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'Zimbabwe not a supermarket for South Africa,' says Mutambara
04 Apr 2013 at 04:53hrs | Views
Johannesburg,– Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara says the Southern African Development Community (SADC) will not succeed without a vibrant Zimbabwe economy.
In a speech at the Zimbabwe annual investment conference held here, Mutambara who is leading the Zimbabwe delegation, said: "We are either going to sink or swim together."
Mutambara acknowledged that although there was no certainty, predictability and an enabling environment in the country, there were efforts to work on it and Zimbabwe shall certainly overcome.
But he said Zimbabwe should not be seen as a supermarket for South Africa. He called on African countries to process their raw materials in order to benefit fully from their own resources.
He said to do that there must be a change of mind set by government, private sector and consumers to accept locally manufactured goods.
He said there were no way the western countries such as America or Britain would dare help Zimbabwe process its platinum because it was not in their interest to do so.
He said instead the West encouraged African countries to produce food for food security.
"Food security is important but we want to compete too in terms of beatification," he said, adding that there was need to change colonial laws on Africa's natural resources such as mines.
He said the time for talk shops were over and he was expecting more investment in Zimbabwe.
South Africa's trade and industry deputy minister, Elizabeth Thabethe, said trade between the two countries had been made easier because of geographic proximity.
She said Zimbabwe had assisted South Africa during the apartheid and it wanted to reciprocate that support.
It was for this reason why South Africa had in 2009 held a Zimbabwe – South Africa investment conference in Harare. "Today's conference has a history and rooted in that seminar," she told delegates.
The SA government through the Department of Trade and Industry had adopted a strategy to do business with Zimbabwe.
She said the SA government was consistently working towards closer collaboration in areas such as infrastructure development and industrialisation.
She said South Africa realised its major economic role in Africa hence the theme at the just ended BRICS meeting was to serve Africa.
"This is why South Africa attended because it's for Africa. Regional economic integration is important. Intra regional trade has been increasing after the recession.
"If we do trade among ourselves our commodity prices will be lower," she said.
In a speech at the Zimbabwe annual investment conference held here, Mutambara who is leading the Zimbabwe delegation, said: "We are either going to sink or swim together."
Mutambara acknowledged that although there was no certainty, predictability and an enabling environment in the country, there were efforts to work on it and Zimbabwe shall certainly overcome.
But he said Zimbabwe should not be seen as a supermarket for South Africa. He called on African countries to process their raw materials in order to benefit fully from their own resources.
He said to do that there must be a change of mind set by government, private sector and consumers to accept locally manufactured goods.
He said there were no way the western countries such as America or Britain would dare help Zimbabwe process its platinum because it was not in their interest to do so.
He said instead the West encouraged African countries to produce food for food security.
"Food security is important but we want to compete too in terms of beatification," he said, adding that there was need to change colonial laws on Africa's natural resources such as mines.
He said the time for talk shops were over and he was expecting more investment in Zimbabwe.
South Africa's trade and industry deputy minister, Elizabeth Thabethe, said trade between the two countries had been made easier because of geographic proximity.
She said Zimbabwe had assisted South Africa during the apartheid and it wanted to reciprocate that support.
It was for this reason why South Africa had in 2009 held a Zimbabwe – South Africa investment conference in Harare. "Today's conference has a history and rooted in that seminar," she told delegates.
The SA government through the Department of Trade and Industry had adopted a strategy to do business with Zimbabwe.
She said the SA government was consistently working towards closer collaboration in areas such as infrastructure development and industrialisation.
She said South Africa realised its major economic role in Africa hence the theme at the just ended BRICS meeting was to serve Africa.
"This is why South Africa attended because it's for Africa. Regional economic integration is important. Intra regional trade has been increasing after the recession.
"If we do trade among ourselves our commodity prices will be lower," she said.
Source - businessday
