Wits School of Governance (ETDs)

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Browsing Wits School of Governance (ETDs) by Author "Baloyi, Tsholofelo Molatelo Lucretius"

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    Public participation in achieving Social Justice within the Upper Vaal Water Management Area
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023) Baloyi, Tsholofelo Molatelo Lucretius
    Public participation promotes the democratic rights of individuals and communities in South Africa within the Integrated Water Resource Management framework. Public institutions are responsible for managing public participation in ensuring social justice. However, little work has been done to understand their public participation institutional arrangements. Public participation ineffectively managed creates mistrust among the public and may contribute to misinterpretations and conflict during project management. Insufficient public participation might be contributed to the limited knowledge on the subject matter, the limitation of accessing the information, or, the socio-economic conditions of stakeholders. This study conducted interviews, which were thematically constructed by using the Social Justice Framework. In ensuring fairness during the decision-making processes, the study also assessed EIAs deducted from issued Water Use Licences to make inferences on the management of public participation within the Upper Vaal Water Management Area. The study found that the regulatory guidelines and standards needed to be reviewed to improve the participation processes, that the existing intergovernmental relationships were mismanaged and that marginalized groups are excluded during the decision-making processes within the Integrated Water Resources Management framework. The Department of Water and Sanitation in its efforts to decentralize water resources management, needs to improve its policies and the management of public participation