SA key to water security in the rest of Africa
● “Growth in the demand for water will occur in countries with developing or emerging economies,” UN Water said in its World Water Report 2018.
The Mo Ibrahim Foundation estimates that the population of
Africa will double by 2050 to around 2.4 billion people from the current
1.2 billion – with just under two-thirds under the age of 25. This indicates that much of Africa will be hardest hit by the combination of dwindling fresh water and a rising population.
What, then, is to be done to make sure that Africa increases its water security? What role does South Africa have in ensuring water security? The answers to these questions are even more important as we celebrate Africa Month – when we remember the efforts of all progressive Africans who fought for the development of the continent.
Well, there is little doubt that much of our young continent will be in grave danger if we do not unite and share our scarce water resources. Our help is not limited to just providing policy assistance when needed in the region; we also have to put our money where our mouths are.
One such example is the financial assistance provided to the people of Namibia to help alleviate the impact of the 2013 drought. Working with the Department of International Relations and Co-operation— which provided the funding under its African Renaissance Fund — the Department of Water and Sanitation, the Namibian Ministry of Agriculture and communities have facilitated the sinking of 104 boreholes. These boreholes are sunk in five of Namibia’s 14 regions, including Kunene,
Omaheke and Zambezi, among others. All in all, more than 100 boreholes were drilled under the Namibia
Drought Relief project.
Completed boreholes have already made a difference to the residents and livestock in the worst-hit areas of Namibia. The move certainly helped South Africa to improve water security in Namibia. However, our commitment towards a water-secure Africa is not simply limited to our assistance during disasters.
South Africa, through the Department of Water and Sanitation, has also entered into bilateral cooperation agreements with strategic African countries. These include Botswana, Zimbabwe and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Further, we also jointly plan and manage shared river basins through bilateral co-operation as in the case of the Mohale and Katse dams in Lesotho (Lesotho Highlands Water Project), and the Molatedi Dam in Botswana.
In 2018, the Komati Basin Water Authority celebrates a 25-year partnership of good practice on water co-operation between Swaziland and South Africa, and the partnership has repositioned Nelspruit as an important hub for water security in the Southern African Development Community. South Africa also participates in cross-border joint operations and maintenance.
South Africa supports water security on the continent in the spirit of shared development and the unity of Africa, like the founders of the Organisation of African Unity envisaged some 55 years ago when they established the forerunner of the AU.