Minister Gugile Nkwinti: SADC Ministers for Water Energy meeting

Welcoming remarks by the Minister of Water and Sanitation, Mr. Gugile Nkwinti, on the occasion of the SADC Ministers for Water Energy meeting

Programme Director
Your Excellencies, Ministers and Deputy Ministers;
SADC Deputy Executive Secretary, Dr. Thembinkosi Mhlongo
Southern African Development Community;
Heads of senior officials’ delegations;
Officials from Member States
Officials from the SADC Secretariat;
Officials from the South African delegation;
Members of the media present;
Ladies and gentlemen;

Warm greetings to you all this morning!!!

It is my honour and pleasure to welcome you all to this the Joint SADC meeting of Ministers responsible for Water and Energy. I wish to express my sincere appreciation to you all for honouring the SADC and South Africa’s invitation to this important meeting, which provides all of us an opportunity to assess progress in the implementation of our sectoral programmes and chart a way forward.

The meeting takes place at a when South Africa is the Chair for SADC, particularly under the theme “Partnering with the Private Sector in Developing Industry and Regional Value-Chains”.

Ladies and gentlemen, it has become critically clear that our region requires industrial development underpinned by solid infrastructure. The recent drought has exposed this weakness in the region.

Water and Energy continue to play a significant role in regional economic growth, and access to same has a direct impact on the quality of the lives of our people. Energy and water are fundamental enablers to economic development, which SADC has placed at the forefront. 

A regional approach is crucial considering that economic undertakings are not often aligned with the basin boundaries.

The South African Government embraces the Nexus Approach since it calls for integrated planning amongst sectors. It is thus important that proper planning of the development, utilisation and management of these resources is prioritised and done in an integrated manner.

At the SADC regional level, the revised Protocol on Shared Watercourses remains a fundamental framework to facilitate coordination and integrated planning between the water and energy sectors in the implementation of development programmes. Through the Protocol, the region has sought to maximise the attributes of shared water management while minimising the potential for competition or conflict over resources.

As a Ministry responsible for Water and Sanitation in South Africa, we have been practising the Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) approach for some time now. This requires engagement with other sectors which have a bearing on what we do in the sector. Water is needed across a wide spectrum of services, including tourism, energy generation, irrigation, maintaining ecosystems’ integrity, stock watering, mining and industrial activities, to name but a few. To supply water to these various needs, energy is key. 

Allow me once again to welcome all of you to this very important meeting. I would like to express our appreciation to the SADC Secretariat and other sectors for their hard work in preparing for this meeting.

I thank you.

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