Pretoria - President Jacob Zuma used the first day of his state visit to Mozambique to extend his deepest condolences to President Filipe Nyusi in person for the recent attacks on foriegn nationals in South Africa.
“We condemned the incidents strongly and continue to do everything possible to ensure that there is no recurrence in our country. Government has also embarked on a long term programme of managing migration better and to promote peaceful co-existence between foreign nationals and nationals,” President Zuma said in his opening remarks at the start of his visit on Wednesday.
He added that South Africans had come out in huge numbers to demonstrate their strong condemnation of the attacks.
President Zuma used the state banquet hosted by his counterpart to again extend his condolences to the families of the deceased, affected individuals and all the Mozambican people.
“The incidents of the past month can never undo the bonds between our two countries and peoples. We will never allow that to happen,” he said at the state banquet.
President Zuma, who is leading several cabinet ministers to Mozambique on a two-day state visit, also thanked the Mozambican government for support and understanding while South Africa went through that difficult period, last month.
That political and historical bond between the two countries, he said, must now translate into improved economic cooperation.
The partnership over the years has yielded satisfactory results as evidenced by the existence of 60 bilateral agreements and memoranda of understandings covering a wide range of sectors including transport, trade and investment, energy, security, environment and tourism, science and technology, water, immigration, communication, sport, arts and culture, agriculture and mining.
To date there are over 300 South African companies doing business in Mozambique, resulting in the steady growth in trade and investment between the countries.
However, there remains a need to provide momentum to further strengthen economic relations by enhancing cooperation among respective government departments and institutions, the President said.
“We are of the strong view that their interaction will further strengthen our economic ties and bring us closer to the achievement of our aspirations of growing our respective economies for the mutual benefit of all.”
President Zuma was confident that the Bi-National Commission, which the two sides have entered into, will help to double the implementation mechanisms on strategic issues of bilateral importance.
“We are committed to working hard each day to ensure that current and future generations benefit from the historical bonds of our two nations,” he said.
Earlier in the day, during his official talks with President Nyusi, President Zuma said trade and investment cooperation can undoubtedly be expanded further; the opportunity is ripe with potential for expansion and diversification of trade.
“As a region, we have not only committed ourselves to regional integration but we have taken a step closer to realising our cherished desire to industrialise the region.”
With the approval of the Regional Industrialisation Strategy in Harare last month, President Zuma said it was a seminal milestone towards regional economic integration.
“For us to succeed, we must accelerate the involvement of the private sector in this process.
“We need to see the tangible progress being made towards the implementation of the continental development plan - Agenda 2063.”
Today, President Zuma continues with his visit, which will among other things see him paying a courtesy call to the Speaker of Assemble Republic, Veronica Nataniel Macamo Dlhovo. - SAnews.gov.za
