SA and Namibia address Orange River dispute

SA and Namibia have held talks aimed at resolving a long-running disagreement over rights to the Orange River, a key water source that demarcates the border between the two nations, and are confident the matter could be resolved amicably. Fin24 reports that a treaty signed in 1890, when the neighbours were under colonial rule, specifies that the border runs along the northern bank of the river – which would place it under SA’s jurisdiction. While Pretoria continued to recognise that demarcation, Namibia wants the the borderline moved to the middle of the river. Water is scarce in both countries, a problem exacerbated by climate change. Following two days of negotiations, foreign-affairs officials from both countries issued a joint statement in which they signalled their ‘commitment to work in a collaborative manner, guided by principles of good neighbourliness, transparency and mutual trust, for the conclusion of the negotiations on the Orange River boundary’. They will refer a report drafted by experts from both sides to their respective Presidents for further consideration, they said. Namibia has also previously expressed concern about SA’s plans to tap additional water from Lesotho on the grounds that it may have an adverse effect on flows in the Orange River. The country has wrangled with Botswana over rights to two islands situated in the Chobe River, with the International Court of Justice ruling in Botswana’s favour. Calle Schlettwein, Namibia’s Water Affairs Minister, told a conference in Cairo on Tuesday that the country needed to invest $1.4bn over the next decade to safeguard its water security.