Gaborone — Botswana and South Africa enjoy smooth relations, with emerging issues resolved efficiently and effectively through close collaboration, says President Advocate Duma Boko.
Speaking during a farewell courtesy call by the outgoing South African High Commissioner to Botswana, Ms Thaninga Shope-Soumah in Gaborone on Monday, President Boko said Botswana was grateful for the role that Ms Shope-Soumah played in strengthening relations between the two neighbouring countries.
He said Botswana and South Africa worked closely together in fighting Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD), travel and movement of people and goods.
President Boko said the two nations would continue to engage as it was witnessed by the recently held Bi-National Commission, the Southern African Customs Union and the Southern African Development Community.
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“We have worked very well together, thanks to your facilitation, support and efforts. We are most grateful,” he added.
The President also expressed confidence that Ms Shope-Soumah’s successor would continue the good work she had done.
He added that outstanding issues connected with the remembrance of the struggle icons and heroes who went through Botswana would be taken into consideration.
President Boko said Botswana remained willing and ready to continue working closely with South Africa.
He also assured her that the government would ensure completion of the Lobatse Monument project.
“It is good for cementing the role that the country played and some of the sacrifices and loss of lives that we incurred in our support of the struggle for liberation. It will also help support, or augment, the Samora Machel Monument and create some attraction and bring about some economic activity in the area. So, we look forward to having the project proceed,” he added.
For her part, Ms Shope-Soumah appealed for the implementation of the proposed major international Liberation Heritage Park and Freedom Monument, in partnership with the African Union and South Africa.
She said the heritage park and monument was aimed at honouring Lobatse’s pivotal role in the Southern Africa liberation struggle, including the African National Congress (ANC) meetings and sheltering of prominent figures like Nelson Mandela and Samora Machel.
The outgoing High Commissioner said the Lobatse Monument was, ‘historically important for the younger generation to see the role Botswana played in the liberation of, not only South Africa, but Southern Africa’.
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She said the implementation of the project had been delayed by changes in the ministries in both South Africa and Botswana, but stressed that, ‘it is really very important that the two countries implement it together’.
Ms Shope-Soumah said she would appreciate if the incoming High Commissioner was assisted, through the Minister of Environment and Tourism, to ensure that the project came into effect.
She said the project was also personal, because she and her family had passed through Lobatse where the first conference of the ANC, outside South Africa, was held.
“It is very important to have that historical factor, so that people should be able to see the role that was played by Botswana in liberating African countries, particularly South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia, among others,” she said.
Further, Ms Shope-Soumah thanked the government and the people of Botswana for the hospitality, and she felt at home.
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