ABSTRACT
The present contribution explores the promise and attraction of participation in development and traces the water sector's adoption of the concept, based on the promise of more inclusive and informed decision-making. It notes the sector's belated discovery that power is fundamental to participation, and powerplay may explain many of its disappointments. We zoom in on non-participation in water management, as well as on the debate on the limits to participation, when they can even become disempowering. By way of illustration, we focus on the bumpy road travelled by South Africa's post-apartheid Catchment Management Agencies.
