africa.

The scarcity of natural resources harbours considerable risks and potential for conflict. In South Africa, large parts of the country are affected by high water stress according to the FAO Aquastat Index. Resources are also often polluted and can therefore only be used to a limited extent. Resource pressure on soil and water from individual economic zones, i.e. industrial parks, special economic zones and export zones or other areas with increased economic activity, is particularly problematic. This concentration leads to the creation of localised hotspots of economic activity with the potential for extreme environmental damage. At the same time, this also presents an opportunity to establish resource-conserving economic practices on a large scale in order to prevent future damage and conflicts.

Our Solution: Stewardship Multi-Stakeholder Partnerships

Against this backdrop, the Natural Resources Stewardship Programme (NatuReS) aims to establish the Stewardship Multi-Stakeholder Partnership (SMSP) approach as an instrument for consensus-building processes for Just Transition in selected economic zones with extreme resource use pressure in South Africa. SMSPs are participatory formats in which the public sector, private sector and civil society work together to develop joint solutions for more sustainable management and use of natural resources.

Bringing Stakeholders in the Rosslyn Industrial Area Together

NatuReS is supporting the establishment of a SMSP in the Rosslyn Industrial Area (RIA) together with the Capital City Business Chamber (CCBC) in the City of Tshwane (Pretoria), South Africa. The RIA is located in the northern part of the City of Tshwane and is home to major industries including a concentration of automotive industry and large companies including BMW, Nissan, SAB, Renault, TATA, and Nampak. More than 200 businesses operate from Rosslyn and provide employment to more than 20,000 workers.

To inform the partnership formation, NatuReS has appointed Digby Wells Environmental to undertake a stakeholder analysis and mapping as well as a natural resources risk and opportunity assessment for the RIA. The risk analysis shall inform strategies for better governance, resource management and collaboration across stakeholders. For this, three focus group discussions were conducted in April 2025 with 14 key stakeholders from companies operating in the area. These included BMW, Nissan, Nampak Bevcan, South African Breweries (SAB), MA Automotive, Traxation, Berry Astrapak Marcom Plastics, Pioneer Plastics, Neopak, Sovereign Foods, Blue Pointer Steel, and Bader Leather.

Risks and Opportunities for the Management of Natural Resources in the RIA

The focus group discussions served to engage the stakeholders in a structured dialogue to gather insights, assess risks, identify opportunities and understand perceptions regarding the use and management of natural resources (water, soil, wetlands, land use) within the RIA. Specifically, they aimed to:

Understand the risks and opportunities that stakeholders face related to natural resource use and management.
Identify current challenges in collaboration and governance related to resource use.
Generate recommendations for effective risk mitigation strategies and management practices.
Ensure inclusivity and recognise the diverse needs of stakeholders, including marginalised or vulnerable groups.

In the discussions it quickly became apparent that water is a key issue for the companies, as they are highly reliant on a steady supply of water in large quantities. Issues included leakages, low water pressure, interrupted supply, and water quality, as well as blocked drainages and subsequent flooding during heavy rains, illegal oil dumping by other companies, as well as illegally deposed waste in general. However, participants also discussed ideas for industrial symbiosis (e.g. reuse/recycling of wastewater, paper waste, plastics, etc.) as well as the potential of ground water use and how business can support the municipality to address the issues at hand.

Rosslyn stakeholder engagement and risk assessment workshop. (© GIZ)

Next Steps for the Partnership Formation

These findings will be thoroughly analysed and used to develop a comprehensive risk analysis and mitigation action plan, informed by the diverse perspectives of the key stakeholders. In a subsequent meeting, this will help stakeholders to develop joint solutions for a more sustainable use and management of natural resources and enhance resilience in the region. This shall then inform the establishment of a SMSP for the RIA.

Map of Rosslyn: RIA is made up of zones 1, 2, 3, 4 and New Development; together with Klerksoord Industrial Area (Zone 5) it forms the wider Rosslyn Improvement District (RID). (© RIA)

Water security for all in the uMhlathuze catchment

Written by a.linke on 10. December 2024. Posted in Countries, South Africa.

The uMhlathuze catchment in South Africa’s KwaZulu-Natal region faces critical water security challenges, encompassing both quantity and quality issues. These challenges are closely tied to land use activities such as mining, agriculture, and industry, which put significant pressure on water resources. Unregulated overuse further exacerbates the situation, compounded by the impacts of climate change.

The severity of these issues became even more evident during the 2016 drought, which severely reduced water availability in the catchment. The drought had a profound impact on the Goedertrouw Dam, a vital water source for the uMhlathuze region, underscoring the urgent need for sustainable water management practices.

The Goedertrouw Dam in the uMhlathuzte Catchment. © Jasper Anhede

UWASP: A Collaborative Effort to Strengthen Water Security in the uMhlathuze Region

This led to the creation of the uMhlathuze Water Stewardship Partnership (UWASP), established to tackle water security challenges in the uMhlathuze region. The partnership focuses on improving water management and availability through collaborative resource management while enhancing livelihoods through strategic climate adaptation initiatives.

UWASP was formed by key stakeholders, including GIZ’s International Water Stewardship Programme (IWaSP)—now the Natural Resources Stewardship Programme (NatuReS)—alongside the National Business Initiative (NBI), Strategic Water Partners Network (SWPN), and World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). Prominent local businesses such as Tongaat Hulett, Mondi South Africa, Grindrod, Transnet, and Richards Bay Minerals, as well as government entities like the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) and the Pongola-uMzimkhulu Proto-Catchment Management Agency, also played an integral role in its formation.

By unlocking the value of water, the partnership delivers social, economic, and environmental benefits. The partnership´s vision is an “effectively managed uMhlathuze catchment that supports water security for all”. To realize this vision, UWASP adopts a collaborative and inclusive approach, fostering consensus among stakeholders to develop shared solutions and actionable strategies to address critical water resource challenges.

Building Climate Resilience in the uMhlathuze Catchment

The UWASP is advancing a five-year strategy (2024 –2029) to strengthen climate resilience in the catchment by enhancing water governance, improving service delivery, and fostering green economy skills. Key focus areas of the strategy include :

Enhancing the management of the freshwater coastal lakes and surface water dams that provide for the needs of uMhlathuze’s population.
Supporting water use efficiency and reducing water loss amongst downstream users.
Facilitating agricultural water stewardship and irrigation efficiency.
Securing ecological infrastructure through invasive species clearing and wetland rehabilitation.
Developing community water-related champions, entrepreneurs and micro enterprises.

To support these efforts, NatuReS, WWF, and NBI partnered with GroundTruth to conduct a scoping study to assess the feasibility of grey-green infrastructure project interventions to address water security challenges in the uMhlathuze catchment. The project aimed to contribute to the overall strategic vision and the five-year focus areas of UWASP by increasing the climate resilience of the uMhlathuze catchment to water-related climate change impacts, whilst addressing environmental and socio-economic development challenges in the catchment. Therefore, the scoping study evaluated the financial, social, economic and ecological feasibility of grey-green infrastructure interventions in the uMhlathuze catchment areas.

Proposed Grey-Green Interventions: Key Outcomes of the Study

Melmoth Dams: Melmoth Dams are a key water supply for the eMthonjaneni area for domestic and industrial use. The following interventions were proposed to improve the water quality and quantity of downstream users in the catchment; (i) the removal of the problematic bush encroachment, Invasive Alien Plants removal, (ii) improved buffer zone management and (iii) re-vegetation of indigenous trees/vegetation.

Nkandla Landfill Site and Cemetery: The ‘Inkandla Landfill Site’ is located in the Nkandla local Municipality and includes the landfill and the wastewater treatment ponds. The following interventions were proposed as measures to preserve the health of the Goedertrouw dam; (i) enhancement of the existing wastewater treatment facility and (ii) enhancement of ecosystem services within the receiving freshwater ecosystem

Empangeni Catchment Management: This site focuses on the Mpangeni, Niwe and Ndabayakhe Lake, which flow directly into the uMhlathuze River. These lakes provide key ecosystem services for the Empangeni catchment including flood attenuation, sediment trapping and water for domestic use. The proposed interventions include (i) sustainable management of agricultural activities around the lake,(ii) management of inflow streams into the lakes through litter booms and sediment fences in upstream channels, and (iii) freshwater management which can include clearing of invasive alien plants and improving stormwater management.

Integrating Green Infrastructure for a Just and Inclusive Future

In addition to enhancing ecological outcomes, these interventions also tackle socio-economic challenges, contributing to a broader socio-ecological transformation. This transformation embodies a shift toward harmonizing economic development with social and environmental goals, exemplified by the expansion of the green economy and the growing emphasis on integrating green infrastructure with traditional grey infrastructure.

Harnessing the benefits of green infrastructure also plays a key role in supporting a Just Transition, i.e. greening the economy in a way that is equitable, inclusive and just for all actors of society. For the identified sites this could, for instance:

Socio-economic opportunities for surrounding local communities: The surrounding communities are characterised by high poverty levels and high levels of unemployment. Creating opportunities in the restoration economy (e.g. alien invasive clearing, management of bush encroachment, and rehabilitation of wetlands) will create new socio-economic benefits including for example job creation and capacity development, especially for the most vulnerable groups of society.
Social security – Strengthening the resilience of communities, particularly vulnerable groups in low income and informal settlement, through the creation of income generation opportunities and capacity building.
Climate adaption and resilience – Restoration of the wetland ecosystems will improve water security for downstream water users, and enhance water supply for everyone, especially for vulnerable groups. It will also enhance the flood attenuation capacity upstream, which will help to buffer the settlements from floods.
Sustainable urban development – Enhancing the functioning of ecosystems in the catchment will introduce a level of holistic development by harnessing green and grey infrastructure, which could become an opportunity for the municipalities to replicate and up-scale

What´s next?

As a next step, these results will now be further unpacked by UWASP to design interventions for these sites and find potential funders for them to support a water secure and socially inclusive future for the uMhlathuze catchment.