By Enyichukwu Enemanna
Zimbabwe’s President, Emmerson Mnangagwa and his South African counterpart, President Cyril Ramaphosa, on Friday presided over the signing of six instruments of cooperation aimed at deepening bilateral relations and strengthening collaboration across key sectors.
The agreements were signed during the Heads of State Summit of the Fourth Session of the Zimbabwe-South Africa Bi-National Commission (BNC) in Pretoria, as the two neighbouring countries seek to translate their longstanding political and historical ties into practical cooperation and tangible development outcomes.
The instruments cover diplomacy, correctional services, agriculture, arts, culture and heritage, women’s empowerment and gender equality, as well as the institutional framework governing meetings of the BNC.
The agreements signed were a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on collaboration between the Zimbabwe Foreign Services Institute (ZFSI) and the Diplomatic Academy of the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO), an MoU on cooperation in correctional services and Rules of Procedure governing meetings of the Zimbabwe-South Africa BNC.
The two countries also signed an MoU on cooperation in agriculture, an MoU on cooperation in the fields of arts, culture and heritage and an MoU on bilateral cooperation in women’s empowerment and gender equality.
The signing followed the opening session of the Heads of State Summit, during which President Mnangagwa reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to working closely with South Africa at bilateral, regional, continental and international levels to advance shared goals and aspirations.
President Mnangagwa said the BNC should produce concrete outcomes that strengthen economic integration, industrialisation and cooperation between the two countries.
President Ramaphosa also called for the historic relationship between Zimbabwe and South Africa to be translated into tangible benefits for their peoples, highlighting the need for stronger trade, infrastructure development, food security, water cooperation, improved border management and joint efforts to combat cross-border crime.
The two leaders said the implementation of the agreements would be critical to ensuring that decisions reached under the BNC translate into practical benefits for citizens of both countries.
