botswana/namibia - Cour international de Justice

429. It is apparent that even at times of very high water levels that the western and northern
channel is clearly the major channel in terms of size.
430. It can be seen that there is far more surface water visible on the island to the north of the
sub-channel than to the south of it. It is also apparent that the south-western corner of the
island is dry sandy soil of the same texture as the mainland. This indicates that this area,
which falls right across Professor Alexander's "Zone d" (bed of the pseudo-Chobe River), has
already drained and therefore is higher than the rest of the island.
431. This is in clear contradiction of Professor Alexander's assertion that zone d (see
Namibian Memorial, Vol.VI, part 2, diagram 4, sheet 17) is the bed of the main channel
(Namibian Memorial, Vol.VI, part 1, p.22, Para.8.11). If this were the case, then it could be
expected that this zone would be covered by water long after the area to the north had drained
as the floods receded. This is clearly not the case on this photograph.
432. The Zambezi Queen can be seen moored to the western bank of the Spur channel. This is
the 42 metre cruise vessel referred to in this Chapter at paras. 347 and 387.
The June 1997 Photo-mosaic of Chobe River from Mambova Rapids to Kasikili/Sedudu
Island (Photo 'L')
433. This is a photo montage of 8 photographs taken at high-water in June 1997 covering the
stretch of the Chobe River from Mambova Rapids in the east to a point to the west of the
Island. The montage is introduced to give the overall picture of the area. The original contact
scale of the photography was 1:17,000, which has been reduced to approximately 1:30,000 for
this montage.
434. To the east of the montage, the massive basaltic outcrop of the Mambova Rapids is
visible. This feature is constantly referred to throughout both the Botswana and Namibian
Memorials. The outcrop continues northwards forming the Mambova Rapids of the Zambezi.
435. The Mambova Rapids are a continuation of the upthrust Chobe Ridge along which the
Chobe River runs for some 100 kilometres from Kachikau in the west. This ridge represents
the southern limit of the Zambezi floodplain, the northern limit of which is the Zambezi
escarpment in Zambia.
436. The photography was taken in June as the backed up floodwaters of the Zambezi were
starting to recede. However, the damming effect of the Mambova Rapids on the Chobe River
is still clearly visible.
437. The main cross-drainage channels between the Zambezi and the Chobe, namely the
Kassaya (Kasai) Channel and the Makoma Channel, mentioned above at paragraph 364 are
visible across the river from Kasane.
438. The four sediment bars, claimed by the Namibian Memorial to be sediment bars
indicative of active flow (para. 426 above), are clearly visible at the base of the sediment spit
in the southern channel. They are the same size and shape and in the same position as on the
1925 photograph taken 72 years earlier. They do not, therefore, by reason of " the changes in
their position and shape over the years ... indicate active river flow ..." as asserted in the