ABSTRACT
This chapter rationalises and argues for the involvement of cooperatives as champions of community participation in water resource management (WRM) in South Africa. Drawing on qualitative desktop research comprising a critical thematic analysis of publicly accessible secondary data from relevant studies on water and natural resource management, as well as the involvement of cooperatives and local communities, the chapter addresses the importance of community participation in WRM and natural resource management (NRM) at large, and the role and limitations of cooperatives as local community representatives in WRM and NRM. The findings of this chapter demonstrate that despite their limitation, the involvement of cooperatives in water and natural resource management offers a critical opportunity for South Africa to improve the delivery of water services, particularly to underserved rural areas, thus contributing to the triple objective of realising social equity, economic growth and ecological sustainability underpinning the country’s integrated water resource management approach in line with its legislative and constitutional imperatives. The chapter underscores the need for reforms in the cooperative sector to ensure effective community representation. The chapter provides remedial recommendations for harnessing the involvement of cooperatives in the management of water resources.
