Submitted | Community-Led Water Governance in Cape Town: A Systematic Review of Collaboration Models, Challenges, and Opportunities

Tafadzwa Clementine Maramura, Abulrasaq Ajadi Ishola, Farai Borden Mushonga

Abstract: This systematic review examines community-led water governance in Cape Town, a city acutely vulnerable to climate-induced water scarcity. Despite constitutional mandates for public participation and equitable service delivery, South Africa's water governance remains predominantly state-centric, leading to widespread protests and litigation. Systematically analysing literature from 2010 onwards, this study investigates collaborative models between communities and water agencies, identifies key barriers to effective collaboration, and proposes recommendations for a more equitable and inclusive framework. The findings reveal that community engagement is largely reactive and antagonistic, characterised by invented participation through groups like the Western Cape Water Caucus, which resort to agitation due to institutional exclusion. Primary barriers include inequitable implementation of water restrictions, institutional disregard for community voices, and the enduring legacy of apartheid spatial planning. The review concludes that moving beyond technical solutions to foster genuine co-design and capacity building is essential. It recommends that the City of Cape Town formalise community roles in water bylaws, reform tariff structures for equity, and that communities strengthen coalitions to transition from protest to proactive engagement.

Keywords: Community-led water governance, Cape Town, water scarcity, public participation, Day Zero, Water Governance