Thesis (MA (Political Science. International Studies))--University of Stellenbosch, 2010. / Bibliography / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Water is life. Its availability and quality directly relates to what is possible in agriculture as well as
human health. In Southern Africa, water issues have become an important political agenda as a result
of the droughts that the region has been experiencing. The Southern Africa Development Community
(SADC), in its water protocol advises its member states to set up river basin organisations to manage
transboundary rivers in Southern Africa. The aim is to encourage the sustainable use of international
rivers.
Sharing international rivers has proven to be a very difficult issue as shown by the voting patterns on
the UN Convention on the Law of Non Navigational Uses of Transboundary Rivers and the
subsequent failure of entry into force of this convention. While strategic interests on the global levels
manifest themselves in voting patterns in forums like the UN Assembly, the situation is trickier at the
regional level. These strategic interests are ever present as a result of states’ need for recognition of
their sovereignty and the inability of states to accept any hierarchical enforcement.
This study investigates the impact of these interests at the basin level on the structure of cooperation.
With the use of a case study, namely the Okavango River Basin Commission, and guided by regime
theory, the study looks at the process of regime formation and maintenance in the basin. It concludes
that states use cooperative arrangements (international water cooperation regimes) as tools for the
strategic protection of their sovereignty. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Water is lewe. Die beskikbaarheid en kwaliteit het direk te betrekking op wat moontlik toeneemed is
in landbou so wel as menslike gesondheid. Water as ʼn noodsaaklike bron in suider-Afrika word meer
en meer beskou as ʼn belangrike kwessie op die politieke agenda as gevolg van droogte wat in die
streek ondervind word. ʼn Hoë vlak van belangrikheid word aan die bestuur van water binne die streek
geheg. Die SAOG (Die Suider – Afrikaanse Ontwikkelings gemeenskap), het in sy water protokol aan
sy lid state beveel om rivier kom organisasies te stig om beheer uit te oefen oor riviere in Suider-
Afrika wat oor grense heen vloei. Die doel is om lidstate aan te moedig om die volhoubare gebruik
van internasionale riviere te bevorder .
Die vedeling van internasionale riviere is ‘n komplekse kwessie soos wat VN stempatrone aandui ten
opsigte van die Wet op die Verbod teen Navigasie op Oorgrensende Riviere en die daaropvolgende
versuim van die inwerkingtreding van die Konvensie aandui. As gevolg van state se behoefte vir
erkenning van hul soewereiniteit en hul strategiese belange bly die deel van rivierkomme ‘n moeilike
internasionale probleem.
Hierdie studie ondersoek die impak van die bogenoemde belange op die kom vlak op die struktuur van
samewerking. Met die gebruik van ʼn gevallestudie, naamlik die Okovango Rivier Kom Kommissie, en
aan die hand van regime teorie, ondersoek die studie die proses van regime formasie asook die
problematiek rondom die instandhouding van die Komissie. Die gevolgtrekking is dat state
koöperatiewe reëlings (internasionale water samewerking regimes) as instrumente vir die beskerming
van hul strategiese soewereiniteit en eie belange gebruik.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:sun/oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/5239 |
| Date | 12 1900 |
| Creators | Msukwa, Chimwemwe Kanyamana |
| Contributors | Van der Westhuizen, Janis, Swart, Gerrie, University of Stellenbosch. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Department of Political Science. |
| Publisher | Stellenbosch : University of Stellenbosch |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | Unknown |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | ix, 77 p. : ill., map |
| Rights | University of Stellenbosch |
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