Namibia and South Africa’s extremely close ties were yesterday on full display when the countries’ presidents met to sign a raft of agreements in Pretoria.   

“[Our bonds] are etched in our collective glorious history of struggle and triumph against the brutality of apartheid. I always say that you can choose your friends. But you cannot choose your neighbours.”

This was how President Hage Geingob buttressed Namibia and South Africa’s symbiotic relations in Pretoria during his
three-day State visit, at the invitation of president Cyril Ramaphosa.

“However, in South Africa, we are not only friends. We are with a neighbour with whom we share a very painful past, building an optimistic future with shared prosperity,” he said while briefing the media shortly after meeting Ramaphosa behind closed doors.

At the heart of his visit was the consolidation of the already existing ties between the two nations.

This is evidenced by the over 100 bilateral agreements and memoranda of understanding covering a wide range of sectors signed between the two nations.

This is the highest number Namibia has signed with any other bilateral partner. South Africa remains Namibia’s leading trading partner in the world, both in terms of exports and imports.

They also have the highest number of companies doing business in Namibia.

Annually, the country imports about 70% of its food from South Africa, while its currency is pegged to the Rand. 

The two trade partners likewise resolved to elevate their cooperation in the tourism sector to greater heights.

“I am informed that following our official talks, we will witness the signing of a memorandum on tourism, an area key to our economic development aspirations. We should, therefore, direct our ministers and their senior officials to ensure the speedy and timeous implementation of legal instruments we enter into,” Geingob added.

He hastened to emphasise that Namibia and South Africa remain relatively young, maturing constitutional democracies, wherein fundamental rights are guaranteed, “including property rights, freedom of movement and [freedom of] association]”.

“However, all freedoms, including that of the media, come with responsibility and accountability. What has been gained can also be lost if handled carelessly. In Namibia, we are working hard to ensure that our democracy delivers goods and services and prosperity for our citizens,” Geingob stated.

He furthermore chronicled the past eight years of his presidency, which have been characterised by crises.

“Namibia went through a global commodity crisis, the worst droughts recorded in our history, and the devastation of Covid-19, which took the lives of many of our citizens and impacted the economy. However, during those difficult periods, we Namibians stood together as one nation, one people. We were able to protect the most vulnerable sections of our population,” Geingob said. This was done through the N$8.1 billion economic stimulus package which was rolled-out to soften the negative impact of Covid-19, and increments in old-age pensions and disability grants.

“At this juncture, I wish to thank the Government of the Republic of South Africa for enabling trade and commerce of basic goods to move freely between our borders after all countries closed their borders to combat the further spread of Covid-19… We also thank South Africa for facilitating the safe return of many Namibians who were stranded abroad, including South Africa, when countries instituted lockdowns,” Geingob said in a separate statement
released by State House. He then took time to brief his counterpart on the prospects of the green hydrogen and oil discoveries in Namibia.

“We are in the advanced stages of developing an ammonia industry in three regions of our country. Shell and TotalEnergies, together with our national oil company Namcor and investors from Qatar have discovered hydrocarbons, not far from South Africa in the Orange basin.

“This presents us with an opportunity for collaboration between our governments and the private sector in the oil and gas industry, and also in the green hydrogen sector,” he noted. Echoing Geingob, Ramaphosa said they must look at how the countries can collaborate, as respective governments, state-owned enterprises and private companies, to seize the opportunities.

“Like Namibia, South Africa is a water-scarce country, and is thus particularly vulnerable to climate change and its effects on food security, energy-generation and many other sectors. We need to work together in pursuit of low-carbon, inclusive, climate-resilient development, which is critical to the sustainability of our continent,” he observed.  

In a statement released by the South African Presidency, Ramaphosa’s sentiments mirrored those of Geingob. The last time a Namibian president visited South Africa on an official visit was in 2012.

“A great many things have changed our world since then, including the global Covid-19 pandemic that wreaked havoc across the globe. The pandemic had a devastating impact on human health, livelihoods and economic activity, and it will take us some time to fully recover.

“Therefore, as we further cement our strong bilateral relations, we need to work together for a swift economic and social recovery for our respective countries, for the region and for our continent,” Ramaphosa said. He expressed gratitude that officials from both countries continue to engage at various levels, the most recent structured engagement being the 3rd South Africa-Namibia Bi-National Commission (BNC) meeting that took place in Windhoek in March this year. On Wednesday, “Namibia’s minister in the Presidency [Christine
//Hoebes] and South Africa’s Minister of International Relations and Cooperation [Naledi Pandor] had the opportunity to discuss issues of mutual interest. This engagement will be valuable for our discussions today,” Ramaphosa added.

While the two nations are putting pen to paper for new agreements, he added, “it is important that we conduct an audit of all existing legal instruments between our two countries in preparation for the upcoming BNC”.

“We need to be certain that they are fit-for-purpose, and that they continue to serve our respective developmental goals. As neighbours with deep historical ties, we share the same aspirations for our people – development, employment, equality and prosperity,” Ramaphosa continued.

Apartheid

Seemingly taking a dig at critics and opposition parties in both countries, Geingob said the Namibia [under Swapo rule] and South Africa [under the African National Congress] inherited in 1990 and 1994, respectively, now are worlds apart.

“It is difficult for us in Namibia to correct a century of these wrongs in 33 years… What we had was structural segregation. You cannot just remove in 33 years, when you are also there with a constitution to accommodate those who you defeated [former oppressors],” he emphasised.

On the continental front, Geingob urged other African leaders to embrace term limits, instead of waiting to be pushed out of office.

He used Guinea’s Alpha Conde as an example. Conde, (84) was overthrown in a coup in 2021. “Term limits must be honoured. We have problems in some countries in West Africa, where presidents are changing constitutions to continue. But when you do that, you are overstaying your welcome [and] things are going to happen. We [Geingob and Conde] used to argue, he used to say ‘Hage, why do you like term limits?’ He said, ‘if people want you to be there, why should you refuse?’… After a few years, what happened [in Guinea]? A painful situation,” Geingob pointed out, noting that he remains in touch with the now-exiled former president. 

On the Russia-Ukraine war, the Heads of State reaffirmed the two countries’ belief in the principle of respect for national sovereignty, territorial integrity, and the peaceful settlement of disputes in accordance with relevant international laws.

They called on the United Nations, in particular the Security Council, to work towards the peaceful resolution of the conflict in Ukraine. They urged the international community to contribute to the immediate de-escalation and to avoid taking further counterproductive measures that will inflame the situation.

 -emumbuu@nepc.com.na