South Africa is a semi-arid country that increasingly relies on groundwater as a freshwater source for both socio-economic and environmental systems. Groundwater resources are, however, limited and fragile due to factors such as climate change, exploitation and pollution. This renders the groundwater regulatory framework essential. Yet in South Africa, groundwater governance is not strongly emphasised in the novel regulatory framework instated by the National Water Act 38 of 1998 (the NWA). Naturally, uncertainties and challenges arise as to, inter alia, the appropriate allocation and effective protection of the country’s groundwater resources. This paper traces established groundwater governance practices and critically reflects on how the concept of public trusteeship, as introduced by the NWA, changes and informs the country’s groundwater governance practices.

中文翻译：

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南非地下水法的批判性观点：既定做法和公共托管的新概念

南非是一个半干旱国家，它越来越依赖于地下水作为社会经济和环境系统的淡水源。但是，由于气候变化，开发和污染等因素，地下水资源有限且脆弱。这使得地下水管理框架至关重要。然而，在南非，1998年第38号国家水法（NWA）提出的新型监管框架并未强烈强调地下水治理。当然，除其他外，在适当分配和有效保护该国的地下水资源方面存在不确定性和挑战。本文追踪了已建立的地下水治理实践，并批判性地反思了NWA引入的公共托管概念，