Jacob Zuma
President Jacob Zuma has returned to South Africa after completing his two day state visit to Mozambique, the presidency said on Tuesday.
In a statement, spokesperson Harold Maloka said Zuma and Mozambique President Filipe Nyusi held successful talks and discussed issues of mutual interest, in particular, bilateral, regional and continental co-operation.
"The issue of co-operation was high on the agenda and both presidents agreed to establish a binational commission which will enable continuous monitoring and implementation of decisions taken," Maloka said.
"Both countries also discussed the energy challenges on which they agreed to work together to benefit from the resources in both countries and to have better coordinated programmes, especially in the light of recently discovered gas reserves in Mozambique and electricity challenges in South Africa."
During discussions on political conflicts across the continent, Zuma said the Southern African Development Community counties needed to pull together when neighbouring countries were in conflicts. Any instability in one affects the others.
Zuma also used the visit to convey, on behalf of government and the people of South Africa, his deepest condolences to the families of those who died in the recent wave of xenophobic attacks.
He apologised to the Mozambicans, whom Zuma described as "friendly, warm and accommodative to their brothers and sisters for centuries".
“On behalf of the people of South Africa, I have apologised and offered condolences to President Nyusi, affected families and the people of Mozambique for the recent attacks against foreign nationals, including Mozambican citizens,” Zuma said.
Zuma said he had given a detailed report on what South Africa and the appointed inter-ministerial committee on migration were doing to address the underlying causes. This would ensure that such attacks did not happen again.
"Our messages and measures taken to address foreign national attacks were warmly received by President Nyusi and his delegation and our warm relations will continue to thrive going into the future,” he said.
Zuma extended an invitation to Nyusi to undertake a state visit to South Africa, which he accepted.
