| Sumario: | Despite the policies and legislation that institutionalize public and community participation in the Integrated Development Plan (IDP) and Water Services Development Plan (WSDP) in South Africa, communities continue to feel excluded, resulting in the rise of service delivery protests. These protests signal communities’ continued frustrations with municipal services that are unreliable or absent. In response to the service delivery protests, and efforts to improve communication and action, the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) has established Water and Sanitation Community Forums (WSCFs) since 2014.
Leveraging the agency of communities, a group of partners are scaling best models of community participation and co-management in public water services delivery, the Water Research Commission (WRC) funded project ‘Institutionalizing inclusive community-led planning of water supply in WSDP and IDP frameworks’ which is implemented by the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) in collaboration with DWS, engages these forums in Local and District Municipalities in Gauteng and Vhembe to explore communities’ ability and willingness to participate in the IDP process and resulting water supply programs.
Based on these communities’ voices and literature review, the project analyses the opportunities and obstacles that government offers for such participation or fails to offer. Here is their story.
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