26 January 2022
On Wednesday 26 January 2022, President Cyril Ramaphosa received His Excellency President Hakainde Hichilema of the Republic of Zambia for a courtesy visit at the Mahlamba Ndlopfu official residence in Tshwane.
President Hichilema visited South Africa as an invited guest speaker at a private function.
President Hichilema’s courtesy call on President Ramaphosa provided an opportunity for bilateral discussions between South Africa and Zambia ahead of an Inaugural Bi- National Commission scheduled for later this year.
During the meeting the two leaders discussed regional issues and the use of multilateral bodies to advance the African Agenda and that of the global South, and the collective solidarity of the SADC community in the fight against terrorism and insurgencies.
President Ramaphosa commended Zambia’s fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, reasserting that developing countries must have equity in developing and distributing vaccines.
The two leaders also noted progress in the establishment of facilities in Africa for the production of vaccines and other therapeutics that will reach populations around the continent.
The leaders identified the need for South Africa and Zambia to keep one another abreast of investment opportunities in each country and to actively encourage business to invest in areas of mutual benefit for regional development, such as in mineral beneficiation, local manufacturing and agriculture.
President Ramaphosa and President Hichilema cemented bilateral relations between the two countries.
South Africa and Zambia enjoy cordial bilateral relations, underpinned by strong historical and political bonds that date back to the era of the liberation struggle and apartheid colonialism