Cape Town - Licking its wounds from the post Brexit shock of isolation, the UK city of Portsmouth is keen to woo Cape Town to be a sister partner in its attempt to boost its economy.
The British’s extension of a friendly hand comes as President Cyril Ramaphosa received an invite from King Charles III. Ramaphosa is among the first world leaders to visit the new king.
Ramaphosa is also scheduled to meet UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak at 10 Downing Street, Westminster, on November 22 and 23, where foremost in their discussions will be the SA government’s just energy transition investment plan, the Russia-Ukraine war and the upcoming Zimbabwean elections, among other things.
The country is Britain’s largest trade partner on the African continent, while UK is SA’s fifth top trading partner in export sales for 2021.
The mayor of Portsmouth, which voted for Brexit, has been implored by his council to write to Cape Town mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis to ask for “cultural and economic” friendship.
The Brexit vote to leave the EU markets was considered isolationist and the UK, according to European commentary, is reeling from the decision to leave.
On November 4, On November 4, the Portsmouth council tabled a report – signed by its culture, leisure and regulatory services director Stephen Baily – with a request to its leader to reach out to Hill-Lewis with a request to establish a sister city relationship.
“Post-Brexit we are keen to ensure that we have links and opportunities for working with other parts of the world and not rely solely on our established European links,” the report said.
The Portsmouth report cites SA’s Commonwealth status and states that the Cape Town link would, in their post-Brexit period, counteract “challenges with European trade in the short term”.
The British’s report said the sister link with Cape Town, if it succeeds, will be its first with an African city and will “encourage business growth through partnership routes and ensure our city links reflect both Portsmouth and the university’s communities of growing diversity”.
That the city is a port city is also a plus for the UK’s port city, it said.
The report refers to “way back” links between the two cities, such as the SS Mendi, which sunk in British territory while transporting 802 SA Native Labour Corps soldiers to back the Allied Forces. The SS Mendi departed from Cape Town. Portsmouth commemorates the event.
The shipwreck’s bell was returned when former Prime Minister Theresa May visited Cape Town in 2017.
Hill-Lewis was approached for comment, but his office had not responded at the time of writing.