Online Reporter
Africa Moyo in LUSAKA, Zambia
ZIMBABWE and Zambia continue to enjoy excellent relations, which date back to the days of Harare’s liberation struggle when many nationalists were accommodated at various camps in the northern neighbour.
The relations have continued to this day under President Hakainde Hichilema, with youth leagues and the top leadership of ruling parties – ZANU PF and the United Party for National Development – crossing the border to exchange notes on various issues.
This came out in a wide-ranging interview here yesterday with Zimbabwe’s Ambassador to Zambia, Charity Charamba.
She said more efforts were being invested in broadening the cooperation between the two sister Republics in various fields.
“Our relations between Zimbabwe and Zambia date back to time immemorial,” she said.
“There is a time when we were one country, Northern and Southern Rhodesia and Nyasaland (which are) present-day Zimbabwe, Zambia and Malawi.
“I would say in terms of our culture, our languages, customs and even the food that we eat – we eat sadza in Zimbabwe, they eat nshima (Chewa for sadza) here in Zambia (and nsima in Malawi) – we are basically the same people.”
Ambassador Charamba said to underline the relations between the countries, when Zambia got its independence from British control in 1964, the then leader, the late Kenneth Kaunda, declared that their freedom was meaningless when other countries such as Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), Mozambique (then Portuguese East Africa) and South Africa were not yet free.
In that regard, Zambia allowed Zimbabwean freedom fighters to establish camps at Nampundwe, Mulungushi, Mkushi, Chikumbi (Freedom Camp) and Kavalamanja, among others.
From those camps, Zimbabwe launched a fierce war against the British colonists, with thousands of nationalists killed and some Zambian soldiers and police officers.
Zambian soldiers were killed between March 6 and 8 in 1978 at the Kavalamanja Camp, which was close to the Kanyemba Border Post.
One notable soldier killed in the raid was Captain Kabaso Chabi Kalima, who was commander of the 2ZR.
In addition, 15 Zambian police officers were brutally killed by Rhodesian forces at Mkushi Girls Camp on October 19, 1978, when they had gone there to rescue the girls who had come under a fierce air and ground raid.
The police officers rescued eight girls and took them to a clinic that was 40km away.
Out of the nearly 60 police officers deployed on the day, two are still alive to this day namely Mr Alex Ostern Shimambo, 72 and Mr Ignatius Katemba,but have retired from the Zambian Police.
Ambassador Charamba said Zimbabwe “remains indebted to the selfless determination by the Zambian people” for supporting Harare’s quest for independence.
She added that relations between the two countries matured after independence in 1980, as evidenced by the establishment of diplomatic ties.
“We can say we are separated by the Zambezi River but actually we are connected by the river because on either side of the Zambezi, we have relatives; the Tonga people on each side meaning that many years ago, those people would just cross when there were no boundaries,” she explained.
Zimbabwe and Zambia have a Joint Permanent Commission on Cooperation covering trade and peace and security.
An MoU on prisoner exchanges is yet to be operationalised.
A number of Zimbabweans are also studying at various universities in Zambia.
Ambassador Charamba said Zambia is Zimbabwe’s largest trading partner under COMESA and the fourth largest under SADC.
Small-scale traders from both countries cross the one-stop Chirundu Border, while others use the Kariba border, to buy different products for resale back home.
“We also have a trading regime which simplifies small-scale trade so that they do not pay taxes on some specified goods, which helps them,” said Ambassador Charamba.
With the help of ZimTrade, companies from both countries attend each other’s trade fairs so they can exchange ideas.
Recently, ZimTrade took construction companies to Zambia on an exploratory meeting aimed at assessing the construction terrain and considering setting up companies.
