South Africa to 'learn from' Zimbabwe on land reform

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South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Saturday that South Africa will learn from Zimbabwe and other countries that have carried out land reforms.

The South African government has announced that it will carry out a land reform program to expropriate white-owned land without compensation.

Ramaphosa made the remarks during his visit to Zimbabwe. In a press conference after his meeting with his Zimbabwean counterpart Emmerson Mnangagwa in Harare, Ramaphosa said South Africa will carry out extensive debate and dialogue on the land issue until it matures to a very firm position which will then be adopted by parliament.

A mother holds a tape as she marks vacant land in Olievenhoutbosch near Centurion, South Africa, March 12, 2018. /VCG Photo

He expressed optimism that the land issue will be resolved in a manner that will unite the nation.

The two countries pledged to deepen cooperation particularly in the economic field.

Mnangagwa said Zimbabwe wants to strengthen infrastructure development cooperation with South Africa, particularly in roads, rail and energy.

"Our economy is down. We also need electricity from SA," he said.

Ramaphosa said South Africa and Zimbabwe will continue to work together to overcome economic challenges they face.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa. /Reuters Photo

"This was a great opportunity to confirm that South Africa and Zimbabwe are joined at the hip and are going to continue finding clever ways of growing our respective economies and cooperating on matters of trade and finding various projects that we can work together on," Ramaphosa said.

He said his visit was also to pay respects to Mnangagwa after he became president last month. He visited Mozambique earlier in the day on a similar mission.

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Source(s): Xinhua News Agency