Parliament of South Africa will host the Southern African Development Community Parliamentary Forum (SADC-PF) in Durban from 6 – 12 July 2015.
The 14 Member States of the SADC, namely Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Zimbabwe and the Seychelles will all converge in Durban for the 37th Plenary Assembly of the SADC-PF to be held under the theme "Industrialisation and Regional Integration in SADC: The role of Parliaments."
Migration and Development; Free Movement of People: Towards Regional Integration; and Diaspora Engagement, are amongst the topics to be discussed at the 37th Plenary Assembly of the SADC-PF 2015.
The programme will comprise of round-table discussions and plenaries. The round-table, hosted by the Parliament of the RSA on 6 July, will bring together Members of Parliaments, experts, civil society and interest groups. The round-table discussion will take place immediately after the opening ceremony on 6 July 2015.
The purpose of the round-table is to sensitise members and the community at large about migration related issues in the SADC region. The round-table forms part of a series of activities including the signing of a pledge against xenophobia, by political parties represented in Parliament during the Africa Day commemoration under the theme: “Africa rising: together making Africa realise its full potential through integration and unity”.
South Africa is one of the founding members of the Forum which was launched in 1996 as the SADC’s parliamentary institution, in accordance with Article 9(2) of the Declaration and Treaty of SADC (also known as the SADC Treaty). It was approved by all SADC Heads of State and Government as an autonomous body of the SADC in 1997. The membership to the SADC-PF is open to all National Assemblies of parliaments whose countries are members of the SADC.
The major aim of the SADC-PF is to provide a platform for parliaments and parliamentarians to promote and improve regional integration in the SADC region through parliamentary involvement and it is striving towards transformation into a fully-fledged regional Parliament. This transformation has been one of the key focus areas of the Forum since 2009.
The SADC-PF will take place at Fairmont Zimbali Lodge in Durban.
Media wishing to cover the 37th SADC-PF must forward their details for accreditation by 17h00 on 1, July 2015.
Details required are:
- Full name
- ID/passport number
- Name of media organisation and media group
- Designation (writer, photographer, for example)
- Email address
- Telephone number
- Mobile phone number
Media wishing to broadcast from Fairmont Zimbali Lodge should also provide:
- Make of vehicle(s)
- Registration number(s)
- Clearance certificates from service providers for temporary structures (tents, etc) they wish to erect
- Other equipment
- Time of arrival
- Time of departure
Media accreditation details may be sent to the following Media Management Unit officials:
- Mlindi Mpindi at mpindi@parliament.gov.za on 021 403 2340 / 073 197 1315
- Nolizwi Magwagwa at nmagwagwa@parliament.gov.za on 021 403 2465/ 083 313 1323
