126
3 eThekwini’s Green and Ecological Infrastructure Policy Landscape
Table 3.3
(continued)
Theory
Assumptions Interview data exemplifying assumptions
Themes or a case of
‘From our perspective in the climate change strategy, we focus on water security, namely, the provision of water as well
as the reduction of flooding, two very important aspects of ecological infrastructure. There is a very clear reference to
green infrastructures and the need to conserve ecological infrastructures and water quantity and quality provision. The
Palmiet Catchment initiative is part of the UEIP that has fallen on us. Originally it was driven by water and sanitation
and to create wetlands below the Quarry Road informal settlement. One of the problems was that the municipality has a
very difficult relationship with the Quarry Road informal settlement. When Neill retired and we took over the mantle of
that project, we did a rethink straight away and we started working in the informal settlement with Cathy [Sutherland]
and her research team. We started a stakeholder process and it became a much more stakeholder-driven process and a
catchment-based project. We developed an action plan for the catchment rehabilitation… So, there was a complete
change, but it is still around ecological infrastructure’ (Respondent 16)
‘These programs are context-specific and they have differences in where they are implemented. However, there are
[several] broad principles that they work on. First, they are based on the premise that you are looking after your natural
assets, be it in a catchment, or part of the catchment, because those assets will then look after you, if they are
well-managed. If they are not well-managed and they are full of alien invasives, or if they are full of solid waste and they
block up your infrastructure, you have rat infestations and black mambas coming into feed on the rats’ (Respondent 16)
(continued)
3 eThekwini’s Green and Ecological Infrastructure Policy Landscape
Table 3.3
(continued)
Theory
Assumptions Interview data exemplifying assumptions
Themes or a case of
‘From our perspective in the climate change strategy, we focus on water security, namely, the provision of water as well
as the reduction of flooding, two very important aspects of ecological infrastructure. There is a very clear reference to
green infrastructures and the need to conserve ecological infrastructures and water quantity and quality provision. The
Palmiet Catchment initiative is part of the UEIP that has fallen on us. Originally it was driven by water and sanitation
and to create wetlands below the Quarry Road informal settlement. One of the problems was that the municipality has a
very difficult relationship with the Quarry Road informal settlement. When Neill retired and we took over the mantle of
that project, we did a rethink straight away and we started working in the informal settlement with Cathy [Sutherland]
and her research team. We started a stakeholder process and it became a much more stakeholder-driven process and a
catchment-based project. We developed an action plan for the catchment rehabilitation… So, there was a complete
change, but it is still around ecological infrastructure’ (Respondent 16)
‘These programs are context-specific and they have differences in where they are implemented. However, there are
[several] broad principles that they work on. First, they are based on the premise that you are looking after your natural
assets, be it in a catchment, or part of the catchment, because those assets will then look after you, if they are
well-managed. If they are not well-managed and they are full of alien invasives, or if they are full of solid waste and they
block up your infrastructure, you have rat infestations and black mambas coming into feed on the rats’ (Respondent 16)
(continued)