09 Sep 2014

The just ended 19^th session of the Botswana/Zambia Joint Permanent Commission on Defence and Security (JPC) presented an opportunity for the two countries to review the implementation of the 18^th JPC resolutions.

Officially closing the 19^th JPC session in Gaborone recently, Minister of Labour and Home Affairs, Mr Edwin Batshu said the session also gave them the opportunity to consider other avenues to strengthen the collaboration between the two countries.

Mr Batshu said while much progress had been made with regard to implementation of the resolutions, it was worrying that in some instances not much had been achieved and they should therefore need to put much more effort to progress these issues, lest they became meaningless.

He said poaching continued to be a challenge, exposing the countries’ valuable wildlife resources in the Chobe National park and surrounding conservation areas to possible extinction as evidence showed that poachers were becoming more sophisticated in their hunting endeavors with the use of deadly chemicals to avoid being tracked. Minister Batshu said the emerging ugly scenario could not be left unchallenged, and it was therefore necessary that the two countries’ anti-poaching interventions included the capacity to counter such hunting methods.

He said Botswana and Zambia enjoyed “excellent”  bilateral relations and this provided opportunities for sustainable economic growth of the two countries adding that trans-border crimes were dealt with as soon as they emerged.

At the end, the commission told the media that they appreciated the positive political developments in the region characterised by voluntary disarmament of rebel forces in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and progress in the peace process between government of Mozambique and Mozambique National Resistance (RENAMO).

The commission further applauded the successful conduct of elections in Madagascar, Malawi and South Africa in the SADC region.

The commission also noted with concern the recent political developments in Lesotho and expressed optimism that the ongoing SADC mediation effort would resolve the matter.

They also noted with concern the outbreak of the Ebola virus presently affecting some parts of Africa, and said the disease posed a great risk to the capacity of the already strained health system.

They appreciated measures undertaken by SADC countries to combat the deadly virus and to this effect agreed that experts immediately meet to find ways to coordinate movement of trucks from Ebola affected countries, particularly from the DRC. ENDS