Yesha
Senior Member
- Jan 28, 2026
- 138
- 64
Zimbabwe has formally handed over the chairpersonship of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) to South Africa, marking the conclusion of President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s tenure at the helm of the regional bloc.
The handover took place on Monday at the 46th Ordinary SADC Summit in Durban, where South African President Cyril Ramaphosa assumed the chairpersonship.
In his address, Mnangagwa thanked Ramaphosa for his leadership as interim chair and commended Malawi for steering the SADC Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation. He also expressed gratitude to member states for their support in securing Africa’s representation on the United Nations Security Council.
Mnangagwa called for greater regional self-reliance, urging SADC countries to reduce dependence on donor funding and make local communities the primary beneficiaries of the region’s natural resources.
He said this should be achieved through increased mineral processing and domestic value addition, modernised agro-processing, as well as greater investment in skills development, innovation and technology.
The outgoing chairperson also highlighted regional infrastructure projects, including the Kazungula Water Project involving Zambia, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Namibia, as examples of what SADC countries can achieve through cooperation.
Mnangagwa further called for stronger regional early-warning systems to respond to climate-related disasters and continued efforts to secure funding for the permanent SADC Standby Force headquarters in Botswana.
Ramaphosa, accepting the chairpersonship, pledged to prioritise deeper economic integration, trade and investment while advancing resilient, sustainable and inclusive industrialisation across the region. He also committed South Africa to strengthening peace, security and stability in SADC.
The 46th Summit is being held under the theme “Resilient, Sustainable and Inclusive Industrialisation through Infrastructure Development, Agricultural and Critical Minerals Transformation in Pursuit of a Just World.”
South Africa’s chairpersonship comes as SADC seeks to accelerate regional integration and turn its long-term development agenda into tangible economic opportunities for people across the 16-member bloc.
The handover took place on Monday at the 46th Ordinary SADC Summit in Durban, where South African President Cyril Ramaphosa assumed the chairpersonship.
In his address, Mnangagwa thanked Ramaphosa for his leadership as interim chair and commended Malawi for steering the SADC Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation. He also expressed gratitude to member states for their support in securing Africa’s representation on the United Nations Security Council.
Mnangagwa called for greater regional self-reliance, urging SADC countries to reduce dependence on donor funding and make local communities the primary beneficiaries of the region’s natural resources.
He said this should be achieved through increased mineral processing and domestic value addition, modernised agro-processing, as well as greater investment in skills development, innovation and technology.
The outgoing chairperson also highlighted regional infrastructure projects, including the Kazungula Water Project involving Zambia, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Namibia, as examples of what SADC countries can achieve through cooperation.
Mnangagwa further called for stronger regional early-warning systems to respond to climate-related disasters and continued efforts to secure funding for the permanent SADC Standby Force headquarters in Botswana.
Ramaphosa, accepting the chairpersonship, pledged to prioritise deeper economic integration, trade and investment while advancing resilient, sustainable and inclusive industrialisation across the region. He also committed South Africa to strengthening peace, security and stability in SADC.
The 46th Summit is being held under the theme “Resilient, Sustainable and Inclusive Industrialisation through Infrastructure Development, Agricultural and Critical Minerals Transformation in Pursuit of a Just World.”
South Africa’s chairpersonship comes as SADC seeks to accelerate regional integration and turn its long-term development agenda into tangible economic opportunities for people across the 16-member bloc.
