Called the Inkomati Development Initiative, the study, funded by the Danish government, would gather information on all current and future water projects in the area to lay the framework for future projects. Bilateral commissions have been established between the three governments and on Friday Swaziland and Mozambique also formalised a joint water commission between the two. Existing projects are the completed R600 million Driekoppies Dam which draws on the Lomati River and the R800 million Maguga Dam, which is under construction. Driekoppies is built on the Lomati River which flows into Mozambique. Swaziland and South Africa already cooperate on the two dams.
Rivers know no boundaries and water is a strategic resource.
There have been wars fought over it and as we go into the next century there have been predictions that war could break out over a glass of clean water. It was very important to me to meet my counterparts in Swaziland and Mozambique and forge working relations with them. Swaziland's Prince Guduza Dlamini said. Our forefathers found themselves sharing the same rivers for their livelihood. Even the colonial masters realised this when they signed the 1964 agreement between Swaziland, South Africa and Portugal over rivers of common interest.