Replicable water stewardship projects for investment and collaboration

The document argues that collective action between government, businesses, and citizens is essential to address South Africa's water availability and quality challenges. It showcases several successful water stewardship models, including nature-based solutions like invasive alien plant clearing, community-based rangeland and spring protection, and municipal water loss reduction through leak repairs and valve refurbishment. These projects are presented as cost-effective alternatives to traditional grey infrastructure, offering measurable returns in water yield, job creation, and social benefits.

• The Greater Cape Town Water Fund (GCTWF) has utilized nature-based solutions to clear 82,231 hectares of invasive alien plants (IAPs) across seven priority catchments of the Western Cape Water Supply System and the Atlantis Aquifer and Steenbras catchment, increasing streamflow by 34.5 Mm³ per year.
• Nature-based solutions, specifically IAP clearing, are identified as significantly more cost-effective for increasing water supply than grey-infrastructure projects such as desalination and potable water re-use.
• The GCTWF project created 1,344 green jobs, with approximately 50% held by women and 24% by youth, and an estimated 4,032 household members benefiting from these opportunities.
• A water stewardship partnership between WWF South Africa and CHEP in the Southern Drakensberg provided potable water access to approximately 1,435 individuals across 287 households through the protection of natural springs and trained 615 farmers in sustainable rangeland practices.
• The uMhlathuze Water Stewardship Partnership (uWASP) in KwaZulu-Natal focuses on collective water security through the uMhlathuze Catchment Management Forum, a multi-stakeholder IAP strategy, and irrigation management workshops for farmers.
• A water replenishment project by an FMCG company and Water Resource Planning (WRP) in five municipalities achieved significant water savings through school leak repairs and pressure reducing valve (PRV) refurbishment, with payback periods ranging from 0.4 to 1.7 years.
• The Western Cape Resilience Strategy aims to secure 341 Mm3 of water annually by 2035 through a combination of water conservation, demand management, supply augmentation, infrastructure development, and governance.

APA

GreenCape (n.d.). Replicable water stewardship projects for investment and collaboration. https://greencape.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/GC-Western-Cape-Government-–-Industry_Brief_DIGITAL-1.pdf

Chicago

GreenCape. Replicable water stewardship projects for investment and collaboration. n.d. https://greencape.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/GC-Western-Cape-Government-–-Industry_Brief_DIGITAL-1.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=GreenCape |title=Replicable water stewardship projects for investment and collaboration |url=https://greencape.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/GC-Western-Cape-Government-–-Industry_Brief_DIGITAL-1.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{greencapendreplicable, author = {{GreenCape}}, title = {{Replicable water stewardship projects for investment and collaboration}}, institution = {GreenCape}, url = {https://greencape.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/GC-Western-Cape-Government-–-Industry_Brief_DIGITAL-1.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }