Oati ’rograe
1998) and Maguga Dam, Eswatini (1998 to 2002). The two dams were constructed mainly to provide assurance of water supply to the irrigators in both member States.
The treaty has not been reviewed for the past 29 years.
Mandate
“The member States would like to enhance and elevate the operations of KOBWA’s mandate from designing, construction, operations and maintenance of the Driekoppies and Maguga Dams to be an accredited water management institution to assist in the development of water resources shared by the two countries,” said Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Natural Resources and Energy Dorcas Dlamini.
The two governments, through the Joint Water Commission (JWC), have begun the process of reviewing the treaty of 1992.
This is to enable the organisation to implement phase two of the Komati Basin Development programme, which includes the construction of additional dams in the basin and to venture into financial resource mobilisation initiatives, to ensure its sustainability going into the future.
Therefore, the two governments, through the Department of Water Affairs in the Ministry of Natural Resources and Energy in Eswatini and that of the Department of Water and Sanitation in the Republic of South Africa, called for public participation and submission of comments for the review of the KOBWA treaty.
Dlamini said the purpose of the
public participation and submissions of comments amendments, is to align the treaty with the current environmental situations and to extend the mandate for KOBWA in terms of operations.
“A draft amended KOBWA treaty has been prepared by the Joint Water Commission as represented by the Kingdom of Eswatini and the Republic of South Africa,” she said.
Undertaken
The review process of the Draft Treaty will be undertaken through workshops in the Kingdom of Eswatini and the Republic of South Africa.
The workshop will be held at Pigg’s Peak Hotel on March 9, 2023 from 9:30am to 4pm.
In South Africa it will be held tomorrow at Pestana Kruger Lodge in Malelane.