SA, Angola seek greater partnership

ANGOLA’S new Minister of Foreign Affairs, Manuel Domingos Augusto, is in South Africa on an official visit, holding discussions with his counterpart, Minister for International Relations and Co-operation Maite Nkoana-Mashabane.

The visit comes almost two months after President Jacob Zuma attended the inauguration of Angola’s new president, Joao Lourenço.

“President Lourenço has accepted an invitation extended to him from our president for a state visit to South Africa from November 22 to 24,” Nkoana-Mashabane said. “It will be his first state visit outside Angola as head of state.” Yesterday’s bilateral meeting focused on preparing for the state visit.

“We have agreed on ways to forge a strategic partnership and focus on how to grow our two economies,” said Nkoana-Mashabane at a press conference afterwards.

“Angola is on a journey of reconstruction and development, as our own country is, and there are numerous opportunities for both countries to explore in banking, mining, housing, retail, tourism, infrastructure, food and beverages, and medical services.”

Bilateral agreements have been lined up for the state visit, which include the ease of travel between the two countries, peopleto-people contact, and trade and investment. Augusto told the media: “At the end of the visit, a new era and dynamic will be put in place to put economic co-operation at the same level as our political co-operation.”

South Africa and Angola are working hard to collaborate on peace and security issues facing the southern African region, given that South Africa is the chair of SADC and Angola is the chair of the SADC Organ Troika for Peace and Security.

The ministers were asked when the deployment of an SADC force could be expected on the ground in Lesotho, given that the deployment had been postponed numerous times.

They characterised the SADC deployment as an “ongoing matter”.