Development facilitation for potable water

The provision of water to the majority of South Africa has always been at the discretion of the government without any say whatsoever by the beneficiary communities. This anomaly has led many communities to be without access to this essential commodity. The reasons were more political than socio-economical. The present democratically elected government has gone a long way to reverse this deprivation of potable water to the majority of the people of this country. This has been done through the introduction of progressive policies, legislation and procedures. This paper is intended to discuss practical strategies of maximizing the benefits of such policies to the beneficiary communities through development facilitation. The Eastern Cape water programme by the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry (DWAF) in partnership with the Independent Development Trust(IDT) will be used as a reference.