WORKING FOR WATER PROGRAMME
South Africa
Objectives
The principle objective of the Working for Water programme is to use the removal of alien plant
species from stressed catchments as a way of empowering people into small business. The
Working for Water programme sets definite parameters for contractors in the selection of workers,
requiring that they give preference to single-headed households, women, the disabled and the
youth. The programme has, in partnership with NICRO and the Department of Welfare, allocated
jobs to ex-offenders, endeavours to provide child-care for the children of workers, and has
programmes committed to deal with issues such as reproductive health and HIV/AIDS.
PES
Working for Water (WfW) programme clears mountain catchments and riparian zones of invasive
alien plants to restore natural fire regimes, the productive potential of land, biodiversity, and
hydrological functioning. The success of the programme is largely attributed to it being mainly
funded as a poverty-relief initiative, although water users also contribute through their water fees.
This emerging PES system differs from others in that the service providers are previously
unemployed individuals that tender for contracts to restore public or private lands, rather than the
landowners themselves.
Summary
Background problem
750 tree species and 8,000 shrubby and herbaceous species were brought into South Africa from
countries as far afield as North America, South and Central America, Australia, Europe, and Asia
as crop species, garden ornaments, barrier and hedge plants ; to stabilize sand dunes; and for
timber and firewood.
But the invasive plants have created a huge problem, adversely affecting more than 8% of the
country. They spread at alarming rates, impede the growth of natural vegetation, and destabilize
the ecological balance by increasing the intensity of wildfires and soil erosion. In many areas,
thickets of alien plants have converted valuable agricultural land into unproductive wasteland.
Worse, many invasive alien plants are incredibly thirsty. The result is dramatically reduced ground
water levels, and dried-up rivers and streams. It is estimated that invading aliens cover 10 million
hectares of land and, each year, use 3.3 billion cubic metres more water than native vegetation.
Today, 110 species are designated “invasive alien plants”.
Implementation/methods
Working for Water was launched in 1995 by the South African Government as a multidepartmental public works programmed, in an effort to tackle the problem of invading alien plants
while at the same time addressing unemployment among less skilled people, focusing mainly on
rural women, the youth and the disabled.
It aims at:
a) enhancing water security
b) improving ecological integrity and restoring the productive potential of land
c) promoting sustainable use of natural resources
d) investing in the most marginalized sectors of South African society. The W f W programme
sets definite parameters for contractors in the selection of workers, requiring that they give
preference to single-headed households, women, the disabled and the youth.
Results
a) The program has improved water security with enhanced streamflows, and improved water
quality
b) Since 1995, 169 114 hectares have been cleared and a further 184 302 hectares cleared as
follow-up rehabilitation work was done on 7 955 hectares
c) Secondary industries based on cleared wood were developed through the Value added
industry (VAI) program.They are down-streams industries using biomass form cleaning
operations, thus maximizing the positive economic benefits of the program
d) In the 1998/99 financial year, a total of 70 500 person days were spent on training. The
program had employed 56% women. Today, more than 42,000 people are employed. The Social
development thrust is part of the program and aims at poverty relief, employment of poor people,
women, youth and disabled, and supports HIV/AIDS awareness.
In the 2000/1 financial year, the programme had 313 projects across South Africa, run as
integrated initiatives.
References
Official paper: http://www.dwaf.gov.za/wfw/
+ articles on specific projects: http://www.dwaf.gov.za/wfw/Docs/
 Scientific papers:
- “Streamflow responses to the clearing of alien invasive trees from riparian zones at three sites in
the Western Cape Province” by F.W Prinsloo and David F Scott, CSIR, Division of Water, Forest
and Technologies, 1999
 Articles
- IDRC, Canada, “Working for Water: Removing Alien Plants in South Africa”, May 21 1999
http://www.idrc.ca/en/ev-5156-201-1-DO_TOPIC.html
- ”Whacking Wattles for Water - the South African Working for Water Project- An innovative
integrated approach to social and environmental rehabilitation” in Sciences in Africa (inline
sciences magazine), Wed Aug 27 2008 http://www.scienceinafrica.co.za/2001/june/wfw.htm
Contacts
Dr Brian van Wilgen, Scientific Advisor, Environmentek, CSIR, Private Bag X5011, Stellenbosch,
7600, South Africa; Tel: (021) 887-5101; Fax: (021) 887-5142;
E-mail: bvwilgen@csir.co.za
Andrew Wannenburgh B.Sc. For. (Stell.), M.Sc. EGS (UCT)
Subdirectorate: Scientific Services
Directorate: Working for Water (National Office)
Department of Water Affairs & Forestry
Private Bag X4390, CAPE TOWN, 8000
5th Floor Parliament Towers Building, 103-107 Plein Street, Cape Town
Tel: (021) 441-2738
Fax: (021) 441-2786
Cell: 082-908-4762
E-mail: wannena@dwaf.gov.za
Website: www.dwaf.gov.za/wfw/
Quality of information
A biocontrol was planned in the initial project, and may have been implemented, though the
communication around it needed to be improved.
It’s a good example of the “Ecosystem Approach”, linking environmental and social issues, as
well as an original approach of PES.
As for Dr Brian van Wilgen, “the most critical weakness in the current WfW M&E approach is the
lack of specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, time-based objectives which can be used to
evaluate progress towards the goals set out in their Strategic Plan.”
Quality of the project
Institutional challenges:
- Lack of centralization: there is no precise definition of “invader plant” or “weed”, or these
definitions vary for different provinces. Each province has its own nature conservation legislation
for IAS.
- There is no lead agency to supervise biocontrol, and a lack of communication to promote
biocontrol.
Environmental challenges:
- Use of chemicals (herbicides) to control the spread of IAS