Minister Pemmy Majodina concludes working visit to Zimbabwe to attend 43rd Southern African Development Community

The Minister of Water and Sanitation, Ms Pemmy Majodina has concluded her working visit to Zimbabwe to attend and participate at the 43rd Southern African Development Community (SADC) Joint Meeting of Committee of Ministers responsible for Energy and Water held in Harare from 03 to 04 July 2025. Minister Majodina attended the joint meeting together with Minister of Electricity and Energy, Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa whose portfolio is part SADC Committee on Water and Energy.

The SADC Ministers of Water and Energy Committee are a decision-making body that adopts decisions on regional policies and programmes that are implemented in the entire 16 SADC Member states, both at regional and national level, and ministers responsible for energy and water direct the regional energy as well as water and sanitation agenda.

During the day two of the joint meeting, which focused mainly on water issues, Minister Majodina used the platform to mobilise the Committee of Ministers to support the upcoming Africa Water Investment Summit that will be co-hosted by South Africa and the African Union-Continental Africa Water Investment Programme (AU-AIP) in the context of South Africa’s G20 Presidency, on 13–15 August 2025. The summit seeks to mobilise financial investment for bankable water and sanitation infrastructure projects around the continent.

Africa faces a US$30 billion (around ±R528 billion) annual water investment gap. The Summit will mobilise investments in climate-resilient water and sanitation projects, ensuring water security, economic growth, and sustainable development across the continent.

“We think that from that summit, we will have a concrete plan. Yesterday and today, there has been a discussion about funding, but if, as a continent, as a region we don’t come up with practical methods of doing that, we might come here and talk, but nothing happens to change the situation in our countries. As a continent, we must start being serious and start ringfencing budgets to fund our water infrastructure as well as energy. No country, region nor continent can survive without putting water and electricity as the catalyst for economic growth,” said Minister Majodina during the joint meeting.

The regional water sector is experiencing infrastructure challenges as a result of growing populations and lack of adequate infrastructure development due to financial investment gap.

The AU-AIP Africa Water Investment Summit’s key objectives are to:

• mobilise financial commitments towards Africa’s water investment needs

• advocate for improved access to finance for water and sanitation projects

• strengthen governance and accountability in the water sector

• showcase a pipeline of investment-ready projects to funders and investors

• promote legal and regulatory reforms to enhance water investments

The SADC Joint Meeting of Ministers is a critical platform for member states to engage on issues to enhance regional collaboration in the energy and water sectors.

Minister Majodina engaged with fellow ministers from across the region on critical issues related to the management of shared water resources and transboundary programmes and projects that are led by the River Basin Organisations and Shared Water Institutions, and on the delivery of regional water projects aimed at improving water and sanitation services in the SADC member states; as well as the status of implementation of previous decisions taken during the 42nd joint meeting held in May last year.

South Africa shares transboundary water projects with its neighbouring countries including the Lesotho/Botswana water transfer; Beitbridge/Musina integrated water supply scheme; the Catuane Matutuine groundwater project in Maputo district amongst others.

Enquiries:
Wisane Mavasa
Spokesperson for the Department of Water and Sanitation
Cell: 060 561 8935
E-mail: mavasaw@dws.gov.za

Cornelius Monama
Ministerial Spokesperson
Cell: 083 271 0808
E-mail: monamac@dws.gov.za

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