Co-Chair and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Relations of the Kingdom of Lesotho, Honourable Lejone Mpotjoana,
High Commissioners,
Honourable Ministers,
Senior Government Officials,
Members of the Media,
Good Afternoon,
I sincerely thank Minister Mpotjoana for the warm words of welcome this afternoon to the plenary of the Council of Ministers.
Similarly, I extend our gratitude for the gracious hospitality extended to our Delegation since our arrival in this beautiful and historic city of Maseru.
Last year in October, President Ramaphosa represented our country at the Bicentennial Celebration of the founding of this great Basotho Nation in 1824. We are pleased to be back here in the Great kingdom of Lesotho, the land of King Moshoeshoe I.
We continue to be inspired by his brave and visionary leadership.
Dear Co-Chair and Brother,
The selfless contribution of Lesotho during our struggle for freedom and democracy remains deeply entrenched in the minds of many people of South Africa. President Nelson Mandela, the founding father of our nation, on the occasion of a State Banquet hosted here in Maseru by His Majesty King Moshoeshoe II, on 12 July 1995, poignantly said the following:
“I am mindful of being amongst a people who have fought so valiantly for our freedom as for their own.”
Madiba further affirmed,
“Although the ties between our people go back so many years, only now can they flourish to their full potential, under conditions of our own choosing. With the defeat of Apartheid, our two countries: a democratic South Africa and a Lesotho free of the shadow of destabilisation can look forward to a relationship of mutual benefit and between equal partners”.
Dear Colleagues,
We are gathered today on the occasion of the Second Session of our Binational Commission to review progress on the implementation of the decisions we took during the inaugural session of the BNC, which we were privileged to host in South Africa in 2023.
We are meeting almost two years later, under difficult and challenging regional and global context.
In our region, the security situation in the eastern part of our sister country, the Democratic Republic of Congo, has deteriorated. Millions of civilians, particularly women and children have been displaced, thousands have lost their lives, and critical infrastructure destroyed. Calls for a ceasefire and restraint seem to have fallen on deaf ears.
On the other hand, the global environment has become even more uncertain and unpredictable Trade policy shifts elsewhere will have a devastating impact on both our own economies and that of the globe.
While efforts are underway to find a mutually acceptable outcome from this impasse, there is a need for the Region, our Continent and the Global South to stand together, in unity and in solidarity.
Distinguished Colleagues,
As you may recall, during the previous session of the BNC, we adopted a range of decisions in order to deepen cooperation between our two countries in various sectors.
Allow me to highlight some of the key areas:
Firstly, we agreed to accelerate and deepen our cooperation in water and energy through the Lesotho Highlands Water Project.
We welcomed the launch of Phase II of the project. We recognised that this project contributes immensely to the growth of our economies, the development of our infrastructure and ensures water security not only to the two countries but potentially to other countries in the region.
Secondly, we recognised that there is a need to address migration issues between the two countries and facilitate the free movement of people across the borders. In this regard we assigned the relevant Ministries with the responsibility of developing a migration model that would address all the challenges that we are currently experiencing, taking into consideration the unique geographical locations of the two countries.
Thirdly, we directed the law enforcement authorities of the two countries to enhance their cooperation in order to stem the tide against trans-organised crimes and cross border crimes.
Fourthly, we also directed our relevant departments to deepen our economic cooperation and finalise negotiations to sign the Memorandum of Understanding for Economic Cooperation. Importantly the Departments were also requested to collaborate and deepen economic integration through the development of cross border value chain projects in the key areas of common interest and on the establishment of cross border Special Economic Zones and infrastructure development.
Distinguished Colleagues,
I have only highlighted these few issues not because others are less important, but for brevity.
I hope that the relevant Ministries and Departments gave the necessary attention to these tasks. In this regard I am looking forward to receiving progress reports on all these and other issues from our officials, during this session of the Council of Ministers.
In conclusion I once more express our profound gratitude to our host, Minister Mpotjoana for convening this session of the Council of Ministers.
Thank you!
Ke Khotso!
Enquiries: Spokesperson For Minister International Relations and Cooperation | Mr Chrispin Phiri
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