7_annexure_7_partnership_setup_table_mountain_water_source_partnership-20d01149e375e9f3.pdf

The report outlines the establishment of the Table Mountain Water Source Partnership, a multi-stakeholder initiative aimed at sustainable groundwater governance. Initiated by WWF South Africa with funding from AB InBev and the Royal Danish Embassy, the partnership evolved from a project-led facilitation to a self-governing body. Key findings emphasize the importance of neutral facilitation, the challenge of securing top-management buy-in, and the necessity of separating project implementation from long-term partnership governance.

• The partnership was driven by three primary factors: a supportive national policy framework recognizing water source areas (WSAs), WWF's internal strategy to prioritize securing strategic water source areas (SWSAs), and the urgency created by the Cape Town 'Day Zero' drought.
• Funding was secured through a phased approach, starting with a pilot-phase agreement with AB InBev from October 2018 to October 2020, followed by support from the Royal Danish Embassy for the partnership secretariat and priority projects.
• The governance structure evolved from a WWF-proposed draft to a self-governing model. By the launch in November 2021, the Steering Committee (SC) became the founding members, and the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) was elected as the rotating chairperson to shift power away from WWF.
• A critical lesson was the need to separate the long-term partnership from the short-term projects that established it, ensuring the partnership maintains a supervisory role for sustainability and independence.
• The use of an external Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) team provided essential neutral facilitation, helping to surface tensions and manage the transition from donor-led to collective management.
• Securing consistent funding for the partnership's ongoing functioning and secretariat remains a major challenge, as most funders prefer to fund specific project cycles or net positive water targets rather than collective governance.
• Meaningful community representation at the Steering Committee level has proven difficult due to the diversity of Cape Town's urban population, though engagement continues at the project implementation level.

APA

WWF South Africa (n.d.). 7_annexure_7_partnership_setup_table_mountain_water_source_partnership-20d01149e375e9f3.pdf. https://wwfafrica.awsassets.panda.org/downloads/7_annexure_7_partnership_setup_table_mountain_water_source_partnership.pdf

Chicago

WWF South Africa. 7_annexure_7_partnership_setup_table_mountain_water_source_partnership-20d01149e375e9f3.pdf. n.d. https://wwfafrica.awsassets.panda.org/downloads/7_annexure_7_partnership_setup_table_mountain_water_source_partnership.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=WWF South Africa |title=7_annexure_7_partnership_setup_table_mountain_water_source_partnership-20d01149e375e9f3.pdf |url=https://wwfafrica.awsassets.panda.org/downloads/7_annexure_7_partnership_setup_table_mountain_water_source_partnership.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{wwfsouthafricand7annexure7partnershipsetuptablemountainwatersourcepartnership20d01149e375e9f3pdf, author = {{WWF South Africa}}, title = {{7\_annexure\_7\_partnership\_setup\_table\_mountain\_water\_source\_partnership-20d01149e375e9f3.pdf}}, institution = {WWF South Africa}, url = {https://wwfafrica.awsassets.panda.org/downloads/7_annexure_7_partnership_setup_table_mountain_water_source_partnership.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }