by TINTSWALO BALOYI
JOHANNESBURG, (CAJ News) – SOUTH Africa and Zambia are deepening their relations.
This follows Zambian president, Hakainde Hichilema, paying a courtesy call on his South African counterpart, Cyril Ramaphosa, on Wednesday.
Hichilema was visiting South Africa as an invited guest speaker at a private function.
Hichilema’s courtesy call on President Ramaphosa provided an opportunity for bilateral discussions between South Africa and Zambia ahead of an inaugural Bi- National Commission (BNC) scheduled for later this year.
Wednesday’s meeting also touched on regional issues, reaffirming South Africa and Zambia’s common international policy of a stable and peaceful continent.
This shared approach includes the use of multilateral bodies to advance the African Agenda and that of the global South as well as the collective solidarity of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) regional bloc in the fight against terrorism and insurgencies.
Ramaphosa commended Zambia’s fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, reasserting that developing countries must have equity in developing and distributing vaccines.
The two leaders also noted progress in the establishment of facilities in Africa for the production of vaccines and other therapeutics that will reach populations around the continent.
South Africa and Zambia enjoy cordial bilateral relations, underpinned by strong historical and political bonds that date back to the era of the liberation struggle and apartheid colonialism.
– CAJ News