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Without Mozambique, our country’s liberation struggle might have been delayed by many years, or perhaps failed.  

Our eastern neighbour provided a dependable rear base for freedom fighters.  It provided moral and material support too.  That is the role that Zambia to the west, provided as well.  Botswana too served as a bridge for young cadres moving from here enroute to Zambia to join the war.  The nationalists had to mobilise and launch from near the country’s borders for the assault to be effective thus Mozambique and Zambia were extremely strategic.

South Africa and Namibia were then hostile to the liberators as apartheid was yet to be defeated in those countries. Mozambique was actually fighting two wars simultaneously as the civil conflict against RENAMO bandits was underway as that country was supporting Zimbabwean cadres.  

After we attained freedom in 1980, the new Zimbabwe administration deployed troops to support Mozambique’s FRELIMO government tackle RENAMO, leading to the Rome accords which brought peace to that country.

In 2017, Islamists destabilised northern Mozambique, and Zimbabwe and other SADC members have been supporting their sister republic.  

Along much of the 1 400km borderline, villagers are free to wake up in the morning to walk to the other side of it, spend the day there and walk back to spend the night at their homes with no consequences whatsoever.  You can find a Dhliwayo, a Sithole or a Gwenzi on one side of the border, whose blood brother lives a few hundred metres across the border. 

That highlights how one Zimbabwe and Mozambique are, from the deeply informal but thoroughly strong person-to-person, village-to-village and familial levels to the more official government-to-government level of suited bureaucrats in Harare and Maputo.

In addition to Zimbabwe’s relationship with Mozambique being held together by blood, our country’s shortest rail and road route to the sea is through the east.  There is the oil pipeline as well.  

President Filipe Nyusi of Mozambique arrived in Harare yesterday for a three-day State visit that will further consolidate that solid relationship.

We welcome him home!

Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade spokesperson Mr Livit Mugejo said during the visit a number of legal instruments will be signed in the areas of cooperation.

The visit follows the constructive discussions and the agreements reached by the two republics during the Zimbabwe-Mozambique Joint Permanent Commission on Cooperation which was held in November 2021 and President Mnangagwa’s state visit to Mozambique in April last year.

“The two nations have made enormous strides in expanding Zimbabwean-Mozambican direct cooperation using the potential of both countries and establishing a foundation anchored on principles of openness, mutual respect, trust and true friendship,” Mr Mugejo said.

“On the margins of the State visit, Zimbabwe and Mozambique are expected to jointly convene a business forum. The two countries are also expected to sign legal instruments of cooperation in areas such as Export Promotion and Development, Development of Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs), Gender and Women’s Affairs and Aircraft Accident and Investigation.” 

President Nyusi is also expected to tour the National Heroes Acre in Harare and preside over a ceremony to signal commencement of the construction of a monument in honour of the founding Mozambican President, the late Cde Samora Machel at the Museum of African Liberation.

Yes, the bulk of Zimbabwe’s seaborne trade has always been through Mozambique.  According to the Trade Map Mozambique imported goods worth US$17 million in 2020 from Zimbabwe and the main products exported to Mozambique are tobacco and manufactured tobacco substitutes, ceramic products residues and waste from the food industries, prepared animal fodder and dairy produce.

But we feel that the economic relationship between the two countries has potential to grow to a higher level.  Local businesses, including SMEs, must take advantage of the strong political ties between our two countries to export more to Mozambique and for Mozambique’s private sector to develop markets here as well.  The export promotion and development agreement to be signed this week should enhance that co-operation.    

A monument in honour of Cde Machel at the Museum of African Liberation is most fitting. It advances the already formidable political and cultural relations between our two countries.