ZANU PF First Secretary and President, His Excellency, President Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa has joined other Heads of State for the 46th Southern African Development Community SADC Ordinary Summit in Durban, South Africa.
Writing on his Twitter page, President Mnangagwa said: “Today, at the 46th Ordinary SADC Summit in Durban, South Africa, I officially handed over the SADC Chairpersonship to my brother, His Excellency President Cyril Ramaphosa.
I extend my deepest gratitude to President Ramaphosa for his astute leadership as the interim Chairman. I also commend the Republic of Malawi for expertly steering the SADC Organ on Politics, Defence, and Security Cooperation, and thank the entire SADC bloc for your unified backing in securing our UN Security Council non-permanent seat. Africa's voice remains strong on the global stage.
As a region, we stand in solidarity with our brothers and sisters in the Democratic Republic of Congo during the ongoing security disturbances and the challenging Ebola outbreak. We also pay solemn tribute to the late former acting Zambian President, Guy Scott. His historic contributions to our region will never be forgotten.The future of SADC depends on our collective self-determination. We must wean our region off restrictive donor funds and drive our own development.
True independence means ensuring our local communities are the primary beneficiaries of our vast natural resources through aggressive domestic value addition and mineral processing. By modernising agro-processing and investing heavily in skills development, innovation, and technology, we will guarantee our own regional food and economic security.We are making tangible progress.
The Kazungula Water Project stands as a testament to what we can achieve, transforming water security and trade between Zambia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, and Namibia. Moving forward, we must remain proactive by strengthening regional early warning systems for hazardous climate events and securing the necessary funding to finalize the permanent SADC Standby Force headquarters in Botswana.Congratulations to President Ramaphosa.
Together, as a united SADC, we will build a resilient, industrialised, and self-reliant region!”