The Collaborative Governance (Co-Go) initiative was developed by Dr Charon Büchner-Marais, a research associate at SUWI. The aim of the Co-Go initiative is to mobilise academia, industry, government and society to collectively take responsibility of the commons, focusing on the Eerste and Berg River catchments.

At the launch of Co-Go at Oude Libertas on 5 November 2018, representatives from provincial and local government, and industry partners such as Distell and Spier, expressed their support for the initiative.

Mr Eric Leong Son, group manager of sustainability at Distell says Distell welcomes the opportunity to partner with civil society, municipalities, academia and the private sector in a non-competitive environment: “In this environment we can form partnerships and take action, based on sound research and science. We value this multiple party partnership and we are committed to work together as engaged partners."

Ms Heidi Newton-King, director of human resources and sustainability at Spier, said their previous experience with the Stellenbosch River Collaborative offered them an opportunity to move from having only knowledge about the pollution problems in the Eerste River, to making a real connection with the river. This realisation completely changed their approach to dealing with the problem.

Dr Büchner-Marais says freshwater rivers are amongst the most threatened ecosysterms in the world: “Proverbially speaking, we all live downstream. We need to re-imagine how we deal with socio-ecological systems. Co-Go provides a new governance arrangement where different role players can learn and experiment together in order to solve these complex problems."

Before the launch, Co-Go worked with students from the Department of Visual Arts at SU to develop a visual representation of its mission, based on Prof Michael Samways' research on Cape dragonflies.

According to Prof Samways dragonflies are ancient creatures, older than plants, which have shown remarkable resilience over the past 40 to 60 million years, adapting to some of the harshest environmental changes in the Cape. Cape dragonflies are, however, highly sensitive to new threats, such as polluted rivers and invasive trees.

“Without dragonflies, we will experience an increase in flies and mosquitos and the growth of phytoplankton, leading to loss of fish. Without dragonflies to feed on, birdlife along rivers will also disappear," he warns.

Prof Samways developed the Dragonfly Biotic Index (DBI), a valuable resource for fast-tracking awareness of pollution or other problems affecting a river, giving stakeholders an opportunity to engage and take action.

In closing, Prof Nico Koopman, Vice-Rector: Social Impact, Transformation and Personnel, said Co-Go sets an example of how innovative research can partner with business, government, civil society and the arts to face the problem together.

“This is not corporate showmanship or intellectual gymnastics, but an example of how we need to use all our faculties – hearts, hands and minds – to address this crisis."

If you are interested in joining the Co-Go initiative, contact Dr Büchner-Marais at charon@su.ac.za 

On the photo above, at the back from left to right, are Prof Nico Koopman (SU), Eric Leong Son (Distell), Lwazi Mankahla (Distell), Prof Willem de Clercq (SUWI). In front, Corbin Raymond (SU), Melissa Lintnaar-Strauss (Department of Water and Sanitation), Dr Charon Büchner-Marais (SUWI), Heidi Newton-King (Spier), Nichole  Solomons (Spier) and Jacques Rossouw (Distell).