The embattled presidents spoke at the opening of a
Bi-National Commission, where President Jacob Zuma appeared fresh from the
#StateCaptureReport.
President Jacob Zuma and his Zimbabwean counterpart,
Robert Mugabe, are both facing growing calls for them to step down. But they
actually comfort each other and agreed to set an African World record.
Fresh from the #StateCaptureReport (which he
studiously avoided any mention of) President Jacob Zuma bravely affirmed: “Not
all is gloom and doom.”
He was speaking at the opening of a Bi-National
Commission in Zimbabwe. Established on April 8 2015, the commission was set up
to steer bilateral relations between the neighbouring countries, while seeking
ways to promote and enhance co-operation in various sectors within the two
governments.
State media have welcomed the commission, saying it
would “herald a new chapter” in relations between the two countries, despite
Zimbabwe’s worsening economic crisis and what are widely seen as
investor-unfriendly conditions..
Here are some key points from a fairly lacklustre
speech:
“Our
region has been hard-hit by El Nino,” Zuma said. He said the drought had
“eroded decades of hard-won developmental gains, putting great strain on the
fiscus of most governments.” No word on how corruption might have also imposed
a strain.
We’re
pleased about the appointment of a new UN secretary-general
And the
fact that the new BRICS development bank is establishing its Africa regional
centre in Johannesburg. Old news.
President
Robert Mugabe’s time as chair of the AU in 2015 was very positive
Said Zuma:
“Your contribution as chair of the post ... has put the region and the continent on a
different platform of economic and political stability.” Excuse me?
Zuma went
even further, saying Zimbabwe had been “instrumental towards realising the
dream of a prosperous African continent.
We need to
focus on economic co-operation
If so, why
didn’t a business forum bringing together representatives from Zimbabwe and
South Africa manage to make it today? Zuma did not mention this but Mugabe was
clearly disappointed.
Business
communities “stand ready to play their part” in deepening co-operation between
South Africa and Zimbabwe
This is
where the speech gets interesting. Zuma said the business communities would
play their part if the governments “create conducive environments for ease of
doing business”.
OK, so he
didn’t mention bond notes, the SI 64 of 2016 ban on many SA imports and
indigenisation. In fact Zuma went straight on to point to the need for a
one-stop border post at Beitbridge, a recurring topic in these talks. But he said the need for conducive
environments was “not limited” to that. He also made a fleeting reference to
“policy certainty”. Was this a friendly bit of brother-to-brother advice in the
light of Zimbabwe’s looming economic meltdown?
‘We need each other’ more than ever
Speaking at the opening earlier, a clearly-shaky
Mugabe has told Zuma: “We are happy you are still in one piece in spite of what
the papers are writing every day.”
The 92-year-old leader went on to say: “Comrade
president, we need each other even more now than before.”
We need to retire at hundred, for the sake of our people. Mugabe added
Despite the fact that, Both leaders are facing
growing calls for them to step down,
Mugabe from #ThisFlag protesters
and
Zuma in the wake of the #StateCaptureReport.
Mugabe, who has been in power since 1980, said
Zimbabwe and South Africa “face renewed assaults on our independence and
sovereignty”.
There have been concerns over the Zimbabwean
president’s health for a long time. During his speech, his voice was much
weaker voice than normal and he hesitated at times.
Following a couple of embarrassing stumbles in
public in recent months, cameras from the state broadcaster resolutely refuse
to focus on the nonagenarian as he walks to a podium to give a speech. Thursday
was no different, with the cameras fixed on the seated audience.
Meanwhile, News reported on Thursday that Zimbabwe’s
foreign affairs minister Simbarashe Mumbengegwi has pleaded with South African
entrepreneurs to start joint ventures with locals to save the country from
de-industrialisation that could have contagion effects in the region.
“It is self-evident that de-industrialising Zimbabwe
is not an attractive and viable partner for South Africa or indeed for any
other country. A de-industrialising Zimbabwe also eliminates the country from
fully partaking in and contriburting to the SADC industrialisation strategy and
roadmap,” Mumbengegwi was quoted as saying.
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