Traditional Leadership and Rural Municipalities in South Africa: Conflicts and Alliances in Water Governance

A constant interaction between traditional leadership and municipalities is crucial for service delivery in rural communities. However, in the post-apartheid South Africa, the relation between municipalities and traditional leadership has been characterised by a lack of coordination and social trust. This paper has analysed the interplay between traditional leadership and rural municipalities in South African water governance. The paper adopted a narrative review method to evaluate the interaction between traditional leadership and municipalities in South African rural water governance. The results demonstrate that the interplay between traditional leaders and rural municipalities in water governance is rather uncertain and ineffective. Contentious relations amongst traditional leadership and municipalities has impeded the implementation of rural water governance projects in South Africa. The paper submits that this is partially due to unclearly defined roles and responsibilities of traditional leadership vis-à-vis those of municipalities in rural South African water governance. Thus, there is a need for a revitalisation and clarification of the role of traditional leadership in rural water governance in the post-apartheid South Africa.