HARARE – Ministers responsible for water management in Zimbabwe and South Africa on Thursday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) which will see the border town of Beitbridge supply treated water to Musina.
Musina is some 15km from Beitbridge border post.
The two towns are separated by Limpopo River.
The agreement was signed between Zimbabwe’s lands, agriculture, fisheries and rural development minister Anxious Masuka and South African Water and sanitation minister Senzo Mchunu.
The agreement will allow for supply about 15 million cubic meters of water per day from Beitbridge water treatment works in Zimbabwe to Musina in South Africa through a 20km pipeline.
The deal also aims to address water scarcity plaguing South Africa’s Musina Town, which has an estimated population of 132,000 in 192 villages.
Musina is a dry border town of South Africa area with limited water sources and currently relies on borehole water.
A statement from South Africa’s department of water and sanitation said the deal would augment water supply in Musina.
“The two countries have agreed on the transfer of fresh water from Beitbridge WTW to augment water supply in Musina,” it said.
The capacity of the Beitbridge Water Treatment Plant treatment plant is 35 million cubic metres/annum (96 Ml/day) and is currently not fully utilized in Zimbabwe.
The deal follows the signing by the neighbouring countries, of a bilateral cooperation agreement on water resources management and the establishment of a joint water commission in 2015.
Zimbabwe’s cabinet in December last year approved the agreement on the supply of treated water to Musina since Beitbridge town now has decent water supply.
Beitbridge and Musina towns host close to 15,000 people in transit to South Africa, Zimbabwe and other regional countries every day.
Zimbabwe, Botswana, Mozambique and South Africa are members of the Limpopo Watercourse commission, an organisation established to manage shared water resources between the four countries.
