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Backcasting defines a vision of a desirable future and then analyzes the actions required to realize that vision. This article uses backcasting to explore ways to improve the national government’s contribution to good groundwater governance in South Africa. Using the South African Department of Water and Sanitation as a case study, it is found that lack of strategic thinking and implementation are the main impediments to service delivery. Although isolated cases of groundwater ‘overuse’ and pollution can be found in South Africa, the main governance issues are currently competition between users for groundwater use, and inordinate delays in granting authorization for that use. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]