His Excellency President Jacob Zuma has concluded a successful working visit to Luanda, Republic of Angola, where he led a South African delegation to the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Extraordinary Summit, which took place in the Angolan capital on Friday, 1 June 2012.
The Extraordinary Summit discussed, amongst other things, preparations for the African Union Summit (to be hosted by the Republic of Malawi in July 2012), political developments in the region and regional economic integration.
On the July African Union (AU) Summit, the SADC Extraordinary Summit reaffirmed the candidature of the South African Minister of Home Affairs, Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, for the position of Chairperson of the AU Commission. The SADC leadership reiterated their view that there is a need to strengthen the AU in order to better position the continental body for the multitude of opportunities and challenges facing Africa.
Regarding the political situation in the region, with particular emphasis on the implementation of the Global Political Agreement (GPA) in the Republic of Zimbabwe, the Extraordinary Summit emphasised the centrality of the GPA to the resolution of the political situation in the country. In this regard, the SADC facilitator, President Zuma, noted that "the implementation of the various aspects of the GPA is key towards the holding of elections in Zimbabwe."
President Zuma added: "The Extraordinary Summit noted progress on some aspects of the GPA and recognised that all the parties agree that the GPA provides a way forward. The Extraordinary Summit urged the parties to implement all the outstanding issues so that a conducive environment is created for elections to take place."
On economic integration, the Extraordinary Summit noted a concept paper on fast racking regional economic integration. Recognising existing efforts at integrating economies in the region for enhanced growth and greater investment opportunities, the Summit referred the report to ministers for inputs before it is presented to the next Summit for decision. The ministers were tasked with proposing specific projects and timelines for consideration by Heads of State and Government.
For further information, please contact:
Clayson Monyela
Spokesperson for International Relations and Cooperation
Cell: 082 884 5974
