Your Excellency Minister Maria Manuela Dos Santos Lucas, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Mozambique,
Fellow Ministers from South Africa and Mozambique,
Senior Officials and Experts from both Delegations,
It is a great honour for me, fellow Ministers and the Senior Officials from South Africa to be in this beautiful city of Maputo.
As we prepare for the milestone session tomorrow, which will be co-chaired by our Heads of State, their Excellencies President Cyril Ramaphosa and his Brother President Daniel Chapo, I wish to offer you this assurance: South Africa is firmly committed to taking our bilateral relationship with Mozambique to new heights.
Co-Chair, Minister, fellow Ministers,
This Fourth Bi-National Commission session reflects our desire to continue to strengthen cooperation and partnership between our nations.
The relationship between our two countries is special and unique, marked by friendship and a common heritage.
In the words of Oliver Tambo:
“It is no simple physical proximity that unites us. What unites us is the geography of shared goals and shared dreams.”
We shared a common determination to defeat colonialism and apartheid. Our peoples mounted a common effort to create a new regional order based on relations of equality among nations and cooperation for mutual benefit.
We remember the towering legacy of President Samora Machel, the great revolutionary and pan-Africanist, who was a steadfast companion of all people who struggled for justice and peace. As we meet here in Maputo, we honour his memory and the sacrifices of countless Mozambicans and South Africans whose struggles laid the foundations for the democratic and mutually beneficial relations we enjoy today.
Co-Chair, fellow Ministers,
The Bi-National Commission is not a mechanical exercise. It is the central framework for our cooperation across many sectors.
This year has already seen two high-level engagements between our countries. In January, President Ramaphosa attended President Chapo’s inauguration ceremony. In March, President Ramaphosa hosted President Chapo on a Working Visit.
On both occasions, our Heads of State directed us to deepen this partnership and to ensure that it yields practical benefits for our economies and our peoples.
Senior Officials have taken this guidance forward in their work in recent days, including their meeting in Pretoria at the end of October. They have been supported by the strategic direction of Ministers from both delegations.
Building on this firm foundation, our shared task now is to ensure that our partnership improves the quality of life for our respective peoples.
To this end, it is vital that we expand our cooperation in key sectors such as trade and investment, energy and mining, agriculture, infrastructure and transport, as well as health, culture and people-to-people ties.
As we work together, we must ensure that the full scope of our relations is reflected in the progress we make and in the new opportunities we unlock in each of these sectors.
It is encouraging to note that trade and investment levels between South Africa and Mozambique are high.
Mozambique is South Africa’s largest trading partner on the African continent. We are committed to ensuring that Mozambique shares equally in the benefits of this trade, including through increased imports of Mozambican goods into South Africa.
South Africa and Mozambique’s economies and development are intertwined, with many of our companies operating across various sectors of Mozambique’s economy. These ventures and operations have created employment, transferred skills and generated revenue.
Co-Chair, Ministers,
It is important to underscore the centrality of energy security for South Africa, Mozambique and the wider Southern African region.
For decades, Mozambique has contributed to South Africa’s energy security through predictable and secure supplies of electricity and gas. We are pleased that tomorrow afternoon our two Presidents will be in Inhambane Province to inaugurate a landmark integrated gas processing facility built by SASOL under a Production Sharing Agreement. This facility will provide additional natural gas for use in both Mozambique and South Africa.
In another expression of the commitment to enhance economic cooperation, South Africa’s development finance institutions and private companies have committed 150 billion rands towards funding projects in Mozambique in the next three to five years.
These entities have a history of constructive engagement in Mozambique. We express our appreciation for the opportunities afforded to our companies and development finance institutions to participate in your country’s economic landscape.
Co-Chair, fellow Ministers,
Another area of immense potential that needs to be explored is mining.
Our continent has a central role to play in the transition to a low carbon global economy, with around 30 per cent of the world’s proven reserves of critical minerals. Both our countries are fortunate to be well endowed in this regard.
Through closer collaboration, we can ensure that the growing demand for these minerals supports inclusive and sustainable development across our region.
We are eager to build on our strong record of technical cooperation, including the resource mapping initiatives undertaken with the South African Council for Geoscience in 2004 and 2010, whose finalisation we regard as a priority.
Co-Chair, Ministers,
Infrastructure development is central to deepening integration between our economies. South Africa and Mozambique are geographically well located at the nexus of regional integration in SADC.
The Maputo Development Corridor, which links the Port of Maputo to key centres in South Africa, has already contributed significantly to both our countries.
As we look to the future, discussions on the extension of the National Highway Number 4 (N4) concession and the expansion of road, rail and port infrastructure will be important.
As the African Union-designated continental hub for rail rolling stock, South Africa, through TRANSNET, stands ready to work with Mozambique on these efforts.
Co-Chair, Ministers,
Cooperation between South Africa and Mozambique also extends to the region and the continent.
In this regard, we thank Mozambique for its support during South Africa’s recent election as the interim Chair of SADC.
Working with Mozambique and other partners in the region, we will redouble our efforts to advance regional integration and promote peace and security.
We remain committed to working with you in support of lasting solutions to terrorism and violent extremism in Cabo Delgado province. As President Ramaphosa noted at the 3rd session of the Bi-National Commission, this is a threat we face together.
Likewise, we look forward to future opportunities to discuss our shared security challenges, including more closely coordinated efforts to combat cross-border crime and to address other security concerns affecting both our nations.
The security situation in the DRC will continue to be our priority during our tenure.
At the continental level, we remain concerned about the conflict in Sudan. Recently, El Fasher in Darfur experienced devastating attacks, which resulted in loss of lives, including the lives of women and children.
We call on the African Union, regional partners and the international community to shine a spotlight on this crisis, which has caused untold misery for the people of Sudan. Without peace and stability, our efforts at regional integration and shared prosperity cannot succeed.
As you are aware, South Africa has just concluded its term of the G20 presidency, during which we placed Africa’s development priorities at the centre.
These include debt sustainability, post-disaster support, critical minerals beneficiation and a fairer global climate finance system. We look forward to building on this agenda as a continental collective, speaking and acting with one voice.
Dear Sister, I join you in officially opening this session of the Council of Ministers and look forward to receiving the report of the Senior Officials and to our discussions as we prepare for the session of the Heads of State.
May we continue to walk this path together, guided by our shared goals and shared dreams.
May we continue to nurture a regional order based on relations of equality among nations, trust and cooperation for mutual benefit.
The South African delegation once again appreciates the warm welcome and great hospitality extended to us.
I thank you.
ISSUED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS AND COOPERATION
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