The Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Ronald Lamola, will hold political and diplomatic consultations with his counterpart from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Thérèse Kayiwamba Wagner.
Wagner serves as the Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation, and Francophonie for the DRC.
According to the Department of International Relations and Cooperation, the Ministers plan to review the bilateral cooperation between South Africa and the DRC, focusing on commitments made during the 12th Session of the South Africa-DRC Bi-National Commission (BNC) aimed at strengthening this cooperation.
The meeting will take place on Thursday, 27 March 2025, in Pretoria.
Political ties between the two nations date back to 1997 when former President Nelson Mandela facilitated a meeting between the late President Désiré Kabila and Mobutu Sese Seko aboard a South African Navy ship in Pointe-Noire, Congo-Brazzaville.
Formal bilateral relations between South Africa and the DRC were established in 1992.
The department stated that these relationships are mainly conducted through the BNC, which was established in 2004.
The last session of the BNC took place in Kinshasa, DRC, on 6 July 2023. South Africa is scheduled to host the 13th session of the BNC.
“Since then, South Africa and the DRC have significantly strengthened their bilateral cooperation across various sectors, culminating in the signing of 38 bilateral agreements and Memoranda of Understanding.”
These legal instruments cover a broad spectrum of areas, including agriculture, defence, trade and investment, health, policing, energy, public service and administration, cooperative governance, transport, diplomatic cooperation, and immigration.
Meanwhile, the department said South Africa has significant investments in the DRC and is the second largest source of imports for the country.
“Many South African multinational companies have a large footprint in the country in several sectors, including, among others, infrastructure development, financial services, mining, construction and property development, retail, and so on,” the department added. – SAnews.gov.za
