Malawi pledges support to Zimbabwe on its 32nd birthday
The Government of Malawi has pledged its commitment to continue supporting the Republic of Zimbabwe in its efforts to consolidating democracy, peace and stability.
Minister of Defense Ken Kandodo made the pledge Friday during the commemoration of Zimbabwe’s 33rd Independence Day at the residence of the country’s ambassador to Malawi, Tandiwe Dumbutshena in Lilongwe.
Zimbabwe’s Independence Day falls on 18th April.
“A stable, peaceful and economically vibrant Zimbabwe is obviously good, not only for Malawi, but our region as a whole. It is a well-known fact that Zimbabwe is Malawi’s second largest trading partner therefore developments in Zimbabwe are likely to have a significant impact on the situation here,” said Kandodo.
The Defense Minister noted that it is gratifying that in the post-independence era Zimbabwe has continued to make progress in in its efforts to maintain peace and tranquility citing the recent peaceful national referendum which the country held.
“I am proud to say that Malawi deployed its team of observers to the constitutional referendum in Zimbabwe. Therefore as the country is preparing to hold its harmonized elections under the new constitution, Malawi wishes Zimbabwe successful holding of the historic elections,” added the Defense Minister.
A national referendum was held in Zimbabwe on March 16 this year when the people of Zimbabwe decided on the new constitution and it has since been adopted and the country is due to hold harmonized elections which will be guided by the new constitution.
In her remarks, Her Excellency Dumbutshena said she was also pleased to note that the relations between Malawi and Zimbabwe continue to grow stronger and stronger as evidenced in the recent visit to her country by President Dr Joyce Banda last month.
“Our relations date back to the colonial era when our two countries were in bondage of the federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland along with Zambia. When Malawi gained nationhood many Malawians already in Zimbabwe decided to make Zimbabwe their home and today they play important roles in the communities they live in,” she said.
Commenting on events in her own country, Dumbutshena said she was encouraged with the resilience the country’s economy has shown in its path of growth, registering an estimated 4.4 percent growth rate in the past year.
“We have the resources in our land to lift our nation to greater heights. The stable macro-economic environment characterized by low inflation of less than 5 percent enabled Zimbabwe to maintain its position as one of the fastest growing economies in the region,” said Dumbutshena who is also the Dean of Diplomatic Corps in Malawi.
She also paid tribute to the unwavering support and assistance her country received from the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the African Union (AU) in the implementation of the Global Political Agreement.
“Our foreign policy continues to be anchored on the sacred desire to safeguard our hard-won independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity. These principles as well as those of peace, stability and economic prosperity underpin our relations with countries within SADC and beyond,” said Dumbutshena.
Heads of Diplomatic Missions in Malawi, Cabinet Ministers and the Zimbabwean community in Malawi joined in the celebrations.
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