S. Africa to push relations with Zimbabwe to higher level: Presidency

South Africa is to further push relations with Zimbabwe to a higher level, the Presidency said on Tuesday.

For this purpose, President Jacob Zuma will visit Harare to attend the inaugural session of the South Africa-Zimbabwe Bi-National Commission, scheduled for November 3, presidential spokesperson Bongani Ngqulunga said.

South Africa and Zimbabwe have good bilateral political, economic and social relations that are underpinned by strong historical ties dating back from the years of the liberation struggle.

The two countries will henceforth conduct their bilateral relations through a structured Bi-National Commission (BNC) signed in 2015 during President Mugabe's state visit to South Africa, said Ngqulunga.

"South Africa and Zimbabwe not only share strong historical relations but also economic cooperation to the extent that the economies of the two countries are historically and inextricably link," he said in a statement.

To date, the two countries have signed more than 38 memoranda of understanding and agreements, which were coordinated through the then Joint Commission for Cooperation (JCC) and the Joint Permanent Commission on Defence and Security (JPCDS) which were established in 1995 and 2005 respectively.

The MOUs and agreements cover a broad range of areas, which include among others, trade and investment, immigration and consular matters, defence, agriculture, the environment, energy, health, as well as art and culture.

There are over 120 South African companies doing business in Zimbabwe in various sectors including mining, aviation, tourism, banking, the property, retail, construction and the fast food sector. Endit