Abstract
Gauteng is South Africa’s economic hub. However, it faces persistent water-related challenges owing to poor governance. Rapid urbanisation has led to a growing population, which has increased the water demand and strained existing water services. This trend adds pressure to an already weak water infrastructure. The purpose of the study was to gain an understanding of factors affecting stakeholder collaboration. It sought to provide practical recommendations to enhance collaboration, coordination and transparency in decision-making.
The study adopted a qualitative design. It explored and made sense of participants’ constructed realities in the sector. The primary data was collected through semi-structured interviews with 14 professionals in the water sector of Gauteng.
The study presents four themes: (1) accountability and shared responsibility, (2) inclusive collaboration for sustainable water management, (3) integration and coordination for effective water governance, and (4) capacity, resource mobilisation, infrastructure, and innovation.
The findings show that water governance requires building strong relations, collaborating and coordinating across the water sector value chain. The findings further identify limited capacity, innovation and ageing infrastructure as key barriers for collaboration, suggesting that achieving effective governance relies not only on participation but accountability, coordination and the right capacity to drive meaningful collaboration.