Online Reporter
Wallace Ruzvidzo
Herald Reporter
OUTGOING Malawian Ambassador to Zimbabwe General (Retired) Peter Namathanga has paid glowing tribute to Zimbabwe’s facilitation of safe movement of his country’s returnees from South Africa and the provision of essential support services at border posts.
The diplomat described the service as “very outstanding”.
Following his diplomatic sojourn, which was little over a year, the Ambassador yesterday paid a farewell courtesy call on President Mnangagwa at State House in Harare.
Speaking to the media after his closed-door meeting with the President, Ambassador Namathanga commended Zimbabwe’s immigration services for their “excellent performance”.
Around 72 272 Malawian nationals have transited through Zimbabwe en route to their home country.
“This has been very outstanding. I personally have been at Beitbridge Border Post to communicate and see how the passage is happening. I was impressed by the performance of the immigration officers of Zimbabwe, how they are assisting Malawians to pass through safely. Further, I also visited the Nyamapanda border, same thing, excellent performance by the immigration officers,” said Ambassador Namathanga.
Asked to shed light on key highlights of his one-year tenure, the diplomat cited the Zimbabwe and Malawi Mid-Term Review of the 11th Session of their Joint Permanent Commission on Cooperation (JPCC) held in Harare last month.
During the discussions, both countries acknowledged successful collaboration, particularly in tourism with the creation of a joint development plan, and highlighted the importance of strengthening climate resilience in agriculture.
“The key highlights, I think, during the tenure of my (mission) have been the mid-term review of our Joint Permanent Commission on Cooperation. We had this recent MTR (mid-term review) about a month ago here in Harare. That was the key point of my tenure in office in Harare,” he said.
Ambassador Namathanga said Harare and Lilongwe would continue collaborating in various sectors, including agriculture and tourism.
“We are focusing on areas of agriculture, tourism and mining. These are the sectors that we have been focusing on and where I want to build on the foundations that we have laid in these areas,” he said.
On climate change, Ambassador Namathanga called on countries to abide by policies and statutes in place to mitigate the changing weather patterns.
“I think we simply have to abide by the structures that have been put in place regarding climate change because this is affecting us so much. You are aware that Malawi was affected by floods recently. This is an effect of the very issue of climate change. But policies have been put in place which we need to follow and adhere to,” he said.
