20 Aug 2024

The SADC Parliamentary Forum paid a courtesy call on His Excellency President Dr Mokgweetsi Eric Keabetswe Masisi yesterday, to lobby Botswana to sign an agreement amending the SADC Treaty to transform SADC Parliamentary Forum into a SADC Parliament.

The agreement amending the SADC treaty was adopted by the SADC Summit of Heads of State and Government at its meeting in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo in 2022.

The  aim is  to establish SADC Parliament as one of the Institutions of SADC under Article 9(1) of the SADC Treaty.

Welcoming the team, President Masisi said: ‘I have taken note of the advances the team has made in getting the required signatories, thus I am very hopeful that the proposed transformation would be of beneficial to both Botswana and the entire region.’

Making the submissions on behalf  of the SADC Parliamentary Forum lobby team, Speaker of the National Assembly of  Zimbabwe, Advocate Jacob Mudenda highlighted that the forum aimed to provide a platform for parliaments and parliamentarians to promote and improve regional integration in the SADC region, through parliamentary involvement.

“This forum seeks to bring regional experiences to bear at the national level and promote best practices in the role of parliaments in regional cooperation and integration as outlined in the SADC Treaty and the Forum’s constitution,” he said.

Additionally, Adv. Mudenda said in consent of the founding ethos of the region’s frontline states, where Botswana played a key role in the achievement of the regional independence, it was only fitting that all countries be signatories to the agreement to amend the treaty on the establishment of SADC Parliament.

He further stated that SADC Parliament Forum envisioned a parliament that would be aligned with SADC Summit of Heads of State and member Parliaments, adding that it would help to accelerate economic integration once established.

He said it was pleasing to note that 12 SADC member states had already signed the agreement, thus remained hopeful that Botswana would also sign and contribute towards the amendment of the treaty.

The SADC Parliament will commence its operations after the entry into force of the Protocol on SADC Parliament, after which SADC Parliamentary Forum will cease its operations.

The composition, powers, functions, procedures and other related matters governing SADC Parliament shall be prescribed in a Protocol to be adopted by SADC member states. The SADC member states that have signed the Agreement Amending the SADC Treaty: Angola, Democratic Republic of Congo, eSwatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe have already signed the agreement.

ENDS