5.1 Positive peace and access to water
5.2.3 Peaceful resolution of conflicts
Botes (2003, p. 1) hypothsised that violence is the social interference in the genetically programmed feelings, thoughts, sensing and/or behaviour of another individual. Ten participants identified that peaceful resolution of conflicts is a benign concept in so far as access
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to water resources is concerned. This comes through strengthening the informal social and cultural norms which relate to the behaviours of members in relation to their tolerance and acceptance of people within the community. Lederach (2003) postulated that conflict within the community is endemic, but it was important to be able to transform relations from a negative state and channel them towards positive perceptions of every member of the community towards each other. Narratives from participants supports this perspective.
Ms Mhungu (female, 65 years) argued that:
Hatred between people in using water is always present in this community. This may lead to formation of two opposing groups in the community. Most of these divisions take political forms, as people from different political groupings take opposing sides by supporting fellow comrades. This happens even if some are clearly on the wrong side.
To expand justness, citizens should retain access to social processes and right of to decide in matters that involve their existence, as argued by Mr Manyere (male, 32 years):
Peace is also in the country if people are not being abused politically. If leaders in the area are not suppressing people and denying them their rights to participate in water committees. Leaders should respect the voices and inputs of the people.
Another respondent alluded to respect for his rights:
I do not want to be abused, as you can see for yourself, our country is independent.
I have a child with the same age as this one (pointing towards a four year old child), she has to go to crèche, and I do not have money in the bank, nor a funeral policy. I get water from this stream and people say I should not grow, I will not be free. Kondo (male ,48 years)
Other study participants argued that without respect for each other, there is bound to be violence:
If a person come here at my homestead and begins to say, ‘what are you are doing here is not allowed. You are not supposed to stay here near the river, if you stay here and I come back, I will destroy your thatched house’. I am staying in this thatched house and near the river because I do not have anywhere to stay, but if a person comes here to remove me, where do you want me to stay. It is very bad, and that is violent. Kondo (male, 48 years)
He added:
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I must be free to live in the country with respect. Free in the sense that, where I am cultivating my crops, people should not say I am not allowed or if I cultivate my crops I will be forced to pay for water even if water is a gift from God and comes from heaven … do not grow on the river banks even if I use a fountain to make a living and send my children (pointing towards them) to school, one should not come to stop me from getting my 20 cents, from the source and buy my children books so that they can learn whilst I am not educated. My aim is that if I grow vegetables, I educate my children, so that they can help our country to grow, but someone comes here and say stop cultivating, it is not proper.
Mrs Vhumiso (female, 30 years) said:
When using water I know people can be at loggerheads. People can quarrel at a borehole, for example when wants to fetch water first yet he/she was the last to arrive. There can be a misunderstanding and people resort to physical violence. It can start as trivial issue and grow to a big issue. People take violence as physical fight, however vulgar or harsh words towards each at a borehole can be violence.
Answers from the questionnaire indicated that 74.51% of the respondents indicated that they strongly agreed with the notion that conflicts occur in the context of people trying to access water, 21.57% agreed and 3.92% could not answer. If conflicts are present in day to day interaction of community members in accessing water, then their capacity to resolve conflicts should be enhanced. Botes (2003) argued that, “conflict transformation is defined by intentional efforts to address the natural rise of water conflict through non-violent approaches that address issues and increase understanding, equality, and respect in relationships”. Study participants equated the capacity to resolve conflicts to peacefulness:
Peace is staying in a community without gossiping and violence. If someone offends somebody for example by overusing another person’s water pump to the extent that it breaks down, the two need to sit down and talk to each other without violence. If peace comes, it saves lives and we live together. Syto (male, 29 years)
The community, as the user of water also has the capacity to resolve their own conflicts.
Syto (male, 29 years) said:
In cases of clashes at water points, we sit down together with others. We go to the village Chairman, we give the Chairman the story. We deliberate together as an
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assembly about the problem at hand. We then together determine, who is on the wrong side. She/he will be told that the way she/he did is not in tandem with living with others in harmony and should change. We then shake hands and declare the problem over.
A survey showed that 68.63% of the respondents strongly agreed that they resolve their water conflicts peacefully, 27.45% agreed, 1.9% were neutral and 1.96% could not answer.
According to Mohamad et al. (2016, p 139), shared values can be used to solidify a community’s sense of vision, trust and engagement with each other, and drive them to cooperate towards a common goal, hence providing a stronger basis for social/collaborative learning and adaptive co-management of water resources.