Presidents of South Africa and Zimbabwe discuss joint projects to boost trade and vreate new jobs

The President of the Republic of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa, said that South Africa and Zimbabwe need to transform their historic ties into new economic opportunities: jobs and investment. He made the statement at the opening of the fourth session of the Joint Commission between South Africa and Zimbabwe in Pretoria, where he hosted his Zimbabwean counterpart, Emmerson Mnangagwa. The President’s remarks were reported by
African Times, a TV BRICS partner.

Ramaphosa noted that bilateral trade has almost doubled over the past four years. However, he said, there remains a significant imbalance in trade: exports from South Africa to Zimbabwe substantially exceed imports in the opposite direction. The President called for the potential of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) to be used to increase trade turnover and change its structure so that both countries can expand exports of higher value-added products.

The report of the ministers presented to the commission identified a number of promising areas, including mining, energy, agriculture, transport, logistics and water management. Ramaphosa stressed the need to build roads, bridges, dams, airports, schools and hospitals to support economic growth. South African development institutions, including the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) and the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC), could participate in financing high-impact projects in Zimbabwe.

“These are projects that connect factories and farms to markets. Projects that connect power stations to businesses and homes. That connects dams to taps. That connects countries to their neighbours,” Ramaphosa said.

Mining is among the priorities. The South African leader highlighted the growing production of gold, platinum and lithium in Zimbabwe and said that both countries should seek to process minerals locally rather than export raw materials. In the energy sector, he pointed to the opportunities offered by the Southern African Power Pool (SAPP) for generating clean and reliable electricity. As an example of practical cooperation on water issues, he cited an agreement to supply water from Zimbabwe’s Beitbridge to the South African city of Musina.

Agriculture and food security were also on the agenda of the leaders’ talks. Ramaphosa called for more efficient use of arable land and greater support for farming communities amid climate change. He also said that the movement of people and goods should be facilitated through the modernisation of border posts, while law enforcement agencies should step up joint efforts to combat cross-border crime.

Earlier, the South Africa–Zimbabwe Business Forum was held in Midrand, bringing together government and business representatives to explore opportunities to expand trade and investment.

The ministerial part of the meeting identified a number of specific projects, including the construction of a third bridge across the Limpopo River, the commissioning of a one-stop border post at Beitbridge, the establishment of fertiliser production, the manufacture of automotive components and the beneficiation of platinum-group metals.

Since the establishment of the Joint Commission in 2015, more than 33 agreements and memoranda have been concluded between the two countries.