Zimbabwe, South Africa Discuss US$500M Dam Project

The proposed Thuli-Moswa Dam, to be built at Thuli in Zimbabwe, will have a storage capacity of about 430 million cubic metres and could deliver up to 90 million cubic metres a year to the Musina-Makhado Special Economic Zone in South Africa’s Limpopo province, according to documents seen by Bloomberg. Wisane Mavasa, spokesperson for South Africa’s Department of Water and Sanitation, told Bloomberg that the project is still at a discussion stage. “South Africa and Zimbabwe are still in discussion on the proposed joint study to assess the feasibility of building dams in Zimbabwe and transferring water to Limpopo province as a long-term plan,” said Mavasa. Obert Jiri, secretary in Zimbabwe’s Ministry of Agriculture, said there is no timeline yet for work to begin. If agreed, the documents show, the scheme will enter an 18-month preparation phase, followed by about three years of construction. South Africa will pay for the water under an agreement lasting between five and 35 years. A spokesperson for the Musina-Makhado Special Economic Zone, which is set to host energy-intensive industries including metals processing and manufacturing, said it could not comment “at this stage”. The talks come as chronic water shortages, rising industrial demand and climate risks turn water infrastructure into an urgent priority for South Africa. Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *