BUSINESS leaders have urged Zimbabwe and South Africa to transform the Limpopo border into a fully-fledged economic corridor, arguing that closer cross-border integration would unlock investment, industrial development and trade opportunities that remain largely untapped.
This comes as South Africa remains Zimbabwe’s biggest trading partner, having exported goods worth US$2,2 billion last year against imports valued at US$3,79 billion.
Speaking during a panel discussion at the ongoing Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce annual congress in Victoria Falls, Limpopo Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Albert Jeleni said the two countries should stop treating the border as a dividing line and instead develop it into a shared economic zone.
“We should stop viewing the border as a dividing line and start seeing it as an economic region... Instead of seeing companies moving from one country to another, there should be discussions around developing the area into a corridor that benefits both Zimbabwe and South Africa,” he said.
His remarks come as African countries push to deepen regional trade under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), which aims to create a single continental market for goods and services while strengthening regional value chains.
Jeleni said economic ties between Zimbabwe and South Africa had existed for decades, but inadequate co-ordination had prevented both countries from fully benefiting from the relationship.
“We have always traded with each other, but because we have not been co-ordinating our efforts, we have been leaving value on the table,” he said.
He said South Africa had benefited significantly from Zimbabwean skills in construction, property development, factory management and other technical fields, but inefficient border operations continued to constrain trade and investment.
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“Many of the people involved in building projects in South Africa brought valuable skills from Zimbabwe,” Jeleni added.
“We have also benefited from Zimbabwean expertise in factory management and technical fields.”
The Foreign Affairs and International Trade ministry’s Economic Operations, International Trade and Diaspora Affairs chief director Rudo Faranisi said Zimbabwe needed to ensure local businesses were competitive enough to exploit opportunities presented by the AfCFTA.
“The market is open, but we must be ready to compete,” she said.
“We have to ensure that our products meet the required standards so that we can access these markets and maximise the opportunities available.”
Faranisi said the government was working with regional and international partners to strengthen trade relations and expand Zimbabwe’s export potential.
European Union ambassador to Zimbabwe, Katrin Hagemann said regional integration had underpinned Europe’s economic success and could deliver similar gains for Africa.
“The European Union was built on regional integration and trade,” she said.
“We have seen how cooperation strengthened our economies and improved growth across the region...
“We believe the same potential exists for Africa.”
Business Unity South Africa (Busa) chief executive officer Khulekani Mathe acknowledged that implementation of the AfCFTA had progressed more slowly than businesses had hoped because of the complexity of securing agreements among participating countries.
Busa is an organisation representing South African business.
“As business, we would like things to move faster because the opportunities presented by the AfCFTA are enormous,” he said.
“However, we must also recognise that this involves 54 countries that need to agree on common rules and protocols.”
Mathe urged governments to continue consulting the private sector during implementation to ensure new trade rules remained practical.
“At the end of the day, it is businesses that trade.
“There is a risk that governments could finalise arrangements without sufficient input from business and create systems that are difficult for the private sector to operate within.”
