Paul Nyathi|Out of all critical issues hitting the country, South Africa has seen it fit to extend 55 million rand to Zimbabwe to be channelled “towards police training and protective gear possibly to deal with sporadic citizen protests.”

South African Ministers of International Relations and Cooperation and Transport, Lindiwe Sisulu handed over the donation to Foreign Affairs and International Trade Minister Dr Sibusiso Moyo at the South African Embassy yesterday.

Speaking during the handover ceremony, Minister Sisulu expressed hope that the donation would be on an ongoing basis.

“The package that comes from myself is to assist through you minister in the training of the police and in making sure that they have the necessary protective gear to make sure they are equipped. We have realised they are very busy,” she said.

“We therefore decided to donate this for the time being. We are hoping this would be on an ongoing basis. The necessary resources for their training and the necessary resources for the equipment that they will need for their training whatever else that goes with it.”

“The initial sum that we could find from our reserves is $55 million rand which we are now signing off. We are hoping that we can continue in this relationship and we are glad that you reached out to us.”

Dr Moyo thanked South Africa for the gesture.

“The fulcrum of any economic development between two nations especially and the success of the Bi-National Commission is centred on stability and effective and acceptable means of ensuring and enforcing law and order within any country so that business can flourish and the economic emancipation of people can then be realised and ultimately this is what we are aiming to do,” he said.

“In accepting this particular support of 55 million Rand I would like to state that this is quite a clear testimony of what our brothers and sisters in South Africa can do in order to enhance the capacity of areas and gaps which could have been identified.

“When a neighbour’s house catches you don’t ask who caused it. You just go and extinguish the fire and later on you can then investigate who exactly did it when it has been extinguished.”