My Brother, Honourable Dr Phenyo Butale, Minister of International Relations of the Republic of Botswana; Honourable Ministers from our two Republics; Co-Chairs of the Senior Officials; High Commissioners of our two countries; Senior Officials from our respective Governments; Members of the Media,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Good morning,
I wish to begin by conveying our sincere and deepest gratitude to our host, my brother and co-chair, Honourable Minister Butale, for the opportunity to oversee our proceedings today and to receive the report of the Senior Officials during this sixth session of the Bi-National Commission.
We also express our deep appreciation to the government and the people of Botswana for the warm hospitality extended to us since our arrival in this beautiful and historic city of Gaborone.
We feel at home here in Botswana, a country with which we share deep, historic and fraternal bonds.
We are holding this meeting in the aftermath of a difficult moment. A few days ago, Botswana, joined by friends from near and far, bid farewell to a towering giant, an African statesman and a respected global figure, former President Festus Mogae.
Former President Mogae served his country, the region and the continent with grace, honour and immense ability. His passing is a loss to all of us.
Deputy President Paul Mashatile was here to represent President Ramaphosa, the government and the people of South Africa, to pay homage to this stalwart of Pan-Africanism and to express our profound sadness and condolences to the family, President Boko, the government and the Batswana people.
To us, Botswana is not just a neighbour. Through the realities of geography, culture, shared history and heritage, our two countries are bound by a common belonging. Our people speak the same language and draw water from the same well.
Our interests and fortunes are interwoven in a fabric that is not only beautiful but also durable.
In the dark days of Apartheid, Batswana opened their homes to us – a gesture of solidarity that often invited the wrath of the ruthless white minority regime. Today, thanks to the collective efforts of the people of our region and beyond, South Africa is a free nation. This year we mark 30 years of the adoption of our Constitution and 32 years of democracy.
My Dear Brother, Co-Chair and Colleagues,
This meeting takes place in a context where the people of our two countries expect us to work more closely and to achieve even higher levels of cooperation. As we prepare to report to our two Heads of State and Government during the Summit session, our work must reflect the strategic nature of our bilateral relations and our deliberate intent to accelerate cooperation across various fields.
The work of the Senior Officials is therefore paramount. The deliberations held in the various committees over the past few days must lead to sustained implementation of existing decisions, action-plans and programmes.
At the same time, the identification of new and impactful areas of cooperation remains critical. Both our countries must continue to explore further opportunities and establish practical avenues for joint development in the mutual interest of our nations.
As natural partners and reliable allies, South Africa and Botswana must continue to use the Bi-National Commission as an instrument through which we assess progress, resolve challenges and deepen cooperation.
During this BNC, three agreements will be signed. There are currently 28 existing bilateral agreements between our two countries, signifying the depth of our cooperation.
Co-Chair,
South Africa is a major trade and investment partner of Botswana. Your country’s market is a major recipient of South African products, particularly in the area of agricultural goods. While we are committed to seeing this grow, we also recognise that Botswana is developing its own agricultural base.
Our interests in this sector are complementary. They are not mutually exclusive, nor are they in competition or contradiction. We commend Botswana for the rollout and implementation of its National Development Plan 12, which places strong emphasis on economic diversification, export-led growth and job creation.
Many South African companies and private sector entities have significant investments in Botswana. We thank the government and people of Botswana for creating opportunities and space for our companies. In the same spirit, we would like to see an increased presence of companies from Botswana in South Africa.
Increased bilateral trade and investment will go a long way towards enhancing our industrialisation objectives, expanding our economies and strengthening bilateral and regional value chains. Through these efforts, more employment opportunities will become available for our people.
Enormous opportunities also exist in infrastructure development. South Africa’s development finance institutions, such as the Development Bank of Southern Africa and the Industrial Development Corporation, continue to engage with Batswana partners on exciting and impactful priority projects in transport corridors, water resource management and other areas.
We applaud Botswana for its plans to establish a One-Stop Border Post at Tlokweng/Kopfontein, primarily to ease congestion and facilitate the smoother movement of trade. As we build cross-border and regional corridors, the sharing of technical expertise, capacity and plans will also be essential.
Dear Brother and Co-Chair,
Energy security remains a central priority. Access to reliable electricity and petroleum resources is fundamental as we seek to power our industries and expand our economies.
South Africa and Botswana also have significant mineral deposits. Cooperation in the mining sector is therefore essential. At a time of intense global interest in critical minerals, we must collaborate so that we take advantage of the opportunities these minerals present, while also having a say in how they are extracted, beneficiated and utilised for our domestic economies and for the global economy.
There is also a clear imperative to deepen cooperation in telecommunications, digital technology, financial services, tourism, hospitality, education and scientific cooperation.
One of the key imperatives of regional integration is building the capacity to address both the opportunities and challenges of migration. South Africa recognises migration as an important contributor to regional development when it is managed properly and effectively.
Migration itself is not a problem. The challenge facing South Africa is irregular migration and high influx of illegal foreign nationals or migrants.
South Africa is one of the seven SADC countries, out of sixteen member states, that has ratified the 2005 SADC Protocol on the Facilitation of Movement of Persons. Similarly, South Africa supports and aligns itself with the African Union Free Movement of Persons Protocol.
For this reason, the region and the continent must hold constructive and comprehensive discussions on the push and pull factors of migration, including the related socio-economic, governance and security dimensions.
These discussions must also include the principle of burden sharing, with proper attention given to countries of origin, transit and destination. The driving forces of irregular migration must be examined honestly and collectively.
On our part, the South African government has strongly impressed upon our people that no one may take the law into their own hands. We have also deployed the necessary law enforcement capacity to deal with incidents of attacks on foreign nationals.
Co-Chair and Colleagues,
The Bi-National Commission between our two countries should serve as a platform for aligning the strategic, political and economic priorities of both nations. It must advance the mutual development goals of our two countries.
As you are aware, South Africa concluded its term as G20 President in November last year, during which we placed Africa’s development priorities at the centre. These included debt sustainability, post-disaster support, critical minerals beneficiation and a fairer global climate finance system.
We look forward to Botswana’s support in building on this agenda as a continental priority.
South Africa, as interim Chair of SADC and incoming Chair in August this year, and as a member of the AU Peace and Security Council, reaffirms its commitment to advancing peace, security and stability on our continent.
Silencing the Guns should therefore remain an important objective for both South Africa and Botswana. If left unaddressed, the persistence of instability in parts of our region and continent will slow down the developmental aspirations of our peoples in Africa.
Minister, I look forward to welcoming you to the SADC Retreat of Ministers of Foreign Affairs, where we will assess the evolving global geopolitical landscape and position the region to respond proactively to emerging challenges and opportunities.
Distinguished Colleagues,
I join you in co-chairing this session of the Council of Ministers. I also 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.
Allow me once again to express my sincere appreciation to you and your delegation for your commitment and leadership in convening this important meeting, and for the hospitality extended.
Ke a leboga.
ISSUED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS AND COOPERATION
OR Tambo Building
460 Soutpansberg Road
Rietondale
Pretoria
0084