Ruptly
"Presidents Duma Boko of Botswana and Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa pledged Thursday in Gaborone to strengthen cooperation in investment, trade, and migration, amid warnings over synthetic gems and rising tensions regarding undocumented migrants. The South African leader focused on migration and anti-foreigner tensions ahead of Pretoria’s assumption of the rotating SADC chairmanship in August. "Most of the people who have come have integrated into South African society, forming a vital bridge between South Africa and their countries of origin," said Ramaphosa. "At the same time, we have experienced a high influx of undocumented immigrants. […] This phenomenon has intersected with economic hardship and unemployment [...] contributing to tensions between some local communities and foreign nationals," he added. Ramaphosa stressed the importance of upholding the rule of law and denounced the violence targeting foreign nationals. "While appreciating the hardship in some of our communities, we have strongly condemned those of our citizens who took the law into their own hands," he added. For his part, President Boko emphasised the importance of 'shared responsibility' among neighbouring countries, placing the economy at the centre of the partnership and highlighting its role in advancing regional prosperity. "There remains substantial untapped potential for further expansion and diversification of investment flows between our two countries," he said. "We must therefore intensify efforts to address barriers that constrain trade, improve the ease of doing business, strengthen industrial cooperation, and create a more enabling environment for investment, innovation, and enterprise development," he added. Ramaphosa is on a state visit to Botswana from May 20 to 21 and is co-chairing the sixth session of the Botswana-South Africa Bi-National Commission with President Boko in Gaborone. According to the South African presidency, the visit aims to strengthen the strategic partnership and advance priority projects, with several new agreements expected to be signed. South Africa remains Botswana’s largest economic partner, with bilateral trade reaching around 82 billion rand in 2025, largely driven by South African exports."
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