The Sunday Mail
ZIMBABWE and Botswana enjoy cordial relations with their ties dating back to the days of the liberation struggle where the latter provided bases, sanctuary to freedom fighters from the two liberation movements in Zimbabwe and safe passage to Zipra recruits on their way to Zambia and Tanzania for training.
Having attained self-government in 1965 before becoming the independent Republic of Botswana on September 30, 1966, Botswana was among the first group of African nations to unshackle themselves from the yoke of colonial subjugation and achieve self-rule in the Sadc region, laying the ground for the emancipation of its sister republics. When Zimbabwe attained independence in 1980, those relations were solidified and strengthened under the leaderships of founding fathers, President Seretse Khama of Botswana (who sadly died in 1980) and then Prime Minister Robert Mugabe (who passed away in 2019).
Over the years, Botswana and Zimbabwe have remained close with the successors to President Khama, Ketumile Masire and Festus Mogae continuing a legacy of close co-operation on all fronts with Zimbabwe. Even under former Botswana leader, Retired Lieutenant General Seretse Khama Ian Khama (2008-2018), who had a rather fractious relationship with former President Mugabe, Zimbabwe and Botswana cooperated extensively on the economic front and did not allow the animosity between their leaders to blight their solid historic ties.
The advent of the New Dispensation in Zimbabwe provided a platform for a fresh start which has been warmly embraced by the current leaders of the two nations — Presidents Mnangagwa and Mokgweetsi Masisi who have struck a close relationship which has enabled the elevation of relations to another level. Both leaders have sought to depart from the past and focus on improving the lot of their people by leveraging on the strategic relationship they have developed between the two nations.
The fact that they were both elected office in 2018 and are unencumbered by the hostilities of the past provides fertile ground for a solid relationship grounded in mutual respect. Thus the progress the two nations have made since then is testament of the vision of the two leaders and their desire to see their people progress.
In February 2019, Zimbabwe and Botswana convened the first session of the Bi-National Commission, coming up with a mammoth 43 Memoranda of Understanding in various fields of co-operation. To date, 25 of those MoUs have been signed with the third session of the BNC held in Victoria Falls last week witnessing the signing of five additional MoUs as the two nations cemented fraternal relations on a wide range of socio-economic issues.
President Mnangagwa, who witnessed the signing of the MoUs with his Botswana counterpart President Masisi, observed that there had never been a time in the past 42 years that relations between Zimbabwe and Botswana had been better. The signing of the instruments covering health, agriculture, food security and water co-operation, child protection, tourism, and co-operation on youth development, leaves 18 outstanding MoUs to be inked between the two nations.
President Mnangagwa said the finalisation of the MoUs was by no means an end in itself, but must mark the beginning of concrete programmes by the two countries adding that Zimbabwe stood ready play its part towards the overwhelming success of this strategic co-operation.
“I wish to express my profound gratitude, my dear brother, for the successful co-chairing of this third session of the BNC. This 3rd session of the commission has undoubtedly given us the opportunity to reflect on the state of our bilateral relations, identify bottlenecks and opportunities as well as the renewed commitment to further deepen our cooperation. We witnessed the signing of MoUs and agreements.
“This is reflective of how we continuously discover areas which we need to work on for the purpose of progressing not only our relations, but uplifting the lives of our people. This has set the foundation for broader co-operation in the respective socio-economic sectors of our two countries,” the President said.
We welcome the fruitful conclusion of the third Zim-Botswana BNC and call for the speedy and full implementation of these agreements. We are delighted that both countries’ officials are pulling in the same direction with their work guided by a results-oriented culture. In this vein, we are confident that the remaining MoUs will be consummated sooner rather than later, further cementing the fast growing bilateral relations.
The fact that long-standing sticky issues such as livestock rustling across borders were thrashed out shows a heightened level of commitment to improve relations. This bodes well for the aspirations of the two leaders who want to achieve inclusive economic growth in their countries. It is important that the agreements signed at the BNC translate into concrete and tangible deliverables that benefit the ordinary people in the two nations and lift them out of poverty. The onus is therefore on the Ministers and their officials to ensure diligent implementation of the instruments.
