On Monday 9 January 2023, the Premier of the Free State, Sefora Ntombela, held discussions at her official residence in Bloemfontein with two delegates from neighbouring countries.
The meetings were also attended by the Director-General of the Free State Provincial Government, Kopung Ralikontsane, and other officials.
According to Palesa Chubisi, spokesperson to the Premier, the first meeting was between Premier Ntombela and Likhapa Sediane, the Consul-General of Lesotho in Johannesburg. That meeting was quickly followed by an engagement between Premier Ntombela and the ambassador of Angola to South Africa, Filomena Delgado.
The ambassador was accompanied by a delegation that included Colonel Tomas Marcos, Deputy Defense Attaché, Counsillor Eduardo Kondua, and Celestiono Goncalves, Press Attaché.
What took centre stage in their deliberations, was for the Free State and the two respective countries to establish relationships that will benefit the citizens of the respective countries. In addition, Premier Ntombela and Consul General Sediane, in particular, agreed that greater focus must be placed on, among others, cross-border crime, especially with regard to stock theft, Illegal miners, and undocumented Basotho nationals in the Free State province.
Ntombela said there were countless opportunities for the three countries for trade and other opportunities. Further, Ntombela pledged to visit the two countries soon to strengthen the ties but also to observe how they can optimise the commercial value of agriculture for the good of their citizens.
“Both Consul-General Sediane and Ambassador Delgado stressed the importance of agriculture in general and farming in particular. They informed us how, in their respective countries, the agricultural sector is thriving. We hope to visit both Lesotho and Angola soon to observe how they can get it right so that we apply what we would have learned to our province,” says Ntombela.
Compiled by Bonolo Moloi
