Institutional factors engendering dissonance between customary and statutory institutions in water access in the Okavango Delta, Botswana

Abstract

The pervasive entrenchment of Western traditions in Africa continues to fuel the contradiction existing between customary and statutory water institutions on the continent. The paper addresses factors promoting the discord between customary and statutory institutions in water access in the Shakawe, Tubu and Shorobe in the Okavango Delta. Adopting an expert and homogeneous purposive sampling procedure, a total of 455 household heads, 44 community elders and 17 government officials were sampled in three rural villages in the Okavango Delta. Data were collected using key informant interviews, focused group discussions (FGDs) as well as household interview schedules. While quantitative data were analysed using descriptive (frequency, percentages) and inferential statistics (Kruskal–Wallis test, Mann–Whitney U test), content analysis was used to analyse the qualitative data. Findings revealed that there was a conflict between customary and statutory water management institutions in relation to how people in the study area accessed water.