THE NORTHERN DRAKENSBERG COLLABORATIVE

This fact sheet describes the Northern Drakensberg Collaborative (NDC), a multistakeholder partnership formalised in May 2023 to improve the stewardship of water and natural resources in the Northern Drakensberg Strategic Water Source Area. The NDC focuses on addressing water insecurity, unequal water access, food security, and climate change resilience in a region critical for water supply to multiple South African provinces.

• The Northern Drakensberg Strategic Water Source Area (SWSA) is a critical water-rich catchment covering approximately 10,000 km2. It provides up to 30% of the water used in Gauteng and supplies water to the Free State, parts of the North West province (specifically Rustenburg, Potchefstroom, and Orkney), and parts of KwaZulu-Natal (specifically Port Shepstone, Pietermaritzburg, and Durban).
• The Northern Drakensberg SWSA is one of seven transboundary water source areas, located primarily in KwaZulu-Natal with portions in Lesotho and the Free State. Its main rivers include the Vaal, uThukela, Orange, and Caledon, and it contains the Woodstock, Sterkfontein, and Spioenkop dams, as well as the uThukela-Vaal inter basin transfer scheme. Currently, approximately 10% of this area is protected.
• The Northern Drakensberg Collaborative (NDC) was formalised in May 2023 as a multistakeholder partnership. Its goals include improving the stewardship of natural and water resources, addressing lack of water access, improving livelihoods and food security for impoverished local communities, and responding to climate change. The partnership is open to NGOs, research institutions, traditional authorities, community-based organisations, and the private sector (including tourism companies and commercial farmers).
• The Northern Drakensberg region is characterized by high biodiversity and unique geographical features, including the Amphitheatre (a rock wall over 1,200 m high and 5 km long) and the world's second-highest waterfall, created by the uThukela River. The area hosts the uKhahlamba Drakensberg National Park, which was declared a world heritage site in 2000 and contains South Africa's largest Ramsar site, designated in 1997.

APA

WWF South Africa (n.d.). THE NORTHERN DRAKENSBERG COLLABORATIVE. https://wwfafrica.awsassets.panda.org/downloads/northern-drakensberg-collaborative-factsheet_mar25.pdf

Chicago

WWF South Africa. THE NORTHERN DRAKENSBERG COLLABORATIVE. n.d. https://wwfafrica.awsassets.panda.org/downloads/northern-drakensberg-collaborative-factsheet_mar25.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=WWF South Africa |title=THE NORTHERN DRAKENSBERG COLLABORATIVE |url=https://wwfafrica.awsassets.panda.org/downloads/northern-drakensberg-collaborative-factsheet_mar25.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{wwfsouthafricandnorthern, author = {{WWF South Africa}}, title = {{THE NORTHERN DRAKENSBERG COLLABORATIVE}}, institution = {WWF South Africa}, url = {https://wwfafrica.awsassets.panda.org/downloads/northern-drakensberg-collaborative-factsheet_mar25.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }