The Stampriet Artesian30 Basin (SAB),31 which is shared by Namibia, Botswana and South Africa, was selected for one of five illustrative studies within the research project "Transboundary Groundwater Management in Africa" for the following reasons: First, the presence of fresh water is of special value in the very arid environment at the border between Namibia, Botswana and South Africa, where brackish and saline groundwater is frequent. Second, the SAB lies within the Orange River Basin, where a river basin commission exists. This means that an institution for transboundary cooperation concerning shared water resources is already in place and could also serve for joint management of the shared groundwaters. Third, the SAB has been well studied, at least on the Namibian side,32 and thus provides a basis for analysis.