Current event

Case 1: Shared accountability for water use in the Olifants-Doring Catchment

Case owner: RVO.nl & Embassy of the Kingdom of The Netherlands

Irrigated farming in the Olifants-Doring catchment on South Africa’s west coast supports export value chains for citrus, grapes, vegetables and rooibos, and the towns and farmworker communities that depend on them, yet the information needed to know how much water is actually taken, by whom and against which entitlement remains patchy. Farmers, Water User Associations, the Breede-Olifants Catchment Management Agency, municipalities, communities and the buyers of the catchment’s produce all depend on the same water, and all carry part of the cost when it is poorly governed, from drought curtailments and canal failures to lost contracts and declining river health. Central question: What would make water users in the Olifants-Doring catchment willing to measure and share their water use and stay within their entitlements, and who should pay for the governance arrangements that make this possible?

Case 2: Technical skills and operational knowledge in the Water Sector

Case owner: Rand Water

Rand Water supplies bulk potable water to municipalities, mines, industries and other users, ensuring reliable, safe and continuous service. However, water utilities across South Africa face a growing challenge: the loss of critical technical skills and operational knowledge. As experienced professionals retire or leave the sector, valuable expertise in water treatment, infrastructure management and incident response risks disappearing. Combined with shortages of skilled personnel and evolving digital requirements, this threatens water quality, infrastructure reliability and service continuity. Much of this knowledge is experience-based and difficult to document or replace. This case challenges participants to develop practical and innovative strategies to preserve institutional knowledge, strengthen knowledge transfer between generations and build a skilled, resilient and future-ready workforce for Rand Water’s operations.

Case 3: Financial sustainability of Catchment Management Agencies

Case owner: Water Research Commission

South Africa’s six Catchment Management Agencies (CMAs) are responsible for managing water resources at a regional or catchment level. This includes enabling community participation in the protection, use, development, conservation, management and control of water resources. CMAs are intended to be largely funded by the water users they service, through water resource management charges. Yet several factors, including revenue collection, debt management, and relationships with water users, are affecting the financial sustainability of CMAs. How can CMAs improve revenue using innovative solutions that improve billing accuracy and collection, reduce outstanding debt and build trust and legitimacy with water users?

Case 4: Control foundation leakage of the Clanwilliam Dam

Case owner: Department of Water and Sanitation

The Raising of Clanwilliam Dam forms the first phase of the Olifants-Doorn River Water Resources Project (ODRWRP). Construction of the Intake Area Coffer Wall has exposed significant geological and foundation treatment challenges associated with seepage through a highly discontinuous rock mass. The foundation geology comprises near-horizontal discontinuities intersected by vertical discontinuities, creating preferential seepage pathways. Major leakage through these discontinuities has complicated consolidation grouting and establishment of the grout curtain. The Department of Water and Sanitation seeks innovative geotechnical, hydrogeological and construction solutions that can control seepage, improve foundation treatment effectiveness and reduce programme impacts on major dam infrastructure projects.