‘We are one people’: Ramaphosa tells ‘brother’ Mnangagwa to reaffirm Zimbabwe ties

President Cyril Ramaphosa has reaffirmed ties between the two neighbouring countries, as he welcomed Zimbabwe’s president Emmerson Mnangagwa to the Fourth Session of the Bi-National Commission.

Ramaphosa reassured Mnangagwa, whom he referred to as “brother”, that despite the recent marches against illegal immigrants in South Africa, the two countries share “deep and historic relations between our peoples”.

In June, several countries, including Zimbabwe, started repatriating their citizens from South Africa amid the protests.

According to Home Affairs, as of 6 August 2024, at least 82 875 foreign nationals had been processed at the repatriation centres. The figure excludes those repatriated before 30 June and those processed by the Border Management Authority (BMA).

Between 20 April and 28 July this year, 16 078 foreign nationals were deported from the Lindela repatriation centre.

Malawians were the majority of those deported in the previous and current financial years, followed by Zimbabweans (13 479 previous vs 4 095 current), Mozambicans (12 354 vs 4 034) and Basotho (3 494 vs 931).

South Africa is seeking reimbursement from the countries whose citizens were deported.

During his opening remarks on Friday, Ramaphosa assured that despite recent events, the two countries were one.

“We are one people. Our spirits are inseparable, and our past has been shaped by shared culture, history and language. Our future will be shaped by shared aspirations,” said Ramaphosa.

“We stood together in the fight against colonialism, white minority rule and apartheid. As South Africa, we will forever remember that the people of Zimbabwe gave us shelter, protection and support in the darkest times of our struggle. Since then, our countries have held high the values of cooperation over division, peace over conflict, and partnership over competition.”

Ramaphosa further spoke about future collaborations between South Africa and Zimbabwe to drive the growth of their respective economies.

“We should be working together to build the bridges, roads, dams, airports, health facilities and schools that will drive our economies into the future.”

“Working together, we must convert our abundant mineral resources into jobs, opportunity and prosperity for our people.”

“The agreement to supply water from Zimbabwe’s Beitbridge Water Works to Musina is one example of how we can work together to meet our people’s basic needs and make our countries more resilient in the face of climate change. We must work together to ensure that all our people have enough food.”

Meanwhile, the Department of Correctional Services on Thursday evening said South Africa and Zimbabwe have agreed on a framework to transfer prisoners between the two countries.

They have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on technical cooperation on information management; exchange of information relating to prisons and correctional services; and promotion of prison self-sufficiency through agricultural and industrial production initiatives.

“The agreement will also establish a framework for cooperation on the interstate transfer of offenders between South Africa and Zimbabwe. This is a matter of mutual importance given the number of citizens from both countries serving sentences across their respective borders,” said the department.