President Cyril Ramaphosa has welcomed Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan on her first state visit to South Africa, saying he hoped the visit would further strengthen the bilateral political and economic relations between the two countries and enhance the work of the Bi-National Commission (BNC).
Ramaphosa said this must be used as an opportunity to explore further areas of co-operation. He was pleased to learn that several agreements and memorandums of understanding between the departments were currently at various stages of negotiation and would soon be signed and subsequently implemented.
One of the key priorities of the BNC is to increase trade and investment so that the two countries may promote economic development for mutual benefit.
To do this, Ramaphosa said that the two countries needed to address any impediments and create a conducive environment for bilateral trade and investment to flourish.
“I look forward to participating in the South Africa-Tanzania Business Forum taking place alongside this state visit and summit meeting of the BNC.
“Just as we share common aspirations for the social and economic development of our countries, we also share similar views on the security and economic development of our region and the continent,” he said.
Ramaphosa said engagements in regional, continental and global governance institutions reinforced the imperative of silencing the guns across the continent and of working together for peace, security, and stability.
“We should be concerned, in particular, at the concerted effort to frustrate the resolution of the situation in Western Sahara. As South Africa and Tanzania, we need to continue to mobilise other countries on the continent and international partners towards a sustainable resolution to the Western Sahara conflict in line with the provisions of the 1991 ceasefire agreement,” he said.
The changing international political landscape required them to align their positions and approaches to ensure that the voice of Africa was further strengthened at a global stage.
Ramaphosa also thanked the Tanzanian people for supporting South Africa during the Struggle.
He said South Africa counted the United Republic of Tanzania as among its dearest and most cherished friends and that the support that Tanzania gave the country during the Struggle for freedom was unparalleled.
Ramaphosa spoke about his visit in 2019, when he visited the Solomon Mahlangu Freedom College in Morogoro.
He said this institution bore witness to the shelter, comfort and support extended by Tanzania to South African freedom fighters for nearly three decades.
“I was also recently reminded of the extraordinary story of a group of nurses from South Africa who were smuggled out of the country in the early 1960s to work in Tanzania and to train nursing staff there.”
Known as the 20 Nightingales, they were received by President Julius Nyerere and ANC president Oliver Tambo, and were then placed in hospitals around the country to treat patients and to supervise local nurses.
“Earlier this month, one of these revolutionary nurses, Sister Kholeka Tunyiswa, passed away in Dar es Salaam. We pay tribute to Mama Kholeka and to her fellow nurses for their sacrifice and their contribution,” he added.
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