Overview

The articles in this bulletin by Eversheds focus on the legal issues surrounding water in South Africa. They explore the impact of water on the economic growth in South Africa, and whether privatisation is an option for South Africa's fresh water resources.

Egypt, Sudan and South Africa have adopted a dangerous approach of ignoring the rights of their downstream neighbours. Water represents a serious constraint to economic growth in southern Africa unless the Department of Water Affairs allocates and manages duty – at the cost of its neighbours.

A journal article sent to me recently by a colleague contained an interesting summary of the international water rights in the Nile Basin. Rights to water in the Nile River are regulated by agreements notably the Nile Basin Initiative (NBI).

This new multilaterial agreement, signed in 1999, seeks to substitute a half-century-old Nile water usage agreement and bilateral contract between Egypt and colonial Britain, and to reflect current demographic and development realities.

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