Pretoria looks to improve ties

South African Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Aziz Pahad on Thursday met with Angolan officials in Luanda as part of a two-day visit aimed at bolstering diplomatic relations and strengthening economic ties between the two Southern African countries.

Pahad's mission came amid an unfolding humanitarian crisis in the country following the end of the brutal 27-year civil war. NGOs have called on international donors to step up assistance to tens of thousands of UNITA rebels, their families and others who were cut off by the fighting and are now emerging from the bush. Some three million people are estimated to be in need of aid.

"We are definitely going to help. Already we have donations of food, medicine and blankets but it is not enough. We will be calling on South Africans, including businesses in the country, to step in and help," South African ambassador to Angola, Tony Msimange, told IRIN.

Analysts have cautioned that dwindling food shortages in UNITA quartering areas could encourage former rebels to desert the camps and threaten the peace agreement.

"If they [former UNITA rebels] do decide to abandon the camps and return to the bush, it would not only be disastrous for peace in Angola but a blow for regional security," political analyst at the Pretoria-based Africa Institute, Siphamandla Zondi, told IRIN:

Pahad is expected to be briefed on developments since the 4 April ceasefire and Pretoria's support of the process, the South African foreign affairs ministry said.

"South Africa, as the chair of the African Union, must be seen to be doing something more than just encouraging bilateral investment in Southern Africa. Pahad's visit is significant in that it goes beyond simply looking to strengthen economic relations with Angola, it is part of the visible effort South Africa is making to overhaul its image as a regional imperial power," Zondi said.

Although the focus of Pahad's visit was on how South Africa could assist the war-ravaged country, Msimange said that economic relations between the two countries would also be discussed.

He said: "A number of high-level talks between ourselves [South Africa] and the Angolan authorities has resulted in a number of economic agreements. South African businesses are keen to invest in the country. They see it as a wonderful opportunity. Just last month we received 21 South African businessmen who were interested in investment, most of whom were interested in the oil and diamond sector."