Philemon Jambaya
Member States of the Limpopo Watercourse Commission took a significant step towards improved water management in the basin by formally establishing a Council of Ministers as the main policy and decision-making body. The historic endorsement of the amendment to the LIMCOM Agreement took place on March 14, 2024, in Musina, South Africa.
Previously, the LIMCOM Agreement signed in 2003 did not include a Council of Ministers. This amendment fills that gap, fostering “closer cooperation for judicious, sustainable, and coordinated management, protection, and utilisation of shared watercourses,” according to a statement from LIMCOM. This aligns with the 2000 Revised Sadc Protocol on Shared Watercourses.
The Council of Ministers will oversee various functions, including approving plans and programmes developed by the LIMCOM Secretariat and concluding agreements with other stakeholders. Following the endorsement, member states will initiate the Exchange of Notes to formalise the changes.
“Today, we have reached another milestone in the history of LIMCOM,” said South African Minister for Water and Sanitation, Senzo Mchunu. “The inclusion of the Council of Ministers as the main decision-making body will improve the operations of the LIMCOM and its Secretariat.”
Ministers from all four member states – Botswana, Mozambique, South Africa, and Zimbabwe – highlighted the importance of this development.
“The people of the basin are the ultimate winners as LIMCOM would now better serve its stakeholders,” stated Dr. Carlos Alberto Fortes Mesquita, Minister of Public Works, Housing and Water Resources in Mozambique.
Zimbabwean Minister for Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries and Rural Development, Dr. Anxious Masuka, echoed this sentiment, expressing gratitude to the member states for prioritising cooperation over conflict when it comes to water resources. “Water is a source of life and cooperation,” he said.
A representative from Botswana, Nchidzi Mmolawa, concluded by calling the amendment “a good development for the basin as it enhances decision-making and ensures that the governance of LIMCOM is at the highest level”.
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