SA, Namibia meet to strengthen ties

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Pretoria - A meeting underway between President Jacob Zuma and his Namibian counterpart President Hifikepunye Pohamba is set to seal trade and investment ties between the two countries.

Zuma and several Cabinet ministers are expected to sign a host of agreements that will see South African working with Namibia in areas of agriculture, infrastructure development, trade and tourism.

Pohamba is the second Southern African Development Community (SADC) Head of State to visit Zuma in the past week, following his meeting with DRC president Joseph Kabila on Friday.

The meeting is also expected to highlight progress made in the implementation of several regional projects the two countries embarked on. These include the Trans-Kalahari Rail initiative, a project supported by SA, Namibia and Botswana.

Speaking earlier, Zuma said South Africa and Namibia shared an "incredible" bond that was enforced by the atrocities of the apartheid system.

"Our destinies have always been intertwined," said Zuma.

While he raised several concerns about the implementation of some agreements made in the past between SA and Namibia, Pohamba said he was confident that the two countries were still committed in the relations started years ago. "We reiterate our firm support and commitment to our bilateral agenda".