Current status of groundwater policy and governance in South Africa with a focus on the role of local partners to support local groundwater resource management

The report identifies significant gaps in the governance of the Table Mountain Strategic Water Source Area (TMSWSA), noting that groundwater management is currently a national mandate that lacks local enforcement and clear delegation to Catchment Management Agencies (CMAs). It highlights the vulnerability of the Table Mountain Group and Cape Flats aquifers to over-extraction and pollution, exacerbated by unregulated borehole drilling during Cape Town's 2016-2018 drought. To address these failures, the document proposes a flexible, multi-stakeholder Partnership Framework based on adaptive management, recommending WWF South Africa as the host institution and secretariat to coordinate between the City of Cape Town, the Department of Water and Sanitation, and local communities.

• Groundwater governance in the Table Mountain Strategic Water Source Area (TMSWSA) is currently insufficient to support a sustainable water strategy, as evidenced by the "unregulated borehole drilling that took place during Cape Town’s drought".
• There is a critical lack of enforcement regarding the requirement for private individuals and industries to license and declare abstraction points, meaning there are "no enforcement or consequences for those who do not do so".
• Catchment Management Agencies (CMAs), which are intended to facilitate stakeholder partnerships and consensus on water management, have not been established in the City of Cape Town, leading to "key gaps in stakeholder engagement".
• The Table Mountain Group Aquifer has the potential for significant bulk water supply, but previous projects failed because "abstraction exceeded recharge as a consequence of a lack of geological surveys".
• The Cape Flats Aquifer is highly vulnerable to surface pollution, and the report suggests that "careful zoning must be used to prevent widespread pollution".
• Invasive alien species, specifically Acacia cyclops (rooikrans), threaten the TMSWSA and could cause a "30% decrease in water supply to the CoCT" by reducing aquifer recharge.
• The report recommends an "adaptive management, learning-by-doing approach" as the pivotal principle for the proposed Partnership Framework to account for low levels of existing groundwater knowledge.
• The document proposes that WWF South Africa serve as the host institution and secretariat for the Partnership due to its "demonstrated ability to mobilise and manage resources in an accountable manner".
• The National Groundwater Strategy (2016) suggests a "devolution of power to local government", but the report notes that this process remains unclarified regarding timeframes, funding, and specific mandates.
• The report identifies a significant future risk to water sector capacity, noting that the "forthcoming retirement of 22% of experienced workers" without a replacement plan will lead to a major skill shortage.

APA

B., P., & T., S. (2022). Current status of groundwater policy and governance in South Africa with a focus on the role of local partners to support local groundwater resource management. WWF South Africa. https://wwfafrica.awsassets.panda.org/downloads/6_annexure_6_policy_review_partnering_with_oneworld.pdf

Chicago

B., Petrie,, and Steenkamp, T. Current status of groundwater policy and governance in South Africa with a focus on the role of local partners to support local groundwater resource management. WWF South Africa, 2022. https://wwfafrica.awsassets.panda.org/downloads/6_annexure_6_policy_review_partnering_with_oneworld.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=B. |first1=Petrie, |last2=T. |first2=Steenkamp, |title=Current status of groundwater policy and governance in South Africa with a focus on the role of local partners to support local groundwater resource management |publisher=WWF South Africa |date=15 March 2022 |url=https://wwfafrica.awsassets.panda.org/downloads/6_annexure_6_policy_review_partnering_with_oneworld.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{b2022current, author = {B., Petrie, and T., Steenkamp,}, title = {{Current status of groundwater policy and governance in South Africa with a focus on the role of local partners to support local groundwater resource management}}, institution = {WWF South Africa}, year = {2022}, month = mar, url = {https://wwfafrica.awsassets.panda.org/downloads/6_annexure_6_policy_review_partnering_with_oneworld.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }