Neo-Maxist approach in assessing application principles of integrated water resource management in Mzimvumbu-Tsitsikama water management area, South Africa

Abstract

This project critically examines the persistent institutional, financial, and social challenges undermining the transformation of water management institutions in the MzivumbuTsitsikamma Catchment Management Area (MTCMA), Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. Despite progressive water legislation, particularly the National Water Act (Act 36 of 1998), the transition of Irrigation Boards (IBs) into Water User Associations (WUAs) has been slow, uneven, and contested as the findings of this will demonstrate. Concurrently, the MzivumbuTsitsikamma CMA continues to face chronic revenue generation constraints, threatening its operational sustainability and ability to fulfil its statutory mandate. Compounding these challenges is the systematic under-representation of women in WUA management committees, undermining equity, legitimacy, and inclusive water governance. Using a political-economy and institutional analysis framework, the study demonstrates how historical power relations, path dependency, elite capture, weak fiscal instruments, and patriarchal social norms intersect to limit institutional transformation.