In South Africa, the 1998 National Water Act launched an in-depth reform of water resource management. At the local level, all the Irrigation Boards (IBs), which used to be managed by large-scale farmers, are to be transformed into Water User Associations (WUA). These WUAs should incorporate all users-whether they have a formal water entitlement or not-in the defined area of jurisdiction. This transformation will enable better participation by the historically disadvantaged individuals (HDIs) in the management of the water resources. It will also provide a basis for improved and integrated local management of water resources. The International Water Management Institute (IWMI), in cooperation with the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry (DWAF), has undertaken a research program on the transformation of IBs into WUAs. The main objective of the research was to understand the constraints and opportunities of the transformation, with regard to the goal of meeting HDIs' water-related needs. A secondary objective was to assess the role of these new WUAs with regard to integrated local water resource management. This working paper covers three case studies of IBs that have already been transformed into WUAs. The case studies constitute the background information for the research report entitled An assessment of small-scale users' inclusion in large-scale WUAs in South Africa. The first case study is the Lower Olifants WUA in the Western Cape, which was the first WUA in South Africa. Its principal functions are to operate and maintain a canal that enables irrigation throughout the year in an arid region. Around 9,200 hectares are irrigated, mainly for vineyards. The Ebenhaezer Colored community is situated downstream in the system. This community is supposed to receive a given amount of water free, in compensation for its forced displacement in 1913. The community does not receive the water on demand as the upstream commercial farmers do: Instead, it basically receives