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SADC PF head calls for economic self-reliance amid rising tariffs
16 May 2025 Written by SADC Parliamentary ForumBy Moses Magadza
WINDOEK, NAMIBIA - The Secretary General of the Southern African Development Community Parliamentary Forum (SADC PF), Ms Boemo Sekgoma, has urged Southern African nations to seize the moment to reinforce their economies and reclaim control over their development trajectory.
Speaking via zoom at the opening of the High-Level Dialogue on Trade Justice: Mitigating the Impact of US Reciprocal Tariffs on SADC Economies and Women and Girls, on Thursday, Ms Sekgoma acknowledged the far-reaching implications of tariff increases and called for a recalibration of regional trade and production strategies.
Africa Trust calls for feminist, people-centred Trade Justice Framework
16 May 2025 Written by SADC Parliamentary ForumBy Moses Magadza
The Chief Executive Officer of the Southern Africa Trust, Ms Alice Kanengoni, has called for a bold reimagining of trade justice in Southern Africa, urging a shift away from exclusive technical approaches to inclusive, people-driven frameworks that centre those most affected by global economic shifts.
Ms Kanengoni made the call when she delivered welcome remarks at the beginning of a High-Level Dialogue on Trade Justice in Johannesburg co-convened with the SADC Parliamentary Forum.
Lesotho’s Trade Minister urges rethink of global trade amid tariffs crisis
16 May 2025 Written by SADC Parliamentary ForumWINDHOEK, NAMIBIA - The Kingdom of Lesotho’s Minister of Trade and Industry, Mr Mokhethi Shelile, has advocated for a radical reimagining of global trade, warning that the recent imposition of reciprocal tariffs by the United States threatens to unravel years of progress in inclusive trade across the Southern African region.
SADC Region set for high-level dialogue on trade justice amidst US tariff shockwaves
16 May 2025 Written by SADC Parliamentary ForumBy Moses Magadza
WINDHOEK, NAMIBIA - A high-level dialogue on trade justice is set to take place on 15 May 2025 in a hybrid format in Johannesburg.
The dialogue comes in the wake of the United States’ recent announcement of sweeping reciprocal tariffs that disproportionately affect economies in the Global South.
SADC PF President praises Namibia’s leadership, urges robust regional parliamentary integration
06 May 2025 Written by SADC Parliamentary ForumBy Moses Magadza
WINDHOEK, NAMIBIA - The President of the SADC Parliamentary Forum (SADC PF), Hon. Justin Tokely, has saluted Namibia’s long-standing contribution to regional integration and parliamentary diplomacy, and called for sustained collaboration as the Forum prepares to transition into a fully-fledged regional parliament.
Speaking during a courtesy call on Wednesday by members of the Executive Committee of the SADC PF on the newly inaugurated President of Namibia, Her Excellency Madam Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, Hon. Tokely congratulated her on her historic ascension as the country’s first female Head of State.
“Your recent assumption of office is a source of inspiration to our entire region. It represents a landmark victory for gender equality in African leadership,” he said.
Growing calls for stronger Parliamentary oversight of prisons in Southern Africa
06 May 2025 Written by SADC Parliamentary ForumBy Moses Magadza in Johannesburg, South Africa
A joint sitting of five standing committees of the SADC Parliamentary Forum began in Johannesburg South Africa on Thursday with the Secretary General of the SADC PF, Ms. Boemo Sekgoma, calling for enhanced parliamentary oversight of prisons across the Southern African region.
The Joint Session follows separate standing committee meetings that took place on Wednesday and is deliberating on a proposed Model Law on Prison Oversight to be developed by the SADC PF with the financial support of Sweden.
Addressing delegates at the opening of the two-day session, Ms. Sekgoma stated that the state of prison systems reflects the health of democracy and the extent to which nations uphold human rights and justice.
SADC PF Committee proposes bold recommendations on prison oversight
06 May 2025 Written by SADC Parliamentary ForumBy Moses Magadza in Johannesburg, South Africa
A one-day meeting of the SADC Parliamentary Forum’s Standing Committee on Human and Social Development and Special Programmes (HSDSP) ended in Johannesburg on Wednesday with strong calls for systemic reform, strengthened oversight, and improved healthcare in prisons across the region.
The committee (one of five standing committees of the SADC PF that met separately on Wednesday ahead of a joint session scheduled for 24 April 2025) engaged in robust deliberations informed by expert presentations and video testimonies by regional judges who had undertaken prison visits. The judges described alarming conditions marked by overcrowding, poor sanitation, and the incarceration of minor offenders alongside hardened criminals.
Experts call for better Prison oversight to combat diseases, protect rights
24 Apr 2025 Written by SADC Parliamentary ForumBy Moses Magadza in Johannesburg, South Africa
Experts this week called for better prison oversight to combat communicable diseases and protect the rights of everyone.
They also welcomed plans to develop a SADC Model Law on Prison Oversight by the SADC Parliamentary Forum with support from Sweden.
Ms Michaela Clayton, the interim Director for AIDS and Rights Alliance for Southern Africa (ARASA) expressed her organisation’s support for the envisaged model law. She noted that stark health inequalities and systemic neglect were fuelling the spread of infectious diseases such as tuberculosis (TB), HIV, hepatitis B and C in prisons.
OPENING REMARKS BY THE SECRETARY GENERAL ON THE OCCASION OF THE JOINT SESSION OF STANDING COMMITTEES OF THE SADC-PF ON PRISON OVERSIGHT 23RD-24TH APRIL 2025
24 Apr 2025 Written by SADC Parliamentary ForumHonourable Members, dear Colleagues and Distinguished Participants,
It is with immense pleasure that I address this august Session as a prelude to the consideration of the Prison Oversight Model Law framework.
The Joint Session of Standing Committees of the SADC-PF has always been a pivotal platform to advance critical themes in a cross-cutting manner. At the Forum, we strongly believe that Committees should not operate in silos and that ideas must be exchanged and ventilated between MPs as peers, especially on themes which concern all Committees.
Calls for Model Law to transform prisons into centres of reform and hope
24 Apr 2025 Written by SADC Parliamentary ForumBy Moses Magadza Johannesburg, South Africa
The Chairperson of the Human and Social Development and Special Programmes Committee of the SADC Parliamentary Forum (SADC PF), Honourable Mope Khati, has urged Members of Parliament to help in transforming the region’s prison systems through the development of a progressive Model Law on Prison Oversight.
Speaking during the official opening of the Standing Committee’s statutory meeting in Johannesburg, Hon Khati paid tribute to the late Clerk of the National Assembly of Zambia, Mr Roy Ngulube.
