At the invitation of the President of the Republic of South Africa, Mr Cyril Ramaphosa, the Minister of Basic Education, Ms Siviwe Gwarube, participated in the Second Session of the Bi-National Commission (BNC) between the Republic of South Africa and the Kingdom of Lesotho in Maseru, on 23 April 2025. The BNC was preceded by a Council of Ministers Meeting on 22 April 2025.
Established in September 2023, one of the main aims of the BNC was for the two countries to strengthen bilateral cooperation in various sectors. The BNC structured the sectors into five clusters, namely Security and Stability; Strategic and Political; Economic; Social; and Good Governance.
In his opening address, President Ramaphosa foregrounded the cooperation between the two countries stating: “The relationship between our countries is characterised by cooperation, good neighbourliness and a mutually beneficial relationship. As neighbours, we have great scope to deepen bilateral cooperation in many areas whilst maintaining political and economic engagements with all countries”. The President underscored the importance of ensuring the agreements and legal instruments that have been signed are fully implemented. The Second Session of the BNC reviewed commitments made in 2023, which also included an agreement to conclude Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) across various clusters. To this end, the 2025 BNC culminated in the signing of the following MoUs: the Establishment of a Framework for Cooperation relating to the proposed construction of two weirs on the Mohokare/Caledon River; Economic Cooperation; Social Development; Defence; Higher Education; and Basic Education.
Minister Gwarube signed the MoU on Basic Education with her counterpart, Professor Ntoi Rapapa, Minister of Education and Training. The cooperation in Basic Education will focus on School Management and National Assessment Systems; Vocational Education and Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics at Secondary Level; Teacher Development and Exchange; and Education Management Information Systems. The two Ministers committed to expedite the development and finalisation of the implementation plan of the MoU.