Online Reporter
Gibson Nyikadzino
Zimpapers Politics Hub
MALAWIAN Ambassador to Zimbabwe General (Retired) Peter Namathanga yesterday praised the intergenerational family networks between the two countries that have spanned decades as the strongest point of convergence sustaining the two countries’ relations.
Gen Namathanga said the historical relations between the two countries, that were once part of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland during colonial times, have a practical interdependence rooted in people, geography and survival economics.
He said the human layer in this relationship was hard to disrupt and acted as a constant stabiliser of the ties.
“If you strip away the formal agreements and look at what actually sustains the relationship between Zimbabwe and Malawi, the strongest point of convergence that we see is practical interdependence rooted in people, geography and survival economics, not ideology or high-level diplomacy.
“There are issues of human linkages. The relationship is anchored on people-to-people ties more than anything else. Further to that, there are large numbers of Malawians who have historically migrated to Zimbabwe for work, especially during the colonial era. This created the intergenerational family networks that have spanned time,” Gen Namathanga said.
Gen Namathanga said there was no single treaty that could be referenced as a standalone entity characterising the two nations’ ties, as the relationship was shaped by a mix of historical ties and several overlapping areas.
