President Cyril Ramaphosa has called for deeper bilateral cooperation between South Africa and Zimbabwe, urging both nations to modernise respective border systems, tackle trans-border crime, and correct a “massive” trade imbalance.

Speaking at the fourth session of the South Africa–Zimbabwe Bi-National Commission (BNC) at the OR Tambo Building in Pretoria, Ramaphosa emphasised regional prosperity for neighbours with “vast shared potential, seamless migration and robust economic collaboration”.

Ramaphosa hosted Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa on Friday, when he stated that to facilitate the smooth movement of citizens and commercial goods, both nations must modernise their infrastructure and border management systems.

He stressed that infrastructure upgrades must be paired with stricter security enforcement.

"We must strengthen our combined efforts to counter trans-border crime," Ramaphosa said, noting that secure and efficient borders are foundational to regional stability.

Zimbabwe remains one of South Africa’s largest trading partners, with the value of bilateral trade nearly doubling over the last four years.

Despite this rapid growth, Ramaphosa highlighted economic disparity, noting that South Africa exports significantly more to Zimbabwe than it imports.

Ramaphosa urged the usage of the Memorandum of Understanding on Economic Cooperation to narrow the gap.

He pointed to the African Continental Free Trade Area as a “vital mechanism” to increase trade volumes and balance trade composition.

"We must enable both Zimbabwe and South Africa to expand the production and export of goods that we manufacture from our abundant natural resources," he added.

He asserted that economic growth relies heavily on aggressive infrastructure expansion, assuring that South African financial institutions, such as the Development Bank of Southern Africa and the Industrial Development Corporation, are ready to fund high-impact projects in Zimbabwe.

Targeted cross-border infrastructure initiatives include building bridges, roads, airports, and connecting farms and factories to markets, constructing dams and water pipelines, connecting power stations to businesses and homes and developing health facilities and schools.

Ramaphosa also praised the Southern African Power Pool and urged both countries to leverage its potential to establish Southern Africa as a leader in clean, affordable, and reliable energy.

With Zimbabwe experiencing rising mining revenues driven by gold, platinum, and critical transition minerals like lithium, Ramaphosa called for a shift away from exporting raw materials.

He noted that South Africa is increasing its own investment in exploration and beneficiation, stating, "We have said for many years that our minerals should be processed at home, that we should export finished products. Together, we need to put that aspiration into practice."

Ramaphosa also highlighted the agreement to supply water from Zimbabwe’s Beitbridge Water Works to the South African border town of Musina as a prime example of successful cross-border resource sharing.

"This is one example of how we can work together to meet our people’s basic needs and make our countries more resilient in the face of climate change," Ramaphosa said, reaffirming that joint efforts are the only way to convert regional resources into local jobs and long-term prosperity.