cross-border movement of people – defining moment for the … · 2020-03-02 · the form of...

Cross-border movement of people –defining moment for the Zambezi RiverBasin

The protocol, premised on the basis that the process ofbuilding the Southern African DevelopmentCommunity (SADC) is possible only when its citizenscan enjoy movement across borders, was signed at theSADC Silver Jubilee Summit in Gaborone in August2005.

The new SADC Executive Secre t a r y, To m a zAugusto Salomão, in an interview with SADC Today,cautioned that the movement of people needs to be putinto context as it should correspond to stages of inte-gration and the level of development of member states.“What we need to do is to be clear about our priorities,policies and strategies,” he said.

The protocol is particularly significant for theZambezi as this is the most shared river basin insouthern Africa, encompassing part of the territory ofeight of SADC’s 12 mainland member states. Thecountries that share the 1.4 million sq km Zambezibasin are Angola, Botswana, Malawi, Mozambique,Namibia, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Political boundaries drawn at the 1884/85 BerlinConference restrict the movement of people, fragment-ing societies which were historically bound throughcommon ancestry, chieftaincy, culture and language.

Communities, particularly the Tonga people, werefurther separated by the construction of the Kariba damm o re than 50 years ago, resulting in division of the To n g acommunities living in Zimbabwe and Zambia.

Communication within the Tonga community wasrestricted, although the shared culture has beenp reserved, as well as traditional leadership style, musicand dance.

S i m i l a r l y, the Lwena ethnic group shares the samelanguage and cultural values although living in bothAngola and Zambia, while the ChiChewa-speakingpeople live in Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia andZ i m b a b w e .

The Lwena get their name from the Luena river, atributary of the Zambezi. In the north-western districtof Zambia they are also known as the Lovale.

by Clever Mafuta

The recently signed protocol on the Facilitation of Movement of Persons in the SA D Cregion has much to offer the Zambezi River Basin where communities share assets,c u l t u ral values, traditional leadership, economic opportunities and languages.

continued on page 3

Volume 6 no 2

Zambezi newsletter 12/7/05 11:21 AM

The ZambeziVol 6 No 2

The Zambezi is published three times a year by theSouthern African Research and DocumentationCentre (SARDC) Musokotwane EnvironmentalResearch Centre for Southern Africa (IMERCSA)through a partnership with SADC, IUCN, ZRA, Sidaand national collaborating centres in all basin states.

The newsletter is published under the State ofthe Environment Zambezi Basin (SOE Zambezi)project. The aim is to inform people on the state ofthe environment in the basin and promote goodenvironmental stewardship in the SADC region.

The SOE Zambezi partners would like to thank theZambezi Action Programme 6 Phase II (ZACPRO6.2) for supporting this publication.

Editorial TeamLeonissah Munjoma, Clever Mafuta,

Bayano Valy, Phyllis Johnson, Egline Tauya,Ronald Chawatama, Wilson Yule, PatriciaMunemo, Tigere Chaguta, Admire Ndhlovu

The National Collaborating Centres (NCCs)

Development Workshop, Angola;Forum for Sustainable Agriculture, Bostwana;Coordination Unit for the Rehabilitation of theEnvironment, Malawi; Gabinete do Plano de

Desenvolvimento da Região do Zambeze(GPZ),Mozambique; Integrated Rural Development and

Nature Conservation, Namibia; NationalEnvironment Management Council, and Tanzania

Gender Networking Programme, Tanzania;Environment Council of Zambia; and

Campfire Association, Zimbabwe.

DesignTonely Ngwenya

Arnoldina Chironda

Production CoordinationEunice Kadiki

Photos and Illustrationsp3, R Chawatama SARDC, p6,

SARDC; p4, Majority World; p7, L Munjoma

Origination and PrintingDS Print Media

© SARDC, 2005

Contributions are welcome from individuals andorganisations in and outside the SADC region inthe form of articles, news items and comments.The editor reserves the right to select or rejectitems and edit for available space.

Correspondence, letters to the editor and othermaterials should be addressed to

The ZambeziIMERCSA, 15 Downie Avenue, Belgravia,

P.O. Box 5690, Harare, ZimbabweTel 263-4- 791141

Fax 263-4- 791271Email [email protected]

Internet www.sardc.net/imercsa

As the most shared river basin in southern Africa, the Zambeziprovides the medium around which most regional protocols can betested. In particular, the envisaged free movement of people couldevolve around the river as it passes through eight of the 14 countriesin SADC.

With the free movement of people, access to the resource-richbasin is set to be enhanced, resulting in better prospects of meetingthe region’s targets under the Millennium Development Goals.

Not only will local-level poverty be alleviated through such ini-tiatives as irrigation cooperatives but also through large-scale onessuch as hydropower schemes, transfrontier conservation andtourism activities.

The previous issue of The Zambezi emphasized the importance ofagreements, particularly the Zambezi Watercourse Commissionagreement, in achieving regional cooperation and integration. Thisthread continues in this issue where the facilitation of movement ofpeople across borders is seen as providing the impetus to bring intooperation all the other regional protocols and agreements.

The protocol on facilitation of movement of people acro s sborders, which was signed by half of the 14 SADC member statesduring the August SADC Silver Jubilee Summit held in Gaborone,Botswana, is critical to the processes of cooperation, networkingand integration in southern Africa.

The free movement of people across national borders is crucial inp romoting dialogue between nations and people, as well asenhancing participation and networking for the development ofintegrated natural resources management strategies.

Some ongoing activities that demonstrate regional integrationinitiatives in the Zambezi River Basin include the planned FourCorners project, which covers the border tips of Zambia, Zimbabwe,Botswana and Namibia, and the Zimbabwe Mozambique Zambiatransfrontier conservation project.

Regional cooperation is also being demonstrated in the energysector where efforts are being directed towards averting an antici-pated energy shortfall by 2007. The basin has the potential togenerate an additional 11,000 megawatts which can boost theregion’s energy supplies through the Southern Africa Power Pool.

P roposed hydropower initiatives in the basin include theM’panda Uncua, Ithezhi Tezhi, Batoka and the Kafue projects.

The efforts towards regional integration are rooted in the SADCShared Watercourses Protocol, which was revised in 2000 and cameinto force in 2003. It stresses close cooperation for sustainable andcoordinated management, protection and use of shared watercours-es, and the advancement of the SADC agenda of regional integra-tion and poverty alleviation.

In the Zambezi basin the Watercourses protocol is supportedt h rough the multilateral Zambezi Wa t e rcourse CommissionAgreement. On the ground activities in support of the agreementare carried out through national steering committees. All these willbe greatly enhanced by easier movement of people across borders.

The Water Protocol 3

Water and Millennium Development Goals 4-5

Averting energy shortage 6

Watering school fees 7

E D I T O R I A L

2

H i g h l i g h t s . . .


3

The Zambezi River Basin is abundant with shared natural resourcesand habitats, and is home to some of the region’s most famous wildlifeconservation areas, including the Kameia National Park and MavingaGame Reserve in Angola, Caprivi Game Reserve in Namibia, ChobeWildlife Conservation Area in Botswana, West Lunga and Kafue Parksin Zambia, Hwange National Park and Mana Pools Park in Zimbabwe,and Lake Malawi Park in Malawi.

The Protocol on the Facilitation of Movement of Persons in SADCshould boost trade and regional tourism in the basin states.

A l ready signed by half of the 14 member states of SADC, the pro t o c o lwill come into force on ratification by two-thirds of the members.

The overall objective of the protocol is to develop policies that areaimed at the progressive elimination of obstacles to the movement ofpeople in the SADC region. It will facilitate visa-free entry for amaximum of 90 days per year for bona fide visits and in accordance withthe laws of the member state.

T h rough the protocol, member states agree to make traveldocuments readily available to their citizens. They agree to cooperate inharmonising travel whether by air, land or water and to increase andimprove travel facilities especially between mutual borders.

Already there is free movement of wildlife in the basin. As such thep rotocol will further support Trans Boundary Natural Resourc e sManagement (TBNRM) initiatives in such areas as wildlife conservation

Cross-border movement of people –defining moment for the Zambezi River Basin

and water resources management. The protocol will make it easier toshare knowledge and skills, as well as in harmonising conservationstrategies.

TBNRM initiatives are increasingly gaining prominence as a holisticapproach to environmental and natural resources management, andsustainable development. This is because ecosystems span acro s sborders and workable solutions can only be attained with the involve-ment of all stakeholders.

The Zimbabwe Mozambique Zambia (Zimoza) transboundary ini-tiative is one of the major TBNRM initiatives currently being imple-mented in the Zambezi River Basin. The initiative is located in Zambia'sLuangwa district and the adjacent Zumbo district in Mozambique, aswell as Zimbabwe's Guruve district on the other side of the river.

Another TBNRM initiative is the Four Corners project located aro u n dthe Caprivi Strip, one of the few places in the world where four countriesmeet. These are Botswana, Namibia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

Besides natural assets, there are many shared infrastructural assetswithin the Zambezi basin. These include the historic Victoria Falls bridge,an important trade and economics link between the south (Botswana,South Africa and Zimbabwe) and the north (Zambia and the DemocraticRepublic of Congo). The bridge is also known for the world-famousbungee jumping.

The Protocol on the Facilitation of Movement of Persons in SADCcomplements the more than 30 other protocols, policies and multilater-al agreements that the SADC region has adopted in its quarter centuryof existence. These include the Revised Protocol on Shared Watercoursesand the Zambezi Wa t e rcourse Commission (ZamCom) agre e m e n t ,which have direct relevance to the Zambezi River Basin.

While the protocol has more positives than negatives, the region mustmove with speed to harmonize its other policies and national laws. Forexample, down seasons for fishers need to coincide, and the fre emovement of the people must be well managed so as to combat cro s s -b o rder crime. ❒

continued from page 1

Movement of people

The objectives of the protocol are to facilitate: o entry into member states without the need for a visa for amaximum period of 90 days per year for bona fide visits and inaccordance with the laws of the member state;

o permanent and temporary residence in the territory of anothermember state; and

o working in the territory of another member state.

Shared water resources critical to regional integrationThe bulk of southern Africa’s energy supplies come from hydro-

power, and with indications that the region will be short of electricitysupplies by 2007 if no measures are put in place, integrated waterresources management as promoted by the revised Protocol on SharedWatercourses becomes critical.

Both water and energy fall under the SADC Directorate ofInfrastructure and Services, which also has responsibility for transport,communications and meteorology services.

Despite shortages in potable water supplies, the region’s potential ingenerating hydropower is huge. For example, the Congo river hasuntapped potential for 40,000 megawatts, energy that is enough to powerthe whole of Africa with even surpluses to supply southern Euro p e .

The adoption by the region, in April 1997, of the UN Convention onthe Law of the Non-navigational Uses of International Watercourses ledto the revision of the 1995 protocol.

The main diff e rences between the old and the revised protocols is thatthe latter places emphasis on watercourses as opposed to waterc o u r s estates, and calls for the establishment of river basin commissions, whichhave been established for the Zambezi, Limpopo, Okavango and Orange-Senqu river basins.

The SADC Protocol on Shared Watercourses is being implementedthrough the Regional Strategic Action Plan (RSAP) for integrated waterresources management and development.

This decision to develop the RSAP represents a significant commit-ment towards meeting the challenge of providing adequate waterservice and supply in the region and protection of the environment. ❒

Southern Africa recognises the role that water plays in the process ofregional integration, with efforts towards sustainable and integratedwater management in the SADC region traceable to the establish-

ment of the SADC Water Sector in 1996. The realisation of the need for a regional coordination mechanism for

water re s o u rces came about because of re c u r rent droughts, occasionalfloods, increasing demand for water, growing competition over water,worsening pollution and increasing awareness among the countries ofthe region of the importance of integrated water resources management.

The SADC region made its first move towards achieving integrationof the regional use and management of water resources by agreeing onthe Protocol on Shared Watercourse Systems in 1995. The protocol wasrevised in 2000. The revised Protocol on Shared Watercourses came intoforce in 2003.

The SADC Protocol on Shared Watercourse Systems is the first sector-specific legal instrument to be developed by SADC. It creates the over-arching framework for the management of the 15 shared river basins inthe region.

Through the revised Protocol on Shared Watercourses, the region hassought to maximise on the attributes of shared water management whileminimising on the potential for competition or conflict over resourcescarcity.

Management of water resources is a key challenge for southern Africagiven that water is a decisive economic development input factor,including its role in the generation of electricity.

by Clever Mafuta


4

Millennium Development Goals

by Ronald Chawatama

Water is key to life as it supports thethree pillars of sustainable devel-opment, namely social, economic

and environmental. Due to this critical rolewater is also central to meeting the eightMillennium Development Goals (MDGs).

The Zambezi River Basin’s waterresources influence all aspects of economicand social development so much that thedevelopment of the basin’s water resourcesin an integrated manner could enhanceenergy and food security, improve access tosafe water supply and sanitation for themajority of the region’s population, generateemployment in the tourism and manufac-turing sectors, and improve water transporton rivers and lakes.

Given its strategic importance in sustain-able development and in meeting MDGs,the availability of water in sufficient quanti-ties and quality becomes critical.

Water availability in the basin ande l s e w h e re is dwindling due to population growth, climate vari-ability and change, economic growth, urbanization and pollution.

A c c o rding to the book Defining and Mainstre a m i n gEnvironmental Sustainability in Water Resources Management inSouthern Africa, the water outlook of the Zambezi basin riparianstates is not good, with scientific indications being that by 2025Malawi could be water scarce as it lacks a mechanism to drawon the volume of water in the lake, while Mozambique,Tanzania and Zimbabwe will be water stressed. The situation inBotswana and Namibia is masked by small population figuresand distance to major water sources.

As such water re s o u rces management is incre a s i n g l ybecoming a challenge. This challenge is worsened by the factthat improved access, supply and sanitation services todomestic and industrial sectors are catalytic entry points formeeting the majority of MDGs.

A d d ressing over 1,400 water experts during the 15th Wo r l dWater symposium held in South Africa, Buyelwa Sonjica, SouthAfrica’s Minister of Water A ffairs and Forestry highlighted howlack of sufficient infrastru c t u re affects management of water.

“Large dams to store water, pipes, waterworks, wastewatertreatment plants and other types of infrastructure are necessaryfor safe water,” she noted.

Despite the challenges, countries in the Zambezi River Basinhave made efforts to improve access to water and adequate san-itation. Key to these efforts is the concept of Integrated WaterResources Management (IWRM), which the countries are imple-menting through various national water strategies and policies.At the regional level the revised SADC Protocol on SharedWatercourses supports IWRM.

Botswana is firmly on course in meeting part of MDG 7 ofensuring environmental sustainability through efforts to facilitateuniversal access to safe water. The proportion of the country’spopulation with sustainable access to safe drinking wateri n c reased from 77 percent in 1996 to almost 98 percent in 2003.

Access to safe drinking water in Zambiaincreased marginally from 48 percent in1992 to 51 percent in 2002. The country hasan enviable target of achieving 74 percentaccess to safe drinking water by 2015.

The MDGs are committed to eradicatingpoverty and hunger, achieving universalprimary education, promoting genderequality and women’s empowerment,reducing child mortality, impro v i n gmaternal health, combating major diseases,i m p roving environmental sustainability,and facilitating global partnerships fordevelopment.

As a main factor of production in agricul-ture, industry and economic activities thatprovide means of livelihoods for people,water will contribute to halving the numberof people living in poverty, as well as inreducing the number of people living inhunger through boosting food productionand income generation. ❒

Conference discusses IWRM issues in the Zambezi River Basin

The Zambezi Action Plan Project 6 Phase II (ZACPRO 6.2),a SADC initiative, will host a conference of stakeholders to

discuss the management of water resources in the Zambeziriver basin.

The “Stakeholder Dialogue, Participation and NetworkingI n i t i a t ive for the Development of an Integrated Wa t e rResources Management Strategy for the Zambezi River Basin”seeks to champion the cause for an effective strategy that willencompass a broad range of perspectives.

The conference is organized in collaboration with theWorld Conservation Union’s Regional Office for SouthernAfrica (IUCN ROSA) and the Musokotwane EnvironmentR e s o u rce Centre for Southern Africa (IMERCSA) of theSouthern African Research and Documentation Centre(SARDC).

The main objectives of the conference in Gaborone inDecember are to:✦ consult with stakeholders and share information on

various initiatives in the Zambezi River Basin;✦ identify and discuss IWRM and other related issues

and challenges in the basin;✦ present and share the policy and future set-up of the

Zambezi Watercourse Commission (ZamCom) and its related institutions with specific reference to challenges around effective stakeholder dialogue, participation and networking; and

✦ gather ideas on basin-wide programmes that would support stakeholder dialogue.

Water is central to meeting the MillenniumDevelopment Goals

Water resources management increasinglybecoming a ch a l l e n g e .


5

Contribution of sound water resourcesmanagement and development

Millennium Development Goals

Contribution of water towards meeting MDGs Table 1

Household livelihood security rests on the healthof people, with the sick being less productive ;illness caused by unsafe drinking water andinadequate sanitation incurring health costs andclaiming household’s income; and more timebeing spent collecting water instead of incomeg e n e rating activ i t i e s .

Healthy people are better able to absorb thenutrients in food than those suffering from waterand sanitation related diseases, particularly worms,which rob their hosts of calories.

Improved water and sanitation services relieveschool children from water fetching duties, allowingthem to attend school. Reduced water-relatedillnesses improves school attendance.

Water and sanitation facilities closer to home givewomen and girls more time to study and attendschool.

Improved sanitation, safe drinking water sourcesand greater quantities of domestic water for washingreduce infant and child morbidity and mortality.Sanitation and safe water in health care facilitiesreduce neonatal deaths.

Accessible sources of water reduce labour burdensand health problems resulting from water portage,reducing maternal mortality risks. Improved healthand nutrition reduce susceptibility to anaemia andother conditions that affect maternal mortality.

Safe drinking water and basic sanitation helpprevent water related diseases, including diarrhoealdiseases, schistosomaisis, filariasis and trachoma.Improved water supply reduces diarrhoea morbidityby 21%, improved sanitation reduces diarrhoea by37.5%, while hand washing can reduce the numberof diarrhoeal cases by up to 35%.

Adequate treatment and disposal of excretaand wastewater contribute to less pressure onfreshwater resources.

Inadequate access to safe water and inade-quate access to sanitation and other infrastruc-ture are two of the main defining characteris-tics of a slum.

Water is a factor of production in agriculture,industry and other economic activities that providelivelihoods. Investment in water infrastructure can bea catalyst for local/regional development, while areduction in ecosystem degradation and vulnerabilityto water related disasters make livelihood systemsmore secure.

Water is a direct input for agriculture, and the higherthe output the cheaper the food to reduce hunger.

Improved water management reduces the incidencesof catastrophic events like floods that interrupt edu-cational attainment.

Community-based organisations for water manage-ment can improve social status of girls and womenby giving them leadership and networking opportuni-ties and building solidarity among them.

Improved nutrition and food security reduces suscep-tibility to diseases. Well-managed water resourceshelp poor people make a decent living and reducetheir vulnerability to shocks, which in turn givesthem more secure livelihoods and opportunity tocare for their children. Malaria is a leading cause ofdeath among children, and better water managementreduces mosquito habitats.

Improved nutrition and food security reduces suscep-tibility to diseases that can complicate pregnancy.Malaria is particularly dangerous to pregnantwomen, and better water management reducesmosquito habitats.

Improved water (and wastewater) management inhuman settlements reduces transmission links ofmosquito-borne illness like malaria and dengue fever.Improved health and nutrition reduces susceptibilityto severity of HIV/AIDS and other major disease.

I m p r oved water management, including pollutioncontrol and water conservation, is a key factor inmaintaining ecosystem integrity. Integrated man-agement within river basins allows for approach e sthat preserve ecosystem health.

Slum settlements are often built on sites vulner-able to water-related disasters.

Poverty To halve the proportion of theworld’s people whose income is less than $1/day

HungerTo halve the proportion of theworld’s people who sufferfrom hunger

Primary educationTo ensure that children every-where complete a full courseof primary schooling.

Gender equalityTo ensure that boys and girlshave equal access to primaryand secondary education.

Child mortalityTo reduce by two-thirds thedeath rate for children underfive.

Maternal mortalityTo reduce by three-fourths therate of maternal mortality.

Major diseaseTo halt and begin to reversethe spread of HIV, malaria,other major diseases.

Environmental sustainabilityTo stop the unsustainableexploitation of naturalresources

Slum dwellersTo improve the lives of 100million slum dwellers.

MDGs and relevant targets

Contribution of domestic water supplyand sanitation

Source UN Millennium Project Task Force on Water and Sanitation (2005) Final Report, Abridged Edition, Health, Dignity and Development: What Will it Take? Achieving the Millennium Development Goals,United Nations Millennium Project, New York


Energy

Nahas Angula, who, in his official opening statement, stre s s e dthe need to support initiatives geared at fostering re g i o n a lintegration such as the Western Power Corridor Pro j e c t( We s t c o r ) .

Westcor is a SADC project conceived through the combinedinitiative of the SADC Secretariat and the power utilities ofAngola, Botswana, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC),Namibia and South Africa. The project’s aim is to harness thel a rge water re s o u rces of the Congo river at Inga.

The Westcor power project will supply electricity to the par-ticipating countries and other SADC member states thro u g hthe Southern African Power Pool (SAPP).

The Grand Inga project, one of the major Westcor pro j e c t s ,has the potential to generate 40,000 MW, which is twice thegeneration potential of the famous Three Gorges Dam inChina. The project will enable the region to contribute to theelectricity needs of the rest of Africa, with a surplus for someE u ropean markets.

The Westcor project is one of the key projects under NEPAD,and is estimated to cost about US$7,000 million. The participat-ing utility companies which include Botswana Power

Corporation (BPC), Empre s aNacional de Electricidade ofAngola, NamPower fro mNamibia, Eskom of South A f r i c a ,and DRC’s Societe Nationaled’Electricite (SNEL) have agreed tocontribute seed funds towards theoperations of the Westcor office.

In a speech read on his behalfby the acting Chief Dire c t o rM a rg a ret Nyirenda at thesigning of the share h o l d e r sa g reement in Gaborone on 7S e p t e m b e r, the SADC ExecutiveS e c re t a r y, Dr Tomaz A u g u s t oSalomão, said the initial contri-bution is clear demonstration ofcommitment to the project andt h e re f o re its sustainability isa s s u red. The signing will set inmotion the creation of a jointv e n t u re company.

It is the desire of SADC that inthe long run Westcor membershipshould be opened up to includeother members of the SAPP,including the utility companies ofthe remaining Zambezi RiverBasin riparian states.

T h e s e a r e M a l a w i ’ sElectricity Supply Commission,Electricidade de Moçambique,Tanzania Electric S u p p l yC o m p a n y, Zambia E l e c t r i c i t ySupply Corporation andZimbabwe Electricity SupplyA u t h o r i t y. ❒

The Zambezi offers hope in averting energy shortage insouthern Africaby Egline Ta u y a

6

Southern Africa could fail to meet its energy demands by2007 if no significant investment in energy generation ismade.

The dwindling energy supply is due to high demand which hasbeen growing by three percent per year over the past decade.

Access to electricity is an essential component in re d u c i n gpoverty and improving livelihoods, core issues in many develop-ing countries in line with the Millennium Development Goals( M D G s ) .

In response to the anticipated energy shortages, major invest-ments in the energy sector are on the cards. These investmentsinclude those supported by the New Partnership for Africa’sDevelopment (NEPAD) such as the proposed M’panda Uncuahydropower station to be built on the Zambezi river 60 kmdownstream of Cahora Bassa dam in Mozambique.

With growing demand for electricity, Mozambique believesthat the M’panda Uncua project will be essential for thecountry to meet its needs and export to neighbouringcountries. Mozambique currently exports electricity to SouthAfrica and Zimbabwe.

The M’panda Uncua hydropower project is expected togenerate 2,000 megawatts (MW),and construction is set to begin forcompletion by 2010. The M’pandaUncua project follows the re h a b i l-itation of the electricity interc o n-nection from the Cahora Bassadam with South Africa, whereover 2,000 pylons that weredamaged during the civil war hadto be replaced.

The Cahora Bassa hydro p o w-er facility is 82 percent owned byPortugal although transfer toMozambican ownership hasrecently been agreed.

In addition to the M’pandaUncua, the Zambezi basin hasthe potential to generate anadditional 11,000 MW at othersites. These include the Itezhi-Tezhi and the lower Kafue inZambia, and the Batoka Gorg e .

Faced with the challenge of alooming power shortage in abouttwo years, more than 300delegates from southern A f r i c a ,among them energy ministers,h y d rologists and investors, met inWindhoek in September 2005under the banner SADC RegionalElectricity Investment Conference.

The conference noted that thesurvival of the energy sectorg reatly depends on public-private sector partnerships,a sentiment supported byNamibia’s Prime Minister,

Mozambique reclaims Cahora Bassa

Mozambique has concluded an agreement with theformer colonial power, Portugal, to reclaim the giant

Cahora Bassa dam and guarantee economic indepen-dence as well as control of one of the major sources ofelectricity in southern Africa.

Mozambique will, by the end of this year, be in chargeof a project located on its soil but on which it had nocontrol for the past 30 years due to contractual obligationswith Portugal.

The new arrangement gives Mozambique 85 percentof the Cahora Bassa Hydroelectric (HCB) project whilePortugal will retain only 15 percent. The HCB has acapacity to produce 2,000 megawatts of electricity and isone of the main suppliers of power to the SouthernAfrican Power Pool.

The development is a victory against the last symbol ofPortuguese colonial domination in the country. PrimeMinister Luisa Diogo said “it is the beginning of a newrevolution and the Mozambicans should make sure thatthe amount agreed is paid in time.”

Until now, Portugal owned 82 percent of the HCBproject. Mozambique will need to pay US$950 million tothe Portuguese government as compensation for the postcivil-war reconstruction and maintenance of the dam.

The transfer of ownership of the HCB project and itsanticipated expansion should come as good news for theSADC energy sector wh i ch has announced fears that theregion could run out of surplus electricity genera t i n gcapacity by 2007 unless major new projects are undertaken.

South Africa and Zimbabwe import electricity fromHCB. The demand for electricity is high in Mozambique,with some vital projects put on hold due to lack of power.This is the case with the second expansion of Mozal, aworld-class aluminium smelter located in the MaputoDevelopment Corridor linking Mozambique, South Africaand Swaziland. ❒


7

by Leonissah Munjoma

For every parent, one point of discussion when they meetfellow parents is that of school fees for their children. Forthose in the low income bracket, particularly living in the

rural areas, the major worry is how to afford the fees to ensuretheir children’s education.

For Martha Steven, in her mid-30s and mother of three, theworry over school fees is fast fading into her past, thanks to theNgolowindo Agricultural Irrigation Cooperative Societysituated about 100 km east of Malawi’s capital Lilongwe nearSalima along Lake Malawi.

Using water from the lake through one of the simplest irriga-tion techniques, the cooperative society is an example of whatshould be done if the goal of poverty eradication by the year2015 is to be realized in the Zambezi River Basin and beyond.

The 140-member cooperative has transformed people’s livesthrough efficient use of water from Lake Malawi. Lake Malawi,Africa’s third largest freshwater lake after lakes Victoria andTanganyika is found in the Zambezi River Basin and covers 28,000 sq km.

The Ngolowindo Agricultural Irrigation Cooperative Societyis one of many community level initiatives in the Zambezi RiverBasin as the concept of Integrated Water Resourc e sManagement (IWRM) continues to gain momentum.

“The cooperative has worked well for me and it has trans-formed my life. I used to worry about school fees for mychildren, about food, clothes for the family and I used to labouron my own in the fields and had a pole and mud house. This isall in the past now,” she said with a sense of pride at herachievements.

Her colleague, Felesita Malangiza, in her mid 40s and motherof five, agreed with her. She has been an active member of thesociety for more than 10 years having joined in 1992.

“It has not been easy. It has been a long and tough road, butthe re w a rds are worth it,” she said adding, “With my husbandworking in the city, I am able to support the family here . ”

Steven, vice-chairperson of the society’s marketingcommittee, said it all started after discussions betweenMalawi government officials from the water department, thelocal authorities, traditional leaders and the communitym e m b e r s .

“We started with people clearing the land and those thatworked hard became members. You know how it is, some wantit easy and others are pre p a red to toil to the end,” saidMalangiza, also a member of the marketing committee.

Each member has been allocated a piece of the 17-hectareland. Although there are more women members, there are mentoo.

The European Union (EU) has been funding the cooperative.This funding is due to end in December 2005 by which time theproject is set to be self-sustaining.

After harvesting, the cooperative members take the crop tothe shade where it is weighed and priced. They are issued witha voucher and are paid when the crop has been sold. This wayof marketing has minimized the conflicts the members used tohave before they established the cooperative.

“ We have improved our marketing techniques to avoidstockpiling. We use a staggering approach to growing cro p s .People are limited in terms of the size of field and amount ofc rop they can grow to allow everyone to be able to sell theirc rop. We have also learnt to grade the vegetables,” saysS t e v e n .

It is not all rosy in the cooperative as the economic situationis making more and more people establish income-generatingprojects. Steven pointed out that their major challenge is tosecure large markets, particularly big supermarket chains andtraining institutions.

They have won tenders with big supermarket groups andtraining institutions but the hurdle has been that sometimesthey are asked to supply for a whole year when they are onlyable to do seasonal supplies.

A g roup of visitors from the Zambeziriver basin states who were in Sango Bayto attend the Zambezi Action PlanP roject 6, Phase II (ZACPRO 6.2)’sP roject Steering Committee (PSC)meeting in mid-October, could not helpcommend the cooperative.

“This is impressive. They areo rganized and they use the simplestmethod of irrigation and it works,” saidMike Tu m b a re, the Zambezi RiverAuthority (ZRA)’s Chief Executive.

His organization will soon facilitate anexchange visit to the cooperative forpeople from Zambia’s southern province“so they can come and see and learn withthe hope of having such a scheme”.

Botswana’s acting deputy director inthe Department of Water A ff a i r s ,Othusitse Katai, echoed Tu m b a re’s senti-ments saying the irrigation system usedwas simple and could easily be re p l i c a t-ed elsewhere. He noted this could,h o w e v e r, be limited to a certain size ofland. ❒

Water

Watering school fees in Salima, Malawi

Low-cost irrigation technologies will accelerate poverty reduction efforts through income generation.


THE ZAMBEZI AT A GLANCE

This edition of The Zambezi has been supported by SADC’sZambezi Action Programme 6 Phase II (ZACPRO 6.2)

ANGOLA

TANZANIA

BOTSWANA

ZIMBABWE

ZAMBIA

INDIANOCEAN

The Zambezi River● rises on the Central African Plateau in the Kalene Hills in northwestern Zambia and flows through eightcountries to its delta in Mozambique and the Indian Ocean. ● drains an area of almost 1.4 million sq km, stretching across Angola, Botswana, Malawi, Mozambique,Namibia, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.● supports the Victoria Falls, popularly identified as one of the seven natural wonders of the world, as wellas Kariba and Cahora Bassa hydroelectric dams and their lakes. The Zambezi Basin✦ is the most shared in southern Africa and third largest in Africa after the Congo and the Nile. ✦ covers about 25 percent of the total geographic area of the eight riparian countries estimated at 5.6 millionsq km.✦ is home to almost 40 million of SADC’s estimated population of over 200 million people.✦ hosts urban areas such as Luena in Angola, Kasane in Botswana, Tete in Mozambique, Katima Mulilo inNamibia and Mbeya in Tanzania, almost all urban centres in Zambia including the capital city of Lusaka,all urban centres in Malawi and most in Zimbabwe, including Harare.✦ contains Lake Malawi/Nyasa/Niassa covering 28,000 kq km, Africa’s third largest freshwater lake afterLakes Victoria and Tanganyika and third deepest in the world.

The Zambezi River● rises on the Central African Plateau in the Kalene Hills in northwestern Zambia and flows through eight

countries to its delta in Mozambique and the Indian Ocean. ● drains an area of almost 1.4 million sq km, stretching across Angola, Botswana, Malawi, Mozambique,

Namibia, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.● supports the Victoria Falls, popularly identified as one of the seven natural wonders of the world, as well

as Kariba and Cahora Bassa hydroelectric dams and their lakes.

The Zambezi Basin✦ is the most shared in southern Africa and third largest in Africa after the Congo and the Nile. ✦ covers about 25 percent of the total geographic area of the eight riparian countries estimated at 5.6 million

sq km.✦ is home to almost 40 million of SADC’s estimated population of more than 200 million people.✦ hosts urban areas such as Luena in Angola, Kasane in Botswana, Tete in Mozambique, Katima Mulilo in

Namibia and Mbeya in Tanzania, almost all urban centres in Zambia including the capital city of Lusaka,all urban centres in Malawi and most in Zimbabwe, including Harare.

✦ contains Lake Malawi/Nyasa/Niassa covering 28,000 kq km, Africa’s third largest freshwater lake afterLakes Victoria and Tanganyika and third deepest in the world.


cross-border movement of people – defining moment for the … · 2020-03-02 · the form of...

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