OWN CORRESPONDENT, Durban | Sunday 7.00pm.
TRADE and Industry Minister Alec Erwin said on Sunday negotiations to create a regional free trade deal in Southern Africa are progressing but cautioned that difficulties still lay ahead.
Erwin addressed the ninth annual Southern African economic summit in Durban this weekend following a meeting with Zimbabwean trade minister Nathan Shamuyariri about the trade rift between the two nations.
Erwin promised a visit in the near future to Zimbabwe with President Thabo Mbeki and finance minister Trevor Manuel to pursue economic co-operation and iron out the disputes.
Most countries in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) have tabled proposals for a phased reduction and eventual elimination of tariffs. Only Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo, both busy with internal and external conflicts, have refrained from the free trade fest.
Erwin cautioned that the remaning negotiations will be difficult. The common perception in SADC that South Africa unfairly dominates trade in the region and pursues unfair practices will be a key talking point in those negotiations.