Morocco, South Africa Move to Strengthen Parliamentary Ties

Rachid Talbi El Alami, Speaker of Morocco’s House of Representatives, met with Angela Thokozile Didiza, Speaker of South Africa’s National Assembly, on Friday in Johannesburg to discuss strengthening parliamentary cooperation between the two countries. During this meeting, El Alami congratulated Didiza on her election as Speaker of South Africa’s legislature and extended her an invitation to visit Morocco. He emphasized the importance of reinforcing ties between the two nations’ parliaments. El Alami highlighted Morocco’s historic support for African liberation movements, including Rabat’s assistance to South Africa in its fight against colonialism —support acknowledged by Nelson Mandela in multiple statements. He also expressed Morocco’s readiness to expand cooperation with South Africa in key sectors such as renewable energy, automotive and aerospace industries, and new technologies. “Morocco and South Africa are both influential players in Africa and must leverage their strengths to enhance cooperation for the benefit of their peoples and the continent,” El Alami said. He also pointed to several strategic projects launched by Morocco, under the leadership of HM King Mohammed VI, including the Africa-Atlantic Royal Initiative, designed to provide African nations with access to the Atlantic Ocean. He also emphasized Morocco’s expertise in areas like climate change, agriculture, and human resource development, offering to share this knowledge with South Africa. For his part, Didiza expressed gratitude for the invitation and praised Morocco’s democratic experience. She also shared insights into South Africa’s recent political developments, noting the formation of a national unity government after the general elections on May 29, where no party won an outright majority. Didiza expressed interest in deepening bilateral cooperation with Morocco. The talks took place on the sidelines of the 12th Annual Conference of Speakers of African Parliaments, held in Johannesburg on September 18-20. Morocco’s delegation to the conference included members of several political parties, including Laila Dahi of the National Rally of Independents (RNI), Khadija Arouhal of the Progress and Socialism Party (PPS), Abdessamad Haiker of the Justice and Development Party (PJD), and Hanaa Benkhair of the General Union of Moroccan Workers (UGTM).