In a statement to the press following these talks, Bapela called for strengthening economic and trade relations between his country and Morocco.
The South African official, also a member of the ANC National Executive Committee, invited Moroccan companies to invest in South Africa like many South African companies, which, according to him, are already established in Morocco.
At the multilateral level, Bapela welcomed Morocco’s return to the African Union, a space where the two countries “can work together” to address the challenges facing Africa.
On another note, the Deputy-President of the ANC International Relations Committee recalled Morocco’s support for South Africa’s struggle for independence, adding that the Kingdom was among the first countries visited by South African leader Nelson Mandela after his country’s independence to express his thanks to the Moroccan people for their contribution to the liberation of South Africa and to solidify bilateral relations.