Zimbabwe and South Africa have stepped up efforts to strengthen bilateral cooperation, with senior government officials meeting in Pretoria to review existing commitments and prepare for a high-level engagement aimed at delivering more tangible economic and political outcomes.
In a statement, yesterday, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services, Nick Mangwana, said the two-day Senior Officials Meeting (SOM), which began on Tuesday, August 18, at the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) in Pretoria, was reviewing previous commitments ahead of the Ministerial Session scheduled for Thursday.
“The two-day Senior Officials Meeting commenced on Tuesday, 18 August, at DIRCO in Pretoria, reviewing prior commitments and preparing for the Ministerial Session on 20 August.
The SOM is being co-chaired by Zimbabwean Ambassador Albert Chimbindi and his South African counterpart Ambassador Teobogo Seokolo, with discussions expected to lay the groundwork for the upcoming Bi-National Commission (BNC) session,” he said.
He said the ministerial engagement would be followed by the BNC session on August 21.
“The SOM will be followed by the BNC Session on 21 August, which will be attended by the Presidents of Zimbabwe and South Africa, providing an opportunity for the two governments to assess progress and give political direction to areas of mutual cooperation,” Mangwana said.
The Programme would also include a Business Forum designed to strengthen private-sector participation, with Zimbabwean companies being mobilised through the national trade promotion agency, ZimTrade.
“A Business Forum, mobilising Zimbabwean companies via ZimTrade, will boost private-sector linkages and investment,” he said.
Mangwana said the elevation of the bilateral framework from the Joint Permanent Commission on Cooperation (JPCC) to a BNC reflected a renewed political commitment by both countries to achieving concrete results.
“The elevation from JPCC to BNC reflects a renewed, results-oriented political commitment,” he said.
He said Zimbabwe and South Africa’s relationship was rooted in the liberation struggle and had evolved into broad cooperation covering strategic socio-economic and political sectors.
“Rooted in liberation solidarity since 1994, the bilateral ties span strategic socio-economic and political sectors, aiming for tangible outcomes,” Mangwana said.
Meanwhile the high-level engagement comes against the backdrop of deep economic and social ties between Zimbabwe and South Africa, making effective implementation of bilateral agreements critical to maximising opportunities for both countries.
