Gaborone: Minister of Water and Sanitation Pemmy Majodina and Botswana's Minister of Water and Human Settlements Onneetse Ramogapi are set to sign a Memorandum of Agreement on the collaborative management of water quality and aquatic invasive species in the Upper Limpopo River Basin.

According to South African Government News Agency, this agreement represents a part of the ongoing cooperation between South Africa and Botswana in managing shared transboundary water resources. Majodina is presently on a working visit to Gaborone for the 6th Session of the South Africa-Botswana Bi-National Commission, scheduled for May 20 and 21, 2026.

Both countries participate in strategic water cooperation within the Limpopo River Basin and are members of the Limpopo Watercourse Commission. This commission was established between South Africa, Botswana, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe to ensure the protection, management, development, and equitable use of the shared river basin.

The Limpopo River Basin is a transboundary water resource crucial to approximately 14 million people across the four nations, supporting agriculture, domestic water supply, industry, biodiversity, and economic development. As upstream members, South Africa and Botswana are tasked with maintaining water quality to prevent adverse impacts on the other countries.

The Upper Limpopo River Basin comprises catchments in South Africa and several rivers in Botswana. The Department of Water and Sanitation noted that Majodina will also attend a ministerial meeting before the BNC session. Discussions will focus on the cooperation on transboundary water resources and progress on the joint feasibility study for the Lesotho-Botswana Water Transfer project.

The LBWT project is designed to supply water for domestic, agricultural, and industrial purposes to Botswana, Lesotho, and South Africa through a 700 km pipeline from a dam on Lesotho's Makhaleng River, a tributary of the Orange-Senqu River.