Stakeholder participation in the new water management approach: A case study of the Save catchment, Zimbabwe

The 1998 Zimbabwe Water Act introduced the ideas of 'lowest appropriate authority' in the management of water resources. To this end, the country has been divided into seven catchments. This new set-up is intended to achieve efficiency, accountability and sustainability through stakeholder participation. This paper critically examines the way in which the idea of 'stakeholder participation' has been operationalised in the new water reform process. We examine recent experiences of participation in the creation and operation of the new water management structure, in particular Catchment Councils in Zimbabwe, and argue against an uncritical or atheoretical understanding of 'participation'. To simply assume that inclusivist language translates into wider benefits for society is to ignore the profoundly political nature of the entire water reform process. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.