4. Results
4.2. Testing Phase (2)
4.2.1. Issues and Challenges Identified by Participants
Table 4.1 below summarizes all the issues or challenges that were raised by participants during the debriefing conducted after the AmanziGame had been played. The table provides a summary of the perceptions of the stakeholders in all six focus group workshops as well as their perceived drivers. The columns indicate the group number of the workshop and stakeholders who participated, with a tick to indicate whether or not the group perceived the topic to be of concern. The number provided in the final column (Totals) is an indication of how many groups of participants agreed with the issues raised.
From this, the key issues and drivers, as identified by participants, can be determined.
Table 4.1: The perceived issues or challenges as highlighted in all AmanziGame focus group workshops and the total number of groups that perceived it as a concern
Issue/Challenge
Group
Totals
1 2 3 4 5 6
Rural Dev.
Local Com.
Conserv.
Auths.
Conserv.
& Agric.
Gov.
Depart.
Local Gov.
Access to and lack of general
infrastructure 3
Ad Hoc Burning 2
Individual greed 1
Historical tension (culture divides,
stereotypes) 2
Incorrect government spending
and corruption 3
Lack of Education and Skills
(Farming) 4
Lack of Coordination and
Communication 5
No Land Use Management Plan 1
Stock theft and criminal activities 3
Supply and distribution of water 3
Tribal Tension 1
Unemployment and Poverty 1
Drivers of Issues/ Challenges
Land Degradation 5
Water Quality 3
Each issue or challenge is explained as follows, based on the perceptions of participants as demonstrated during the debriefing conducted during the AmanziGame focus group workshops:
Access and lack of general infrastructure: inability to access remote areas, particularly in mountainous areas where few roads exist. The lack of service delivery in terms of roads, water and sanitation provision, and basic facilities are evident. This may refer to poor planning by government departments, who simply construct roads without adequate consultation from experts and with no rehabilitation of quarried areas, which has negative implications for the natural environment.
Ad hoc burning: result of fires that are not managed, controlled or planned for. This is mostly done by the local community members as a means of burning grasslands to gain new green shoots that are ideal for grazing.
Greed of individuals: indicates the isolated attitude of people in the area, often resulting in negative impacts on others and of the natural environment demonstrating a lack of integrated catchment understanding.
Rural Dev.: Rural developers, NPOs, NGOs, researches and planners; Local Com.: Local rural community; Conserv. Auth.: Conservation authorities; Conserv. & Agric.: Conservation authorities and agriculture developers; Gov. Depart.: Relevant government department; Local Gov.: Local Municipality and tourism representatives
Historical tension (cultural divides, stereotypes): is as a result of the political history of South Africa. Such tensions are still evident in today’s society and result in division and negative attitudes among locals.
Incorrect government spending and corruption: demonstrates that government budgets are not being spent wisely, and in some cases not on the local community at all. Such challenges are heightened by corruption that is typically experienced in government sectors.
Lack of education and skills (farming): indicates the limited schooling systems available as well as the lack of knowledge related to farming practices, particularly in the rural subsistence areas.
Lack of coordination and communication: refers to the poor interaction that occurs between people, sectors, departments, industries and actors in general. It was perceived that the lack of communication between actors has been the driving force behind the majority of other issues or challenges that the area experiences.
No land use management plan: indicates the lack of planning and coordination by those in power, which results in individuals conducting activities and using resources without a guideline or management plan.
Stock theft and criminal activities: affects peoples’ livelihoods and their management practices.
Some criminal activities result in trade paths (passes) through the Drakensberg Mountains as a means for transporting illegal goods, which result in erosion and land degradation. As a result, livestock owners isolate their herds in safe areas as a precaution, resulting in overstocking and overgrazing.
Supply and distribution of water: closely linked to the issues of a lack of basic infrastructure.
Although, it encompasses the control of water use (rights), its supply (provision) and availability.
Unemployment and poverty: a relatively self-explanatory issue relating to the lack of jobs, income and sustainability of the people living in the area, particularly in rural areas.
Each driver is explained as follows:
Land degradation: resulting in land that is no longer usable or productive. Such degradation is as a result of poor farming practices, ranging from crop production to grazing patterns and a general over use of the land, which in some cases is not suitable for use (steep mountainous regions). This is largely caused by erosion as a result land is mismanaged and this consequently results in the siltation of water systems.
Water quality: relates to siltation and organic pollution of water systems due to the degradation of the land, resulting in poor quality of water for locals to use as well as for external users (downstream and transferred).
During the most of the game session workshops, the issue of coordination, collaboration and communication between people in the area was perceived as the greatest challenge (Figure 4.1).
Participants indicated that this issue resulted in other problems such a stock theft, as farmers are not efficient in ‘getting the word out’ and consequently are not able to apprehend those committing the crime. The communication issues could also stem from other challenges highlighted, such as the
historical tension. Other issues that were perceived as key by various groups of participants were that of
‘incorrect government spending and corruption’, ‘supply, distribution and quality of water’, ‘access and lack of general infrastructure’ and ‘stock theft and criminal activities’. Therefore, it is important to note that even though the issues or challenges have been separated, they are interrelated and influence each other.
One most commonly perceived driver of challenges that the LM faces is addressing land degradation, which is the reason for many other issues and challenges (Figure 4.1). A reason for above issue can be highlighted through other common challenges indicated such as the lack of education and skills, particularly related to farming practices in rural areas.
Figure 4.1: Pie Chart demonstrating the summary of concern as perceived by participants (based on Table 4.1 results)