By Bahle Gama
Speaker of the House of Assembly in Eswatini Jabulani Mabuza says the newly launched Southern African Development Community (SADC) Strategic Plan for 2024-2028 is geared towards the region’s integration.
Giving feedback over a phone interview, Mabuza who was leading the delegation that went to Angola for the 55th Plenary Assembly Session of the SADC Parliamentary Forum disclosed that the new strategic plan was launched, amongst other things.
The Forum that was held in Luanda, Angola ended on Friday, July 5, 2024.
The theme for the 55th Plenary Assembly is ‘The Role of Parliaments in Promoting Renewable Energy Policies in the SADC Region and Creating a Single Regional Energy Market’.
Apart from the launch of the SADC PF strategic plan, the Plenary Assembly also discussed a wide range of issues, including presentations on the theme, and country reports on progress on the implementation of resolutions of the 54th Plenary Assembly, as well as the consideration of standing committee reports and members’ motions.
According to Mabuza, the strategic plan, which involved input from SADC national parliaments, is a comprehensive roadmap for advancing the organisation’s objectives and fostering positive change within the region.
It also aims to address pertinent issues such as social development and inclusivity, regional integration, collaboration, and enhanced legislative effectiveness.
“The launch of the strategic plan came at an opportune time when the forum was close to being transformed into a regional parliament, which will play a pivotal role in paving the way for regional integration,” he said.
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The Speaker said the forum served as a platform for SADC countries to take stock of development efforts in the region.
He stated that for the regional parliament to be formed, 12 signatures from SADC countries are required to sign the agreement amending the SADC Treaty, transforming the SADC Parliamentary Forum into a SADC Parliament.
“Fortunately, Eswatini was one of the countries that signed a while back because His Majesty had already seen the vision behind the SADC Treaty and we look forward to the first 12 signatures to allow for the formation of the SADC Parliament,” he said.
For more than 10 years the SADC Treaty has been working towards transforming into a SADC regional parliament.
Mabuza stated that other SADC states have shown their interest in signing and are looking forward to the formation of the Parliament for the region.
The slow progress of transformation has been attributed largely to a lack of commitment by some countries and other impediments, such as financial constraints.
Mabuza stated that SADC remains the only region without a regional parliament. There already exist other organs such as the secretariat (executive) and a tribunal (judiciary), with the legislative arm being the only missing link.
Other regional bodies, such as the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), have regional parliaments, where matters of regional interest and mutual concern are discussed and resolved by parliamentarians at that level.
According to Mabuza, Zambia signed during the forum and became the 11th SADC member state to sign the agreement.
This made Congo, Mauritius, Madagascar, and Botswana the only countries yet to sign the agreement.
“It was later disclosed that remarkable progress had been made towards securing the 12th signature and we look forward to that,” Mabuza said.
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Other members accompanying the Speaker included Senators Linda Nxumalo, and Isacc Magagula and MPs Michael Masilela from Lobamba, Nokuthula Dlamini from Maseyisini, and Scelo Jele from LaMgabhi.
The Southern African Development Community Parliamentary Forum (SADC PF) was established in 1997 in accordance with Article 9(2) of the SADC Treaty as an autonomous institution of SADC.
It is a regional inter-parliamentary body composed of fifteen (15) parliaments, representing over 3,500 parliamentarians in the SADC region.
These member parliaments are Angola, Botswana, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Eswatini, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, the Seychelles, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Its main aim is to provide a platform for parliaments and parliamentarians to promote and improve regional integration in the SADC region through parliamentary involvement and parliamentary diplomacy.
