By Moses Magadza recently in Botswana

The Speaker of the Parliament of Zimbabwe, Hon. Advocate Jacob Francis Nzwidamilimo Mudenda, has said that the establishment of a SADC Regional Parliament would not infringe on the independence of Member States nor require any significant added resources.

Adv. Mudenda gave the assurance shortly after the signing of the Agreement Amending the SADC Treaty to establish a SADC Regional Parliament recently by the President of Botswana, Advocate Duma Boko recently. He said the signing marks the culmination of a 15-year journey toward greater regional legislative cooperation.

By Moses Magadza

Windhoek, Namibia - The SADC Parliamentary Forum (SADC PF) has expressed sorrow following the death of Mr. Roy Ngulube, the Clerk of the National Assembly of Zambia, who died on 7 April 2025 while on official duty in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

Mr. Ngulube was in Tashkent as part of a Zambian parliamentary delegation attending the 150th Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Assembly, led by Speaker Nelly Mutti.

By Moses Magadza

Gaborone, Botswana – In Luke 2:25-32, Simeon, a devout man who had been promised by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen Christ, said - upon holding the infant Jesus in his hands -  “Sovereign Lord, you may now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen salvation.”

Last week, in a similar moment thick with emotion and decades of anticipation, Prof. Peter Katjavivi, the former Speaker of the National Assembly of Namibia and a member of the SADC Parliamentary Forum (SADC PF) Transformation Lobby Team, delivered a stirring address at the signing of the Agreement to Amend the SADC Treaty to establish the SADC PF as an official institution of the regional bloc.

By Moses Magadza

Gaborone, Botswana - The Executive Secretary of SADC, Mr. Elias Magosi, has hailed the recent signing of the Agreement to amend the SADC Treaty to transform the SADC Parliamentary Forum (SADC PF) into a regional parliament by Botswana’s President Advocate Duma Boko.

He, however, called for the active involvement of the region’s parliaments to ensure swift ratification of regional instruments.

By Moses Magadza

Gaborone, Botswana - The Speaker of the National Assembly of Botswana, Honourable Dithapelo Lefoko Keorapetse has said that the transformation of the SADC Parliamentary Forum into a regional parliament will improve SADC citizens’ participation in regional affairs.

The Speaker made the remarks on Wednesday last week when the President of Botswana, Advocate Duma Boko signed the Agreement amending the SADC Treaty to recognize the SADC Parliament as an official institution of the regional bloc.

The 26th March 2025, will go into history as the day Botswana appended her signature to the agreement amending the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Treaty, to establish the SADC Parliament as one of the SADC Institutions. This agreement was signed by the President of the Republic of Botswana, Advocate Duma Gideon Boko, and it makes the total number of the SADC member states who have already signed, thirteen. 

From Moses Magadza in New York

NEW YORK, USA - UNAIDS Deputy Executive Director Ms Christine Stegling has urged global leaders to prioritise HIV prevention and treatment for women and girls in the face of shrinking resources.

She made the call at a high-level side event hosted by the Southern African Development Community (SADC) at the ongoing 69th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW69) here.

Speaking on the theme, “The Urgency of HIV Prevention and Treatment for Women and Girls: Resolution 60/2 in the Context of Shrinking Resources for the HIV Response”, Ms Stegling noted SADC’s leadership in championing the CSW Resolution 60/2 as a critical instrument for advancing gender equality and ending AIDS as a public health threat by 2030.

By Moses Magadza in New York

New York, USA - Zimbabwe’s Minister of Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises Development, Honourable Monica Mutsvangwa, has urged Southern African countries and the global community to intensify efforts in tackling the structural drivers of women and girls’ vulnerability to HIV and gender inequality.

The Minister made the call during a Southern African Development Community (SADC) side event at the ongoing 69th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW69) here on March 17, 2025.