The Executive Secretary of the Southern African Development at the at State House in Windhoek, Namibia.

The Executive Secretary of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), His Excellency Mr Elias M. Magosi, on 07th April 2022, paid a courtesy call on His Excellency Dr Hage G. Geingob, President of the Republic of Namibia, and Incoming Chairperson of the SADC Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation, at State House in Windhoek, Namibia.

The courtesy call was aimed at appraising the President on the operations of the Secretariat; the status of implementation of decisions made by the SADC Council and Summit; and sharing the Secretariat’s priorities for the coming years.

President Geingob emphasised the importance of the Governance Architecture in Member States and at regional level as the bedrock for peace and security, and the building block for successful regional and continental integration.

H.E. Dr Geingob said the Government of Namibia remains committed to the SADC principles and foundation of fostering peace and security for the region to achieve regional integration and sustainable socio-economic development.

Noting that the SADC Secretariat was the principal executive institution of SADC responsible for strategic planning, facilitation, co-ordination and management of all SADC Programmes, President Geingob applauded H.E. Magosi for his proactive approach to the work of the Secretariat, and commended the Executive Secretary for his emphasis on dialogue and consultation as a step in the right direction.

Advising the Executive Secretary about accountability and transparency as the basis for trust and governance, President Geingob further said that for the smooth functioning of the region and execution of decisions, the Secretariat had the obligation to timeously share documents ahead of time to allow for better preparation and inputs from Member States.

President Geingob will assume the Chair of the SADC Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation during the SADC Summit of Heads of State and Government to be held in August 2022 in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The Chairperson of the SADC Organ is rotated on an annual basis, and currently, His Excellency Mr Cyril Ramaphosa, President of the Republic of South Africa, is the Chairperson, while H.E. Dr. Mokgweetsi Eric Keabetswe Masisi, President of the Republic of Botswana is the Outgoing Chairperson.

The SADC Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation is a structure established under Article 9 of the SADC Treaty. The specific mandate of the Chairperson of the SADC Organ is outlined in Article 4 of the SADC Protocol on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation, and among others, the Chairperson is responsible for the overall policy direction and achievement of the objectives of the Organ, of promoting peace and security in the SADC Region, in consultation with the Troika of SADC.

During the meeting, the SADC Executive Secretary briefed the Incoming Chairperson of the SADC Organ on several issues including the state of regional integration, the mandate and the role of the Chair of the Organ; the political and security situation in the region; and elections that will be conducted during Namibia’s tenure as Chair of the Organ.

H.E. Magosi expressed appreciation to the support received from the Government of Namibia in facilitating SADC regional programmes and informed H.E. Dr Geingob that the Secretariat, under his leadership will strengthen engagements with the SADC Heads of State and Government to get their inputs and views on the implementation of SADC regional integration agenda.

H.E. Magosi is the seventh Executive Secretary of SADC who assumed his position on 1st September, 2021, following his appointment at the 41st SADC Summit of Heads of State and Government held in Lilongwe, Malawi in August, 2021

The SADC Executive Secretary was accompanied by the Directors for the Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Affairs, Mr Jorge Cardoso, and Dr Mubita Luwabelwa for Policy Planning and Resource Mobilisation, the Head of Communications and Public Relations Officer Ms Barbara Lopi and the Executive Assistant to the Executive Secretary Ms Kelejwang Moichubedi from the SADC Secretariat.