SOUTH African investors are keen to establish businesses in Zimbabwe and are anxious to see Zimbabwe's economy stabilising, a Rustenburg municipal officer has said.

Mr Rocky Malebana, a member of the Rustenburg Mayoral 2010 Committee made these remarks after a delegation from Mazowe Rural District Council made a courtesy call at the Rustenburg Municipality offices in North West province recently.

The delegation was on an informal tour of the town under a programme dubbed "look and learn" in anticipation of the success of their application to have Mvurwi accorded town status.

The town status application has since passed relevant stages and is awaiting President Mugabe's signature before it is granted the town status.

Mr Malabena told the delegation led by Mazowe North legislator Cde Cairo Mhandu that investors in his platinum mining town were watching closely with interest some economic developments in Zimbabwe.

"We are watching closely economic developments in your country because most of our investors are interested in starting mining ventures in Zimbabwe," he said.

He urged African countries to work together towards economic development and avoid trying to avoid adopting the western ways of economic development, saying they risked loosing originality and preserving cultural values.

"If African countries are to register real economic progress, they should not follow the western strategies who inculcated a negative belief towards African brotherhood.

"They created artificial boundaries and made us to believe we are a different people," Mr Malabena said.

He said he adored the Zimbabwean land reform programme, which according to him had sent waves of change in South Africa.

Mr Malabena said his town was keen to learn from Zimbabweans whom he said had abundant intellectual skills.

"We as a municipality have our own challenges and

we need to develop government to government relationships so that we exchange ideas and share resources," he said.

Mr Malabena urged the Mazowe RDC to fast track processing of documents for a formal tour so that they would be able to sign memorandums of agreements before twinning arrangements.

He said he was impressed by the determination of the Mazowe RDC, and promised to send a delegation to visit Mvurwi in the near future to strengthen ties between Rustenburg and Mvurwi.

The Zimbabwean delegation toured the town's civic centre and two stadiums, Olympia and Royal Bafokeng.

Some of the 2010 World cup games will be held at the Royal Bafokeng stadium.