President Mnangagwa Returns to South Africa for Bi-National Commission

Pretoria – Zimbabwe President Dr. Emmerson Mnangagwa is set to return to South Africa this Friday, 21 August 2026, where he will be hosted by his South African counterpart, President Cyril Ramaphosa, for the Fourth Session of the South Africa–Zimbabwe Bi-National Commission.

The high-level meeting, to be held at the Department of International Relations and Cooperation’s OR Tambo Building, comes barely days after the two leaders concluded engagements at the 46th Southern African Development Community (SADC)  Heads of State and Government Summit in Durban on Monday, August 17, highlighting the deep strategic partnership that continues to bind the two neighbouring countries.

Established in April 2015, the Bi-National Commission remains the central mechanism for managing and advancing bilateral relations.

In a statement, the Presidency of the Republic of South Africa confirmed the meeting, saying to date more than 33 agreements and memoranda of understanding have been concluded across a wide range of cooperation areas.

The fourth session will give the two Heads of State the opportunity to review progress in implementing existing commitments and to identify further avenues for strengthening ties, the Presidency said.

Discussions are expected to centre on deepening cooperation in trade and investment, infrastructure development, economic growth and other sectors that promote shared prosperity.

The session will culminate in the signing of several new agreements and memoranda of understanding designed to expand collaboration in strategic fields.

The Presidency of South Africa also said the Heads of State meeting on Friday will be preceded by a Ministerial Meeting scheduled for today, Thursday, 20 August 2026, at the same venue.

The Ministerial engagement follows the Senior Officials Meeting which took place on Tuesday, 18 August 2026, and prepared the ground for the higher-level deliberations.

Zimbabwe’s Secretary for Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Ambassador Albert Ranganai Chimbindi, co-chaired the Senior Officials Meeting on Tuesday, with South Africa’s Deputy Director-General for Africa at DIRCO, Ambassador Tebogo Seokolo.

In his remarks, Ambassador Chimbindi highlighted the importance of the BNC as a key mechanism for strengthening the longstanding bonds of friendship and cooperation between Zimbabwe and South Africa.

He stressed the need for the two countries to move from commitments to concrete implementation, ensuring that bilateral agreements translate into tangible benefits for their peoples.

Ambassador Chimbindi noted that the Senior Officials Meeting provided an important opportunity to review progress in bilateral cooperation, identify outstanding issues and strengthen areas of mutual interest ahead of the Ministerial Session.

Ambassador Seokolo, for his part, stressed the importance of the BNC in advancing practical cooperation between the two neighbouring countries and emphasised the need to strengthen collaboration across key sectors while building on the historical, economic and people-to-people ties that bind Zimbabwe and South Africa.

Discussions at senior officials level covered political and diplomatic relations, trade and investment, infrastructure, energy, water, transport, security, migration and people-to-people relations.

Both sides reaffirmed their shared commitment to deepening bilateral cooperation and advancing regional integration and development.

The Presidency of the Republic of South Africa said the Fourth Session would provide an opportunity for the two Heads of State to review progress in implementing existing bilateral commitments and to identify opportunities to further strengthen relations between South Africa and Zimbabwe.

Engagements will aim to deepen cooperation across key areas of mutual interest including trade and investment, infrastructure, economic development and other areas that contribute to shared growth and development.