BOCMA & CapeNature Boost Water Sustainability

On 8 May 2025 a capacity building event was held at the Barn Owl Conference Venue in Vrolijkheid Nature Reserve provided by the Breede Olifants Catchment Management Agency (BOCMA) to CapeNature staff from Landscape South and Central. BOCMA are responsible for implementing the National Water Act (NWA) within the Breede and Gouritz catchments, which regulates water use. A similar event was held in Oudtshoorn with the Landscape East staff on 23 May 2025. Water is an essential natural resource that requires responsible management to ensure the sustainability of the resource both for human use and ecological function.

CapeNature needs to be familiar with the NWA, as we require water for use within our nature reserves, which are mainly outside of the municipal provision for towns. We have embarked on a process of registering our water uses across the province, with many of the water uses dating back many decades before the NWA. We also have external parties who abstract water from our nature reserves. CapeNature, therefore, invited BOCMA to provide capacity building regarding the NWA to the Conservation Managers and Officers both on reserve and off reserve.

The first presentation focused on institutional and stakeholder relations and provided an overview of BOCMA and its area of operation. Insights into the support provided to communities in supplying rainwater harvesting tanks for setting up food gardens were also provided.

The second presentation dealt with water use licensing for nature reserves, outlining the application requirements for water use. Water uses are not only those we typically associate with water use, such as abstraction and storing water, but also activities which could impact watercourses, such as impeding flow or altering the banks. Depending on the type and scale of water use, authorisation can be obtained through a water use license application (WULA) general authorisation, schedule 1 exemption or existing lawful use.

The final presentation dealt with compliance monitoring and enforcement. The NEMA activities, which CapeNature off-reserve staff report to DEA&DP related to rivers and wetlands, also transgress the NWA. Guidance was provided regarding the completion of the BOCMA complaint form for unlawful activities, and processes followed for law enforcement were outlined.

The capacity building event was very well received as the information is useful for implementation, and much of it was new to the participants. There was active engagement from the participants, which helped to forge a relationship with BOCMA, which is a very important partner for CapeNature. The event will hopefully spur continued collaboration among the key authorities in the landscape, particularly within the agricultural sector.