Sholain Govender
15 October 2007
South Africa and Namibia have agreed to cooperate in a wide range of fields, ranging from energy security to science and technology and sharing World Cup-related spin-offs, following a bilateral meeting between the two countries' heads of state.
Speaking to the media in Cape Town last week, Trade and Industry Minister Mandisi Mpahlwa said the partnership between the two countries would deal with resolving issues of capacity building and skills training.
The two countries have now established an inter-ministerial committee to determine how best Namibia can benefit when South Africa hosts the 2010 Fifa World Cup.
The meeting between President Thabo Mbeki and Namibian President Hifikepunye Pohamba included a presentation on the Square Kilometre Array (SKA), which South Africa and Australia are currently bidding to host.
Mpahlwa said the SKA would require the cooperation of a number of countries around South Africa, including Namibia, for the location of some 4 500 peripheral satellite dishes, adding that the project could give engineering and science skills development an area a massive boost.
He said the project demonstrated that South Africa played a vital role in the industry, and that the SKA, along with the South African Large Telescope (Salt) in Sutherland and the High Energy Stereoscopic System telescope (Hess) in Namibia would add to the country and region's involvement in the field of astronomy.
The two countries are also looking to collaborate in the areas on marine and coastal management, while their respective ports authorities are to draw up a memorandum of understanding to ensure cooperation in the maritime sector.
Mpahlwa added that the two countries were working together in the energy sector, as South Africa felt that exploiting Namibian gas deposits were vital to addressing its energy needs.
He said that the two countries would also look at the possibility of creating a hydroelectric power plant on the Orange River, which forms the border between the two in many areas.
Apart from the possible Orange River project, the two countries already work together in the area of energy, through the Southern Africa Power Pool, a Southern African Development Community initiative that also involves Angola, Botswana and the Democratic Republic of the Congo
He said the entire region was grappling with the challenge of energy security and there was stronger movement towards sources of cleaner energy.
"Nuclear energy is an issue that has merged as something that is on the agenda of the world at the moment," he said. "So this is another area where we are looking at co-operating more closely."
Mpahlwa said other items on the agenda included trade and industry, communication, environment, tourism and agriculture.
Source: BuaNews
