Stakeholders’ Perceptions on the Formulation of Climate Change Adaptation Policy and Governance: A Case of the Water Sector in the Raymond Mhlaba and Ngqushwa Local Municipalities, South Africa

Given the persistent drought disasters, the Amathole District Municipality grapples with severe water scarcity issues, particularly affecting local municipalities such as Raymond Mhlaba and Ngqushwa. Consequently, the municipalities are challenged by severe climate change and governance-related water scarcity. Thus, investigating climate change adaptation policy formulation and governance from the perspective of local communities can provide valuable insights into effective climate change adaptation governance. Employing a mixed research approach, this study investigates stakeholders’ perceptions of the formulation process and approaches to climate change adaptation policy and governance in the water sector using narrative analysis and descriptive statistics survey data. The study revealed that policy formulation is challenged by a bureaucratic water governance system, as most of the respondents (70%) were uncertain about their roles in climate change adaptation policy formulation, compared to 30% who were able to partially articulate their roles. Thus, 66% of respondents indicated that they were not involved in climate change adaptation in water resource management. This underscores that most stakeholders are ‘locked out’ from divulging their decisions in climate change adaptation policy formulation. This study will help municipalities develop proper climate change adaptation strategies based on local knowledge to enhance their resilience against climate change disasters.