STELLENBOSCH, WATER AND THE CONTINENT

In 2006, the AU decided to create a network comprising universities across the African continent; through this process, a West African network and a Southern African network were created. The NEPAD agency, housed in the AU, is responsible for the Water Centres of Excellence.

SU was chosen by NEPAD to house the Secretariat for the Southern African network of the Southern African Development Community (SADC). The University therefore plays a dual role, as it is both a host for the larger body and a science node. The Water Institute, which developed from this, is housed in the Faculty of Science at SU.

According to Nico Elema, Manager of the Centre of Collaboration in Africa, the network connects education and research institutions conducting research in water and related sectors in line with the SADC research agenda. The strategic objective of the agenda is to promote evidence-based implementation of SADC water programmes and projects through multi and interdisciplinary research, with a synthesis of existing and new information. It is in this way that the network helps to realise SADC’s developmental goals. Current membership stands at 11 Water Centres of Excellence in eight SADC member states.

Water today

Elema explains that the universities that form part of the network excel in different aspects of research. The Universities of the Western Cape and Zambia specialise in groundwater, for example, while the Universidade Eduardo Mondlane’s IWEGA in Mozambique is known for water governance. SU again is known for its skills in modelling systems around soil.

Joanna Fatch, Project Manager for SANWATCE, says that the network secretariat is currently working closely with the Zambezi Watercourse Commission (ZAMCOM) to implement the Water Cooperation in the Zambezi River Basin project as part of the European Union (EU)-funded ACEWater2 Project. The project, a collaboration among SANWATCE members, the EU Joint Research Centre and ZAMCOM, assesses water-energy-food-ecosystems interdependencies across the Zambezi River Basin.

The secretariat is also piloting a regional human capacity development project in Botswana, Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa and Zambia. The project is implementing the African Ministers’ Council on Water call to develop human capacity development programmes that address junior professional and technical-level capacity challenges in the water sector.

One cog in the wheel                                                           

When it comes to water, it is important to remember that there are a lot of role-players. The role of SANWATCE is to focus on research and capacity development.

Elema is quick to point out that the water sector is a busy space and that they are not the silver bullet. “We’re one cog in the wheel. We provide one slice of the pie,” says Elema.

“Everybody brings a small piece of the puzzle together within this water space,” says Elema. “But what guides all of us and what we’re really pushing for is to develop the SADC water research agenda.”

Climate change to blame for Cape Town water crisis

Elema believes that the City of Cape Town was unable to adapt fast enough to climate change. While convinced that governments and local authorities do plan for population growth and urbanisation, he believes that the extent of climate change caught everyone by surprise.

The road going forward

SANWATCE believes that one of the greatest challenges that Africa will face due to climate change is the frequency of extreme events – both floods and droughts – which will worsen existing challenges, such as food insecurity, migration and access to water and sanitation services. Out of the 1 billion people on the continent, a third of them do not have access to safe drinking water. Concerted efforts must be made to address this to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals targets.

Additionally, rapid urbanisation and the rise of megacities are set to complicate Africa’s future. SANWATCE hopes to promote research that will aid the continent in responding to these challenges.