A New Dawn Awaits Moroccan-South African Relations

A new chapter has been opened in Moroccan-South African relations following the ice-breaking meeting between Morocco and the outgoing South African President Jakob Zoma. The election of Cyril Ramaphosa is boding well for bilateral ties between two of Africa’s leading powers.

King Mohammed VI of Morocco, who showed interest in bolstering ties with South Africa, has sent a congratulatory message to Ramaphosa stressing his willingness “to strengthen the promising prospects that have recently characterized our ties.”

“We look forward, in the kingdom of Morocco, to opening a new chapter of fruitful cooperation based on constructive dialogue and mutual esteem – one that would reflect the time-honored bonds between our peoples and help us serve their interests and promote unity and progress in our African Continent,” said the King in the message.

Morocco and South Africa have for more than a decade given each other the cold shoulder on the backdrop of Pretoria’s support for separatists in the Sahara.

The two countries decided to upgrade their bilateral ties to ambassadorial level following a meeting between King Mohammed VI and Zuma in Abidjan on the sidelines of the EU-AU summit last November.