South Africa to import treated water from Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe will supply South Africa's northern town of Musina with treated water after the two governments signed a deal late last week.

The water will be treated in Beitbridge, a southern Zimbabwe town that borders South Africa's Musina town in Limpopo Province.

In December 2023, Zimbabwe's cabinet approved a proposal by a water treatment plant in Beitbridge to sell treated water to Musina town.

And, on March 14, South Africa's Water Minister Senzo Mchunu signed an agreement with his Zimbabwean counterpart, Anxious Masuka, for the supply of treated water.

Foreign currency

The deal, which will be implemented in 2026, states that Beitbridge Water Treatment Works in Zimbabwe will supply Musina Local Municipality with 15 million cubic metres of treated water per year.

The water will be transported to Musina through a 20-kilometre pipeline.

Financial details of the deal remain unclear, though Zimbabwe says it would earn a substantial amount of foreign currency once the agreement is implemented.

Musina, a largely dry area, is home to 132,000 people occupying 192 villages, and a single town. It is approximately 15 kilometres from the Zimbabwean border.

'Relatively expensive'

The town has limited sources of safe, drinkable water, with the community mainly relying on boreholes for supply.

South Africa's Department of Water and Sanitation recently said constructing dams and water treatment plants in Musina would be "relatively expensive", compared with importing treated water from Zimbabwe.

The signing of the water transfer deal has been met with criticism, especially among Zimbabwean quarters, who say that their country is not water-sufficient, hence a need to address the domestic shortage before embarking on an export programme.

According to a 2022 World Health Organization report, 41% of Zimbabwe's 15 million people have access to clean, drinkable water, while another 40% drink highly contaminated water.

For South Africa, a 2023 report by the country's Department of Water and Sanitation, indicates that 46% of the water supply is contaminated, while 67% of treatment plants are either inoperative, or on the verge of breaking down.