Zim, S Africa commit to development
. . . as ED pledges polls in July
PRESIDENT Emmerson Mnangagwa and South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa are committed to working on joint economic development projects, as Zimbabwe’s leader said elections would be held in July.
Briefing journalists after the two Heads of State and Government met at Munhumutapa Building in Harare yesterday, President Mnangagwa said they had discussed investment in roads, railways, energy and trade, which could score quick-wins for Zimbabwe’s economy.
President Mnangagwa said, “His Excellency President Cyril Ramaphosa, President of South Africa, has come to Zimbabwe to exchange notes about the situation in South Africa and in Zimbabwe. On my part, I was pleased that we had a one-on-one and we were able to look at challenges which we face as the new leaders of our respective countries, share these challenges and how we can overcome them.
“For instance, with regards to Zimbabwe we have infrastructure challenges, we have poor roads, poor railway; the economy is down. We also need electricity, energy, from South Africa. All these issues are issues we discussed and I am happy to say my brother was very accommodative.”
President Ramaphosa said the courtesy call on President Mnangagwa had provided an opportunity to discuss economic matters.
He said, “It was a courtesy call but we used the opportunity to have a number of discussions on various issues; issues that have to do with challenges we are facing in the region, mostly economic challenges, and we reaffirmed our willingness to work together, to improve and grow the economies of our two respective countries.
“So, this was a great opportunity to confirm that South Africa and Zimbabwe are joined at the hip and will find