- Integrated Regulatory Framework
- Project Consolidate and Municipal
Support for Gauteng Regional Office
- Capacity building intervention
- Implementation of Integrated
Water Resources Management (IWRM)
- Public Participation in the
Establishment of Water User Associations and
Catchment Management Agencies
- Evaluation of Post Project
Evaluation Tools for Public Participation
Processes
- Public Participation and Training
for the 3 WMAs in KwaZulu Natal
- Public Participation in DWAF
Regional Office Transformation
- Assessment of Post Project
Evaluation of Stakeholder Participation Processes
in the establishment of WMIs
- Water Conservation/Water Demand
Management
- Capacity Building of CMFs
- Capacity Building of WUAs
- Water Quality Management
- Groundwater Management
- Outreach programs
- Stakeholder Consultation on
Water Services Development Plans
- Capacity building to the management
committee of WUA: principal functions
- Audit of Municipal Services
in Informal Settlement
- ASGISA/ JIPSA Presidency Program
- Capacity building programme
at Local Government
- Assessment of the Municipalities
Workplace Skills Plan
- Assessment of the Wastewater
Treatment Works in Gauteng
(1) Integrated Regulatory
Framework
GBS as part of Khanyisile consortium was contracted
by DWAF to develop an Integrated Regulatory
Framework (IRF) for the entire Water Value Chain.
Through this project, a water sector regulation
model was developed and proposed to DWAF. The
project produced a Situational Analysis (SA)
which look at all the diverse and complex stakeholder
base and legislation that impact on the Water
Value Chain, a benchmarking report highlighting
the best regulation models from around the world
and South African regulators, e.g. NERSA was
also produced. The project recommended three
implementation options to implement regulation
with the middle of the road option to implement
regulation being the preferred model. An implementation
report of all three options and detailed implementation
plan for the preferred option was also produced.
The project is awaiting implementation phase
to commence.
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(2) Project Consolidate and Municipal
Support for Gauteng Regional Office
Our staff was involved in the assessment of
water services and resource support needs of
the Project Consolidate municipalities and the
WSAs responsible for the area. Our staff also
assisted Project Consolidate municipalities
with the review of Municipal Action Plans to
reflect water services and resources issues
as well as ensuring their alignment with the
checklist results that would be fed into the
national high level plan. They also assisted
the DWAF Regional office with follow-up on water
services and water resources issues recorded
and resolutions taken at the municipal izimbizo
and provincial water summit. Our staff represented
DWAF in the sector and in provincial Project
Consolidate structures, and also acted as the
interface between the regional office DWAF Gauteng
and the provincial Project Consolidate Programme
Management Unit. In this regard, all Project
Consolidate lessons were shared with all stakeholders
through printed communication and other interactions.
GBS employees continuously monitored DWAF support
programmes to Project Consolidate municipalities
to ensure their continued relevance. Our staff
also assisted DWAF regional office with updating
Municipal Support Plan for all the WSA, provided
relevant water services and water resources
information to dedicated personnel from other
departments or programme partners and consultants
preparation of progress reports.
Through this project the team has been responsible
for the following amongst others:
- Producing Municipal Support Plans;
- Conducting Councillor Induction for councillors
and Community Development Workers;
- WSA Legislative Compliance Checklist;
- Water Conservation Demand Management for
the Minister’s Flagship Project;
- Capacity Building and Skills Development
for Waste Water Treatment Plants workers in
Rietspruit, Emfuleni LM;
- Business Plan for funding from the LG-SETA
for capacity building of municipal staff;
- Organising and facilitating a skills Indaba;
- Drafting the Water Sector Forum Capacity
Building and Institutional Development Task
Team’s Terms of Reference;
- Supporting the Water Sector Forum Capacity
Building and Institutional Development Task
Team;
- Producing the Portfolio Committee visit
report;
- Skills transfer to newly appointed Regional
Office staff.
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(3) Capacity building
intervention
This intervention has been initiated by GBS
and the Gauteng DWAF Regional office to ensure
a roll-out of comprehensive municipal training
and skills development programme at municipalities.
The programme will target employees who are
already employed by the municipalities and seek
to roll-out a process for the Recognition of
Prior Learning (RPL) and providing supplementary
operational training. The initiative aims at
a coherent skills development intervention in
all municipal Water and Wastewater Treatment
Works nationally, in support of the proposed
DWAF Regulation 2834 and the associated Blue
and Green Drop Certification process.
The programme will focus on implementing an
extensive process of RPL, where required, in
respect of water and waste water Learnership
and Skills Courses at NQF Levels 2, 3 and 4.
Where necessary and appropriate, candidates
who are unable to fully meet the entry level
requirements of the lowest appropriate National
Certificate, but who have demonstrated competency
in relevant Core and Elective Unit Standards
will be supported to achieve the required credits
for the certificate through the DoE and LGSETA
ABET processes and/or an appropriate course
such as the Level 1 Municipal Water Qualification
developed by the LGSETA. In all instances, workers
who have significant workplace experience will
be empowered to act as workplace based facilitators
and/or coach/mentors and/or assessors to ensure
that workplace skills development support is
put in place.
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(4) Implementation
of Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM)
Our staff was involved in conceptualising,
planning, implementation and monitoring of IWRM
(I) in the uMvoti to uMzimkhulu Water Management
Area (WMA) in KwaZulu Natal. GBS was appointed
to conceptualise, plan, implement and monitor
IWRM (II) in three WMA namely uMvoti to uMzimkhulu,
uSuthu to uMhlathuze and uThukela. As part of
the deliverables of IWRM,GBS formed the regional
PMG, then the communities in KZN were identified
and sensitized through CMFs, WUA and prior IWRM
I interventions and other DWAF/Government Departments
interventions. Other government departments
and municipalities were also identified and
sensitized. Stakeholders were requested to identify
community projects that could be funded by the
IWRM II. 90 community projects project were
identified throughout KZN. An inception report
was compiled and submitted to DWAF. The identified
projects have not been implemented due to lack
of funding.
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(5) Public Participation
in the Establishment of Water User Associations
and Catchment Management Agencies
The cornerstone of the Constitution of South
Africa is public participation, and thus public
participation/ stakeholder consultation is key
to most projects undertaken by GBS. Our staff
has assisted a stakeholder empowerment unit
(DWAF) in identifying the various stages in
the WUA and CMA establishment and operational
processes where stakeholder participation was
required. In this regard, a document (with the
resources and tools that are necessary to facilitate
consultation) intended to assist the unit in
identifying the cooperative arrangements with
other directorates was produced.
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(6) Evaluation of Post
Project Evaluation Tools for Public Participation
Processes
Our staff has assisted the Stakeholder Empowerment
Unit (DWAF) to undertake a preliminary assessment
of Post Project Evaluation Tools for stakeholder
participation processes. The Unit recognised
the need for such tools to assist them with
refining and improving their current participation
guidelines and methodologies. In doing so, we
consulted a range of internal and external practitioners
in the field of stakeholder participation, reviewed
existing public participation evaluation tools
and made recommendations on how the department
could introduce these to existing processes.
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(7) Public Participation
and Training for the 3 WMAs in KwaZulu Natal
Our staff played a leading role in the public
participation processes, which led to the development
of establishment proposals for the 3 CMAs in
KwaZulu Natal. In this respect, GBS was involved
in the revitalisation of existing Catchment
Management Fora and in the processes to establish
new ones where the need existed.
This entailed identifying the inactive CMFs,
establishing the reasons for them being inactive,
building capacity to ensure that they could
become sustainable and providing ongoing support
to these institutions.
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(8) Public Participation
in DWAF Regional Office Transformation
DWAF initiated a consultative process to eradicate
racism, achieve representivity and increased
accountability. The process entailed consulting
with staff and management and developing solutions
to address the areas of concern where they existed.
As an employee of the DWAF Regional Office at
that time, one of our employees chaired the
transformation forum during the period of her
employment. This project equipped her with experience
in facilitation of public participation processes
and in conflict resolution during such processes.
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(9) Assessment of Post
Project Evaluation of Stakeholder Participation
Processes in the establishment of WMIs
We have assisted DWAF in establishing the
status of post project evaluation of stakeholder
participation processes. The objective of the
study was to assess the existing models and
the extent to which they were being implemented
and to make recommendations on the institutionalisation
of such models in processes in stakeholder participation.
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(10)
Water Conservation/Water Demand Management
Our staff has substantial experience in WC/WDM
and have undertaken or been involved in the
following projects:
- Water Conservation in Mpophomeni Township
for Umngeni Local Municipality under the Danida/
DWAF IWRM initiative.
- Water Conservation / Demand Management
Situational Assessment Studies on 4 sectors
forestry namely : Agriculture , Irrigation,
Industry, Mine and Power generation;
- Supported DWAF Gauteng Regional Office
in implementing the minister’s flagship
project in the following municipalities: Emfuleni
LM, Mogale City LM, Ekurhuleni Metro, Nokeng
Tsa Taemane LM, City of Johannesburg and City
of Tshwane;
- Ministerial flagship project for Mtubatuba
WCWDM.
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(11) Capacity Building
of CMFs
Our staff has played a leading role in the
public participation processes in the development
of establishment proposals for the 3 CMAs in
KwaZulu Natal. In this respect GBS has been
involved in the revival of existing Catchment
Management Fora and in the processes to establish
new ones where the need existed. This entailed
identifying the inactive CMFs, establishing
the reasons for them being inactive, building
capacity to ensure that they could become sustainable
and providing ongoing support to these institutions.
Training Fora members on different aspects of
Water Resources Management.
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(12) Capacity Building
of WUAs
GBS was requested by the Directorate: WMIG
to assist in establishing the capacity building
needs for WUAs. In this regard our staff analysed
the Skills Development Act, the South African
Qualifications Authority Act, Outcomes Based
Education Policy to determine their impact and
relevance to WUAs. GBS also worked with the
Local Government and Water SETA (LGWSETA) to
identify the requirements for drafting Work
Skills Plans (WSP’s) for WUA’s and
to establish what grants are available for Learnerships
to these institutions.
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(13) Water Quality
Management
Our staff was involved in water quality management
in the uMvoti to uMzimkhulu WMA of KZN. This
involved compiling reports on the WMA’s
water quality and analysing water permits (Aide
Memoire). Our staff was also involved in emergency
water pollution incidents, advising industry
on legislation requirements on water pollution
incidents and monitoring waste water treatment
plants in accordance with the requirements of
the Water Act.
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(14) Groundwater
Management
Our staff was involved in a groundwater management
in KwaQiko rural area for Ugu District Municipality
as part of the IWRM project.
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(15) Outreach programs
Our staff has been involved in coordinating
and managing events (environmental important
days) including publicising these events in
the media, which includes radio and road shows
for water resource management and sanitation
programs (Ladysmith area during the cholera
outbreak). Road shows and community involvement
equipped them with the understanding of protocol
with regard to Traditional Authorities.
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(16) Stakeholder Consultation
on Water Services Development Plans
As a national requirement Water Services Authorities
are required to consult their constituency on
their Water Services Development prior to submitting
the document for Council approval. Our staff
was involved in assisting the City of Johannesburg
with this process. In doing so, our staff was
required to identify all relevant stakeholders,
determine the medium through which consultation
would take place, and develop the consultation
material to ensure that the message was targeted
at the appropriate level and to facilitate the
consultation process.
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(17) Capacity building
to the management committee of WUA: principal
functions
Our staff was involved in analysing the capacity
building needs of WUA management committee (MANCO)
by drafting a needs assessment tool to determine
the training requirements for the WUA principal
functions. Our team has also developed a training
material for the different levels of capacity.
The training material was piloted in the identified
WUA and then after refined, the project will
be rolled out nationally.
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(18) Audit of Municipal
Services in Informal Settlement
Our staff was involved in managing the process
to undertake an audit of municipal services
(water, sanitation, solid waste, roads, electricity)
in informal settlement for the City of Johannesburg.
This report will assist the Utilities, Agencies
and Companies for the City of Johannesburg with
their business plans and how to address backlogs.
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(19) ASGISA/ JIPSA
Presidency Program
The Presidency Programme is a collaborative
programme between the Netherlands government
through the EVD and the Government of South
Africa through the IDT.
Given this mutual interest, the objective of
the internship was to analyse and document experiences
with the application of Integrated Water Resources
Management (IWRM) principles at the level of
local government in KZN and Gauteng provinces.
This document presents the results of this internship
in the form of a case study. It is expected
that this document is of interest to the water
sector in South Africa, particularly for those
working with and supporting local government
in their water programmes.
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(20) Capacity building
programme at Local Government
GBS has developed a Gauteng province Business
Plan for a Special Ministerial Capacity Building
and Training Intervention Programme, in response
to a growing need for capacitating municipalities,
particularly in the scarce and critical skills.
The other objectives of this intervention is
to identify young new and current students,
link them to relevant institutions of higher
learning and align them with identified municipalities.
The programme will also focus on many unemployed
graduates and give them adequate on-the-job
training, with the aim of fast tracking their
absorption into mainstream employment within
Local Government.
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(21) Assessment of
the Municipalities Workplace Skills Plan
GBS has been involved in the assessment of
the municipalities Workplace Skills Plan, by
identifying challenges and gaps found within
municipalities. This initiative was raised in
the 2008 Municipal Indaba, that the WSPs submitted
to SETAs were not in good quality. SALGA and
DWAF were chosen as the main drivers of this
project. Currently the data has been collected
and is being analysed for the gaps and challenges.
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(22) Assessment of
the Wastewater Treatment Works in Gauteng
GBS was involved in the process of assessing
drinking water Treatment Works and Wastewater
Treatment works which are owned by municipalities;
for compliance with national standards.
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