| If nothing else, the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable
Development served as a powerful catalyst to draw South African
civil society organisations together around questions of development
and environmental sustainability. One formed shortly after the Summit
was the South African Civil Society Water Caucus (SAWC), a network of
about 20 organisations.
Since then the Caucus has met regularly, and is recognised by the Department
of Water Affairs & Forestry as a critical voice to engage with in
policy and implementation processes. Issues and processes the SAWC has
worked with include: large dams, national water resources strategy,
regulation, water pricing, water quality, pre-paid metres, tricklers
and cut-offs, NEPAD, and The Water Dialogues.
The SAWC is coordinated by Bryan Ashe of Earthlife-Africa eThekwini,
who is supported by a Steering Committee, which includes EMG staff member
Thabang Ngcozela.
Water Caucus membership is open to all civil society organisations
who subscribe to the Caucus manifesto below:
- Water and sanitation are human rights. All people are entitled
to have access to water to meet their basic human needs, and rural
communities are entitled to water for productive use to sustain their
livelihoods.
- Water management must be accountable to communities at a local
level.
- We respect the integrity of ecosystems as the basis for all life
– both human and nature – with an emphasis on maintaining
river ecosystems and groundwater resources.
- We reject the commodification and privatisation of water services
and sanitation, and water resources.
- Further, we reject the role of the USA, the other G8 countries
and Trans-National Corporations for their role in pushing privatisation
and commodification.
- We reject the UN WSSD process and outcomes so far, as nothing more
than structural adjustment of the South. We therefore resolve to work
together with social movements to realise an alternative vision.
- We reject NEPAD and the plans for water in NEPAD as not being sustainable.
It is structural adjustment by Africa for Africa. In particular we
reject the privatisation of water and the hydropower focus. We commit
ourselves to building a mass movement for the reconstruction and sustainable
development of Africa.
- We undertake to educate and raise awareness and to mobilise communities
towards the WSSD.
South African Water Caucus National Workshop
Reflection on Strategies and Tactics - November 2007
Reflecting on the world is what we as civil society do all the time,
but reflecting on ourselves is something more of a challenge, and this
was the theme of the Workshop hosted by Environmental Monitoring Group
and South African Water Caucus on 1 November 2007 in Kalk Bay, Cape
Town.
Download the Proceedings
(PDF 327KB) and the Case
Studies (PDF 99KB).
It was something of an experimental process. A number of people had
been asked to each prepare and present a case study of a particular
approach to improving water services -- direct protest, petitions, dialogue,
legal challenges, demonstration projects, etc. The idea was to see what
could be learned from listening to and discussing each of these different
cases. The rules were simple. Listen and be “present”. Participants
were asked to try to understand the dynamics of each of the cases without
judging, looking for faults, offering advice, or trying to solve the
problem in "your" way. For red-blooded activists, this was
not always easy, but the aim was to illustrate the range of strategies
used by civil society organisations, how these could shed light on a
complex situation, and what could be learned about the "bigger
picture".
Approaching the workshop this way was an attempt to find an alternative
from the kind of analytical SWAT-analysis which often dominates meetings
of activists -- resulting in a long list of unsolvable problems, and
hurried resolutions which are seldom translated into action.
The case studies presented illustrated a range of different approaches.
The Water Dialogues is an example of research, conversation
and relationship building. Masibambane could be seen as advocacy
in implementation, with an emphasis on supporting local government.
The assumption behind Citizens’ Voice is that if people
are educated and aware of their rights, they will demand better services
and help regulate local authorities. The Phiri Prepaid Meters case
study is an example of direct action, leading to litigation.
EMG hosted the meeting. Victor Munnik facilitated and Liane Greeff
took the photos.
Download the Proceedings
(PDF 327KB) and the Case
Studies (PDF 99KB).
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