Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa has handed over the chairpersonship of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) to South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, calling for greater regional self-reliance and local beneficiation of Africa’s natural resources.
Mnangagwa made the remarks following the 46th Ordinary SADC Summit in Durban, where he formally transferred the bloc’s chairpersonship to Ramaphosa.
“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,” Mnangagwa wrote on his social media pages.
He thanked Ramaphosa for his leadership as interim chairperson and commended Malawi for steering the SADC Organ on Politics, Defence, and Security Cooperation.
“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,” he continued.
The Zimbabwean president also highlighted the security and humanitarian challenges facing the region, including the situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Ebola outbreak.
“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,” he said.
Mnangagwa used the occasion to make a strong case for reducing SADC’s dependence on external funding.
“The future of SADC depends on our collective self-determination. We must wean our region off restrictive donor funds and drive our own development,” he continued.
He said genuine economic independence would require SADC member states to ensure that local communities benefit more directly from the region’s mineral wealth.
“True independence means ensuring our local communities are the primary beneficiaries of our vast natural resources through aggressive domestic value addition and mineral processing,” he said.
He further called for investment in agro-processing, skills, innovation and technology as part of efforts to strengthen regional food and economic security.
“By modernising agro-processing and investing heavily in skills development, innovation, and technology, we will guarantee our own regional food and economic security,” said Mnangagwa.
He pointed to regional infrastructure projects as evidence of what SADC countries can achieve through cooperation, singling out the Kazungula Water Project involving Zambia, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Namibia.
“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,” he said.
He also called for stronger regional preparedness for climate-related emergencies and urged progress on the permanent headquarters of the SADC Standby Force in Botswana.
“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,” he said.
Congratulating Ramaphosa on assuming the chairpersonship, Mnangagwa ended with a call for a more industrialised and self-sufficient regional bloc.
“Congratulations to President Ramaphosa. Together, as a united SADC, we will build a resilient, industrialised, and self-reliant region,” he said.
