Community Selection
After consultation with community leaders in the Inanda Valley of 1000 Hills (Mgeni catchment) by
Umphilo waManzi’s community worker, Ma Dudu Khumalo, it was agreed that the three planned Water
Research Commission (WRC) community workshops would take place in Wushwini, and include
community groups from the nearby, smaller, Gudlintaba and Mahlabathini communities. These areas
are all within close proximity of the Inanda Dam, in KwaZulu-Natal.
Workshop 1
To get a sense of weather patterns in the area, as well as community recall of these patterns, and to
enhance community understanding of how weather and the water cycle work, a timeline of ‘big weather
events’ was mapped, with participants providing accompanying explanations of the impacts of each of
the events. Although a 30 year history was recorded, community memory extended at least 50 years,
with a weather event that occurred in 1959 being cited.
Among the localized weather phenomena reported, were that apart from a drought that lasted from
1980 to 1982 (more than one rainy season), the area had rivers that flowed through it through summer
and winter until 1990. The building of Inanda Dam took place from 1983 to 1987. Subsequent to 1990
the rivers have dried up, except for a few days in summer following heavy rains. Since 2000 it has been
too hot and dry to grow mielies which previously were grown in the area. There has also been an
increase in lightning instances where people have been killed.
The community records of the changing weather patterns reflect very closely the scientific data on the
area that the scientists working on this project have.
Umphilo provided explanations around climate change and the water cycle, and handouts for the
participants assisted the linking of the weather events and changing patterns of rainfall with climate
change as it is being experienced in the valley. These concepts were unfamiliar to most of the workshop
participants, although there were a few participants who had good general knowledge of both climate
change and the water cycle.
The activities conducted at the first workshop gave a detailed profile of the communities of this area,
including their assets and vulnerabilities. An information gathering activity to map the resources of the
area, including water sources and infrastructure, was conducted, and provided Umphilo with valuable
insight into the facilities available to the residents of the areas. However, while it seemed
comprehensive at the time, it was later apparent that there were some significant omissions, for
example, community vegetable gardens and water tanks. This was interesting in light of the emphasis on
water supply and access.
Once the physical infrastructure had been recorded, the workshop participants gave indications of
difficulties they, as community, faced, giving consideration to levels and sources of income, family
structure, un/employment, illness, access to and availability of water, difficulties sustaining successful
vegetable gardens, amongst others. This information was recorded in a graph, where participants rated
their perceived level of vulnerability. To establish a further breakdown of sources of income, individual
participants indicated by means of a pie graph the distribution of their income sources. These revealed
that participants from all communities had low levels of both formal and informal/home-based
employment (around 20 percent from each); 44 percent of income was from pensions; and an additional
15 percent from other social grants.
Of the three areas, the majority of residents in Mahlabathini and Gudlintaba receive municipal water,
with Mahlabathini also receiving grey water for garden use. Very few residents in Wushwini receive
municipal water in their homes, the greatest portion of water being unpurified water supplied to
standpipes from Inanda dam. Those that do receive municipal water experience disruptions to the
supply of up to six months at a time. To gain further information on the community water situation, a
visit from representatives from the water division at eThekwini municipality was arranged for the
second workshop.
Workshop 2
The timing of this workshop coincided with a funeral in the area, and the attendance was less than
originally anticipated. The core focus of this workshop was the address by the municipality, which was
well received and valued by community participants. It provided a forum for raising concerns about
aspects of water provision and quality, and the maintenance of the supply. There was extensive
discussion, and workshop participants found the opportunity to meet with municipal representatives
empowering. Climate change was revisited in this workshop, and as there was little overlap between
participants at the first and second workshops, much of the information shared at the first workshop
was reiterated for the benefit of the newcomers.
Workshop 3
The third workshop was scheduled to take place at a weekly meeting of community leaders, in order to
gauge the potential or desire for developing a community action plan. It began with a focus on climate
predictions indicated on detailed area maps, compiled by the consulting scientists. This was received
with interest, and was the catalyst for discussion around the implications for these communities who
are at the lower end of the catchment area, and stand to be impacted by water and land use higher up
in the catchment area.
Of particular interest to the workshop participants (mainly members of a gardening group) was a dvd on
examples of community adaptations to climate change, which Umphilo screened. The emphasis was on
ensuring food security, which was clearly something that the gardeners identified with. Rainwater
harvesting and trench gardening were amongst the adaptations featured. An additional perspective was
given on adaptation methods undertaken in Bulawayo in Zimbabwe to ensure food security, by Umphilo
facilitator, Mister Danford Chibvongodze, who spoke on his personal experiences.
General observations and learning
This series of workshops confirmed that there is little knowledge around the concept of climate change
in this area, although there is a keenness among residents for general as well as locally specific
information on what climate change will mean for these communities. It is important to note that while
workshop participants were unable to discuss their weather phenomena in climate change terms, they
were acutely aware of weather changes that have occurred over the last thirty years, and were
concerned at the impact this has had on their livelihoods. Although Umphilo was not aware of
community based adaptation strategies in operation to minimize their risk, this could be attributed to
insufficient time spent in the area. It is possible, also, that while there did not appear to be a
community-based adaptation initiative, there may have been individual level adaptation that Umphilo
was not aware of. By the end of the third workshop participants recognized the potential for initiating
adaptive behaviours, and expressed a desire for exploring what sort of strategies would be appropriate
in their (localized) situation.
The makeup of the groups varied considerably over the course of the three workshops, with very few
participants attending all three. This proved to be a shortcoming as, although the opportunity to provide
information and raise awareness around climate change and water supply existed at each workshop, it
was not possible to facilitate a linear progression from one workshop to the next. This may,
hypothetically, have taken the route of information gathering on local conditions/information provision
on climate change at the first workshop; identifying potential for adaptation strategies at the second
workshop, and formalizing an action plan to mobilize these adaptations in the third workshop. The
opportunity to enhance the impact of the workshops (as intervention) would be increased if workshops
were conducted with an existing, cohesive group that has a sense of common purpose.
Conclusion
Impacts of climate change are evident in the Valley of 1000 Hills, and its residents are aware of
experiencing these first hand. They were appreciative of accessing a framework of reference that
facilitated their articulation of their experience of climate change, through the information sessions
provided in the workshops. The congruence between the scientific reports/predictions and community
accounts of the impacts of climate change in this area affirms the role of science in accurately identifying
general risks for an area, although the applicability of scientific modeling to areas below a certain
minimum size would need to be ascertained. This would seem to require further investigation. A
community-based adaptation to these climate change impacts will require collective commitment to a
plan of action. This was not accomplished in the course of Umphilo’s three workshops, due to a high
changeability in workshop participants.