South Africa and Eswatini will on Friday sign a revised treaty governing the Komati River Basin that formally authorises the Komati Basin Water Authority (KOBWA) to pursue phase two dam developments and new revenue‑generating projects, officials said.
The signing at Maguga Dam in Eswatini by South Africa’s Water and Sanitation Minister Pemmy Majodina and Eswatini’s Minister of Natural Resources and Energy Prince Lonkhokhela Dlamini is intended to deepen bilateral cooperation on shared water resources and strengthen river‑flow monitoring.
The revised agreement also seeks to ensure compliance with statutory flow obligations to downstream Mozambique, a key concern for the transboundary basin.
Department of Water and Sanitation spokesperson Wisane Mavasa said the treaty “marks a new chapter in the sustainable development and management of the water resources of the Komati River Basin.”
According to Mavasa, the revisions will allow KOBWA to move beyond phase one by enabling future dam projects and revenue initiatives designed to benefit citizens of both countries, improve the authority’s financial sustainability and reduce reliance on direct funding from the member states.
KOBWA was created by a 1992 treaty to implement phase one of the Komati River Basin Development Project.
That phase comprised the design, construction, operation and maintenance of two major dams: Maguga in Eswatini and Driekoppies in South Africa.
While phase one is complete, phase two has not yet been formally conceptualised; the new treaty is positioned to unlock planning and financing for that next stage.
The Komati Basin, which also affects Mozambique, includes the Mlumati and Komati rivers that later join the Crocodile River downstream.
Under current arrangements, South Africa and Eswatini share water from Maguga Dam on a 60/40 basis, while Driekoppies serves South Africa exclusively.
JN/APA