President Jacob Zuma will on Friday, 17 March 2017, undertake a working visit to the Kingdom of Swaziland to attend the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Extraordinary Summit of Heads of State and Government that is scheduled to take place on Saturday, 18 March 2017.
The Summit is scheduled to discuss the Report of the Ministerial Task Force on Regional Economic Integration: Industrialisation and Regional Economic Integration.
The Summit will further discuss, amongst other things, food security following the armyworm outbreak currently affecting crop production and food security in the region. The regional bloc leaders will also discuss the request from the Union of Comoros and the Republic of Burundi to join the SADC.
President Zuma will also, on 17 March 2017, participate in the SADC Double Troika Summit which is convened to receive and discuss a progress report on the implementation of SADC decisions in relation to the political situation in the Kingdom of Lesotho as well as an update on the political and security situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). In his capacity as SADC facilitator in Lesotho, Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa will give a report to the summit on the Kingdom of Lesotho.
The extra-ordinary summit will be preceded by the SADC Council of Ministers’ meeting and the SADC Ministerial Retreat under the theme “The SADC We Want”. On the SADC Ministerial Retreat, deliberations will focus on three thematic areas: SADC Vision Progress, Challenges and Prospects, SADC’s Institutional Capacity to deliver on its mandate and Resource Mobilisation.
President Zuma will be accompanied by Minister Ministers of International Relations and Cooperation, Ms Maite Nkoana-Mashabane; Minister Defence and Military Veterans, Ms Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula and Minister Trade and Industry, Dr Rob Davies.
Enquiries:
Dr Bongani Ngqulunga
Cell: 082 308 9373
E-mail: bongani@presidency.gov.za
