Building adaptive Capacity in the informal settlements of maputo - Climate Change Adaptation and Development: Transforming Paradigms and Practices - page 29

adaptation planning in maputo, mozambique
In Maputo, communities consisting of households living in informal settlements
are poorly connected to municipal governance, including the myriad flows of
policy initiatives, knowledge and financial support related to climate change.
Yet these people are living in a context where risks are growing and adaptation
options are limited by the imperatives of retaining social capital and city-based
livelihoods. This section examines the potential for adaptation planning to
contribute to the emergence of a flexible, adaptive governance system that can
foster local adaptive capacity in Maputo, from the perspective of the dimensions
outlined in 'Adaptive capacity: power, knowledge and experimentation' above.
This analysis is derived from our engagement with adaptation planning in the
Maputo bairro (neighbourhood) of Chamanculo C during an 18-month project,
funded by the Climate and Development Knowledge Network (CDKN). In this
analysis, we draw on two resources: existing scientific and policy documents,
with reports sourced through networks and key informants; and two site visits
and qualitative key informant interviews ( n =15) with policy stakeholders
representing national governments, non-governmental organization (NGOs),
civil society organizations, and private-sector and intergovernmental, bi-
lateral and multilateral donors in Maputo, 26 May-3 June 2012 and 5-9
November 2012.
Power sharing
In Maputo, each district is divided into bairros (or 'wards'), headed by a
bairros secretary ( Secretário do Bairro ), below which are quarteirões (quarters, or
'neighbourhoods') of 50 to 100 households administered by chefes de quarteirões
and, finally, a head of ten houses ( Chefe de dez Casas ). It is at the bairros level and
below that local politics is played out, determining the success of municipal
policy strategies and the destination of resources (Paulo et al. 2007). However,
the apparent decentralization down to 'ten houses' is in reality characterized
by tight Frelimo party control. The bairros secretaries, for example, are Frelimo
members and de facto appointees of the party, while the ostensibly elected
chefes de quarteirões are usually appointed by the bairros secretary . 2 At the same
time, traditional leaders, or régulos , occupy inherited positions. Today, in part
at least, they derive their power from their ability to represent and maintain
the respect of the people. 3 These régulos form a 'consultation body' at the bairro
level, representing the population with a voice that has to be listened to in
decision-making - variously described as holding balancing, executive or
veto power in decision-making. 4 The traditional families wield considerable
influence, and the formal parties need to establish a positive relationship
with them if they are to gain and maintain power. The consequence of these
dynamics is that parallel systems of governance persist within Maputo. While
the accountability that the régulos system brings could easily be overstated,