Africa-Press – Namibia. THE Ministry of International Relations and Cooperation says the Namibia – South Africa bi-national commission third session meeting that was due to take place from 9 to 12 April 2022, has been postponed until further notice.
This was revealed to The Namibian by Bertha Amakali, the director of information and research in the international relations ministry, on Monday.
Amakali added that the fifth session of the Namibia-Congo joint permanent commission that was scheduled for 7 to 8 April 2022, is also postponed until further notice.
“The Ministry of International Relations and Cooperation will duly communicate to the media once new dates have been mutually agreed with the two governments,” she said.
A media statement released by the ministry on 31 March 2022, said the bi-national commission was to be co-chaired by president Hage Geingob and his South African counterpart, Cyril Ramaphosa.
The meeting was meant to provide an impetus to further enhance bilateral cooperation, as well as a platform to exchange views on issues of mutual interest and concern at regional and multilateral fora, the statement reads.
The session will review cooperation in a wide range of areas including diplomatic, legal, economic, social, and defence and security.
Several new bilateral agreements are expected to be signed, the statement reads.
The ministerial session will be chaired by international relations minister Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah and co-chaired by her South African Naledi Pandor.
Last week, Popular Democratic Movement (PDM) leader McHenry Venaani, released a statement calling on Geingob to put the issue of the Orange River boundary on the agenda of the bi-national commission.
The Orange-Senqu agreement is also not in line with the SADC protocol on shared water, Venaani said in the statement.
“As is common cause, the Orange River forms the international border between South Africa and Namibia, however, the precise geographical location thereof remains an issue of contention,” the statement reads.
Venaani said despite promises that the border would be moved to the middle of the Orange River leading up to the independence of Namibia, decades later no formal agreement has been concluded.
Speaking to The Namibian on Tuesday, Venaani’s spokesperson Roberto Dirkse said Venaani takes note of the fact that Geingob listened to his request to include the Orange River boundary in his agenda point, and he believes this is the reason behind the meeting being postponed.
“Venaani maintains the stance that the issue must be among the agenda points, which should ultimately initiate discussions around allowing Namibia to be a full riparian partner of water from the river and the border of the river falling on the deepest middle mark of the river as per international law,” Dirkse said.
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