Understanding water property rights creation, re-creation and de-creation: a case study of Lorraine and Fumukwe Villages, Limpopo Basin

The paper seeks to examine and understand hydraulic property rights creation in two villages, Lorraine village in Sekororo (Olifants), South Africa, and Fumukwe village in Gwanda (Mzingwane) Zimbabwe. Unpacking and understanding hydraulic property rights creation in the two villages entail a rigorous analysis of how such property rights creation and the changes involved affect men and women; the nature and type(s) of water sources involved (access and use); and the choice of technologies available for use. This paper focuses on how villagers create, re-create and de-create informal and formal hydraulic property rights in water access and use for multiple uses in their everyday lives. The researchers gathered data through indepth interviews, group discussions, group interviews and literature search in order to understand the evolution of hydraulic property rights creation in the two villages of the Limpopo basin. Results from the study indicate that hydraulic property rights creation in the two villages is characterized and defined by the nature of investment that an individual or group of people put together in order to claim access and/or use stakes in water and (in some instances) land. Investment in infrastructure and technologies such as water pumps and boreholes at individual (or household) level tended to consolidate the creation and re-creation of ‘formal’ hydraulic property rights in both villages. On the other hand, investment in social capital through labour contributions by members on allotted times for digging and cleaning the water diversion ( or informal) canal, and shallow wells also guaranteed participation and a claim by resource poor individuals and households. Hydraulic property rights re-creation also entailed the ‘conversion’ and ‘adoption’ of derelict government and donor funded infrastructure by the villagers, where only individuals who contributed either in cash or kind in its maintenance can claim a stake. From the foregoing discussion, it is important to note that the nature and type of investment required in creating and re-creating hydraulic property rights (primarily water access and use) is largely influenced by the type of water sources available, available technologies, and support from external agencies that include government, private and non-governmental (NGO) stakeholders. The creation and re-creation of hydraulic property rights serves to empower actors, but does not affect men and women in the same way as illustrated in this paper.