Zimbabwe and South Africa are seeking to deepen cooperation in trade, investment, infrastructure, energy, water, transport and migration, but the latest push comes against an economic relationship that remains heavily tilted towards South Africa.

The Senior Officials Meeting of the fourth South Africa-Zimbabwe Bi-National Commission reviewed progress ahead of the ministerial session, with Zimbabwe’s Secretary for Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Ambassador Albert Ranganai Chimbindi, and South Africa’s Deputy Director-General for Africa, Ambassador Tebogo Seokolo, leading the discussions.

Chimbindi called for the two countries to move “from commitments to concrete implementation”, ensuring agreements deliver “tangible benefits” for their people.

That challenge is particularly important given the scale of the trade imbalance. South Africa exported about US$4.07 billion in goods to Zimbabwe in 2025, compared with roughly US$495 million of exports in the opposite direction. South African exports to Zimbabwe were therefore more than eight times higher.

The imbalance reflects Zimbabwe’s limited manufacturing capacity and continued dependence on imported fuel, machinery, vehicles, electrical equipment, food products and other manufactured goods.

The BNC therefore presents Zimbabwe with an opportunity to shift the relationship from simply facilitating trade towards promoting production.

South African companies already have a significant presence in Zimbabwe, including in mining, banking, retail, tourism and construction. The next step could be to use that investment base to develop joint ventures in manufacturing, agro-processing, pharmaceuticals and mineral beneficiation.

Such investment would benefit both countries. Zimbabwe would gain capital, technology, jobs and export capacity, while South African businesses would gain access to a larger productive base and new supply chains.

Infrastructure and transport are equally important. Zimbabwe relies heavily on South African ports and transport corridors, meaning delays and high logistics costs directly affect the competitiveness of Zimbabwean exports.

Improved rail links, border efficiency and road infrastructure could therefore have a direct impact on the cost of doing business. ZIMRA has already reported improvements in customs processing, with the average turnaround time for correct declarations falling from 3 hours 58 minutes in 2023 to 2 hours 32 minutes in 2024.

Energy cooperation could provide another major dividend. Zimbabwe’s electricity shortages continue to constrain industry, while stronger regional power cooperation could improve supply reliability and make investment in manufacturing and mineral beneficiation more viable.

Migration could prove the most politically sensitive issue.

The BNC discussions come amid heightened tensions around migration in South Africa and the return of large numbers of Zimbabweans. Zimbabwe recorded 155,264 repatriations through Beitbridge and Botswana border points by August 16, 2026.

For Zimbabwe, orderly labour mobility is economically important because South Africa remains a major source of employment and household income for Zimbabweans. For South Africa, predictable migration arrangements could help distinguish documented workers and traders from irregular migration.

The BNC therefore needs to produce measurable outcomes rather than another collection of broad commitments.

The key questions should be how much new investment will be mobilised, whether Zimbabwean exports will grow faster than imports, how much border and transport costs can be reduced, and how much additional electricity can be made available to industry.

The relationship is already deeply interconnected. The challenge is to make that interdependence more productive and less one-sided.

Zimbabwe’s objective should not simply be closer ties with South Africa, but a partnership that helps the country produce more, attract investment, expand exports and reduce its dependence on imported goods.