Southern African Development Community (SADC) member states have unanimously agreed on the urgency to get rid of terrorism in the region. This is due to the wake of terrorism acts at Mozambique.
On his closing remarks after the Ministerial Committee of the Organ on Politics,Defence and Security, Dr. Lemogang Kwape thanked his counterparts for a fruitful meeting where he says a lot was discussed, and agreed upon.
“We agreed that, despite these new challenges, SADC has made significant strides in attending to issues of peace and security, including the consolidation of democracy in the region. The milestones and the challenges, as well as some of the priority areas have been clearly captured in the Report, which will be presented by the Chair of the Organ to the Ordinary Summit tomorrow. We have also agreed that for SADC to continue to effectively deal with these security threats, it is important that we stay true to our decisions and hasten implementation. It is for this reason that we have unanimously agreed that we must move with speed to, among others, implement the Regional Counter Terrorism Strategy and its Action Plan, as well as the Implementation Plan of the recommendation of the Security Threats Assessment Report.” said Kwape.
This was the last Ministerial Committee of the Organ with Botswana as the chair. The rotational chairship will now pass on to South Africa. This means that His Excellency the President of South Africa- Mr. Cyril Matamela Ramaphosa will chair Organ on Politics, Defence and Security, while South Africa’s Minister for Foreign Affairs- Ms. Naledi Pandor will chair the Ministerial Committee of the Organ.
Upcoming also is the election of the SADC Executive Secretary. This comes after the end of term for the the incumbent- Dr. Stergomena Lawrence Tax. Botswana has fielded Mr. Elias Mpedi Magosi who is the Permanent Secretary to the President, Acting an “Ambassador-at-large. Magosi will be squaring it off against DRC’s Dr. Faustin Luanga Mukela.
