Kotzé, Yolanda Louise
English: South Africa has adopted a law and policy framework for water, which is based on the constitutional recognition of the right of access to water. The National Water Act, Act 36 of 1998 is currently internationally recognised as one of very few acts that recognise basic human needs. South Africa as a country can be proud of this, even though proper implementation of the act is still lacking. The act is in line with the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa. In South Africa, groundwater resources are lacking proper management and effective groundwater governance. This is mainly due to a lack of knowledge and skills, especially with regard to the development, sustainable use, protection and principles of groundwater resource management and groundwater governance. Proper and effective management of groundwater resources and groundwater governance principles may contribute to the alleviation of poverty in many areas of South Africa. In order to manage groundwater resources in a sustainable manner, the greatest groundwater challenge is to ensure efficient groundwater governance and proper effective groundwater resource management. The over-abstraction of groundwater within certain areas of South Africa is of great concern and may have many negative consequences. The depletion of groundwater resources and the deterioration of groundwater quality have a negative health impact on large sections of rural communities that solely and/or partially rely on groundwater to meet their basic human needs. Water quantity- and quality-related problems are directly linked to many other crises such as poor school attendance, food insecurity, poor nutritional status among both children and HIV/Aids affected people and decreased productivity. Competing demands for water between households, communities, agriculture and industries will increase over time and will be as a result of population growth and tension and conflict. Proper groundwater governance and groundwater resource management will significantly contribute to the reduction of over-abstraction, increase in sustainable groundwater abstraction and better groundwater quality. The research study focused on challenges and solutions that will positively contribute to the improvement of groundwater governance, groundwater resource management and the handling of groundwater use authorisations for irrigation purposes with special reference to the agricultural sector in South Africa. The main objective of this study was to develop a framework for groundwater use authorisations as part of groundwater governance in South Africa and was reached by means of a stages approach. The research methodology used in this study was action research and the researcher and practitioner was the author of this thesis. The study repeated the action research methodology over five stages: Stage 1 provided an overview and discussion on groundwater governance in South Africa. Stage 2 provided an overview of food security, water security and the economic value of water in the agricultural sector versus the allocation of groundwater use authorisations. Stage 3 provided a comparison and evaluation of the National Water Act (Act 36 of 1998) with international water laws. Stage 4 provided a discussion on the groundwater reserve determination process of South Africa. Stage 5 provided a framework for processing groundwater use authorisation applications in the agricultural sector. Various problems were identified during the research study and possible solutions were discussed. This study concluded that even though the South African water related legislation is too diverse, broad and with contradicted regulations and policies, it was extremely difficult but not impossible to develop a framework for groundwater use authorisations as part of groundwater governance within South Africa. As stated in chapter 1 the research hypothesis can therefore be accepted. The researcher, however, recommends that this framework should be used as a basis to improve groundwater governance and the National Water Act of South Africa.
Afrikaans: Suid-Afrika het ‘n wetlike en beleidsraamwerk aangeneem wat gebaseer is op die grondwetlike erkenning van die reg van toegang tot water. Die Nasionale Waterwet, Wet 36 van 1998 word tans internasionaal erken as een van min wette wat basiese menslike behoeftes in ag neem. Suid-Afrika kan baie trots wees hierop, selfs al is die behoorlike implementering van die Nasionale Waterwet nie na wense nie. Die Nasionale Waterwet stem ooreen met die Grondwet van die Republiek van Suid-Afrika. Die Suid-Afrikaanse regering het die oorhoofse verantwoordelikheid om alle waterbronne in die land te beskerm, te gebruik, te ontwikkel, te bewaar en te bestuur in ‘n standhoudende en regverdige wyse. Ondergrondse waterbronbestuur en ondergrondse waterbeheer word oneffektief bestuur in Suid-Afrika. Die hoofrede hiervoor is ’n gebrek aan kennis en vaardighede, veral aangaande die ontwikkeling, standhoudende gebruik, beskerming en beginsels van ondergrondse waterbronbestuur. Geskikte en effektiewe ondergrondse waterbronbestuur en ondergrondse waterbronbeheer beginsels kan ‘n positiewe bydrae lewer tot die verligting van armoede in groot gedeeltes van Suid-Afrika. Die grootste uitdaging ten opsigte van ondergrondse waterbronne is om te verseker dat effektiewe ondergrondse waterbronbestuur en ondergrondse waterbeheer op ‘n standhoudende manier toegepas word. Die ooronttrekking van ondergrondse water in sekere gebiede van Suid-Afrika is problematies en het verskeie nadelige gevolge. Die uitputting van ondergrondse waterbronne en die agteruitgang van die ondergrondse watergehalte gee aanleiding tot nadelige effekte op menslike gesondheid in groot gedeeltes van landelike gemeenskappe wat gedeeltelik of algeheel afhanklik is van ondergrondse waterbronne vir die bevrediging van hulle basiese menslike behoeftes. Watervolume en watergehalte probleme hou direk verband met krisisse soos swak skoolbywoning, voedselsekerheid, ondervoeding by kinders en HIV/Vigs-besmette persone, asook ‘n afname in produktiwiteit. ’n Kompetisie vir water tussen huishoudings, gemeenskappe, landbou en industrieë neem voortdurend toe as gevolg van bevolkingsgroei, spanning en konflik. Geskikte, effektiewe ondergrondse waterbronbestuur en ondergrondse waterbronbeheer sal ‘n positiewe bydrae lewer tot die beperking van ooronttrekking van ondergrondse waterbronne, toenemende verbeterde en standhoudende onttrekking en verbruik, asook die verbetering van die ondergrondse watergehalte. Die navorsingstudie het gefokus op uitdagings en oplossings om ‘n positiewe bydra te lewer met betrekking tot die verbetering van ondergrondse waterbronbestuur, ondergrondse waterbronbeheer en die hantering van ondergrondse waterverbruikmagtigings vir besproeiingsdoeleindes in die landboubedryf in Suid-Afrika. Die doelwit van hierdie studie was om ‘n raamwerk te ontwikkel vir ondergrondse waterverbruikmagtigings as deel van ondergrondse waterbronbeheer in Suid-Afrika. Hierdie doelwit is bereik met behulp van ‘n fasebenadering. Aksienavorsing is as navorsingsmetodologie toegepas. Die navorser en praktisyn was albei skrywers van die tesis. Die aksienavorsingsmetodologie het oor vyf fases plaasgevind: Fase 1 lewer ‘n oorsig en bespreek ondergrondse waterbronbeheer in Suid-Afrika. Fase 2 lewer ‘n oorsig aangaande voedselsekerheid, watersekerheid en die ekonomiese waarde van water in die landboubedryf in vergelyking met die toekenning van ondergrondse waterverbruikmagtigings. Fase 3 vergelyk en evalueer die Nasionale Waterwet met Internationale Waterwetgewings. Fase 4 bespreek die ondergrondse waterreserwe bepalingsproses van Suid-Afrika. Fase 5 verskaf ‘n raamwerk vir die verwerking van ondergrondse waterverbruikmagtigings in die landboubedryf. Verskeie probleme is tydens die studie geïdentifiseer en moontlike oplossings is bespreek. Die gevolgtrekking van die studie is dat Suid-Afrika se waterwetgewing, waterbeleide en waterregulasies te breedvoerig is, nie duidelik en spesifiek is nie en dat verskeie waterregulasies en waterbeleide mekaar weerspreek. Al het hierdie gevolgtrekking die navorsingstudie besonder moeilik gemaak, was dit wel moontlik om die raamwerk vir ondergrondse waterverbruikmagtigings as deel van ondergrondse waterbronbeheer in Suid-Afrika te ontwikkel. Die navorsingshipotese, soos genoem in hoofstuk 1, kan om hierdie rede wel aanvaar word. Die navorser is van mening dat die ontwikkelde raamwerk gebruik moet word as grondslag vir die verbetering van ondergrondse waterbronbestuur en ondergrondse waterbronbeheer, asook vir die verbetering van die Nasionale Waterwet van Suid-Afrika.