SADC PARLIAMENTARY FORUM

TERMS OF REFERENCE For Rapporteur "LEADERSHIP AND POLITICAL REPRESENTATION OF WOMEN" RWPC Advocacy and Lobbying Missions to Malawi, Namibia, Swaziland and Zimbabwe

These Terms of Reference will serve as the contractual agreement for rapporteuring during the RWPC Advocacy and Lobbying Missions, which will be undertaken in Malawi, Namibia, Swaziland and Zimbabwe

INTRODUCTION

The project seeks to bring more women into political and decision making positions by engaging political parties to review their manifestos and constitutions to see to it that they appreciate and articulate gender equality issues and to facilitate the review of the existing status quo in order to accelerate the achievement of the objectives of the SADC Protocol on Gender and Development.

It is hoped that the ultimate results of this intervention will be that political parties and national parliaments create conditions that promote women political participation and ascension to leadership positions and a strong and well functioning multi-party Women Parliamentary Caucuses.

The Regional Women's Parliamentary Caucus as an established organ of the SADC Parliamentary Forum, provides an institutional framework to follow up on the political commitments on the equal participation and representation of women in positions of power and decision making at all levels as articulated in the SADC Protocol on Gender and Development (2008).

All the evidence from the SADC region and experiences around the globe demonstrates that the political participation and effective representation of women in positions of power and decision making at all levels has not yet happened. Rather, it is accelerated by multi dimensional strategies that build and inculcate the democratic governance ideal which implies the participation and contribution of all parts of the population without regard to class, sex, gender, ethnic or religious background.

The political participation and representation of women, who constitute more than half of the populations of SADC countries will necessarily imply an important democratic advance which is worthy of the SADC Parliamentary Forum to pursue in line with its 2011-2015 Strategy. This is premised in the Forum's recognition that attention to the political participation and representation of women in positions of power and decision making is essential to achieving gender equality and sound democratic governance in the region

Due to the fact that progress is slow and in some instances the small gains are being eroded, the SADC Parliamentary Forum has adopted measures that accelerate the transformation of electoral systems, political parties' constitutions and intra-party democracy processes from a gender perspective. The advocacy for women's political participation and representation in elective positions through political parties' constitutions and policies reforms, electoral reforms targeting electoral laws and systems reviews from a gender perspective, especially in the countries scheduled to have elections is expected to contribute to conducive environments that facilitate women's political participation and representation in the SADC region towards the goal of gender equality in parliament by 2015.

08th-16th, JULY 2012
"STRENGTHENING PARLIAMENTARY DEMOCRACY"

1. The SADC Parliamentary Forum (SADC PF) 31st Plenary Assembly was held in Maputo, Mozambique, from the 8th to the 16th of July 2012, under the theme "Strengthening Parliamentary Democracy".

2. The Plenary Assembly was attended by 13 SADC member Parliaments namely; Angola, Botswana, The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The 31st Plenary Assembly duly noted an apology from the Parliament of the Republic of Seychelles.

3. Welcoming delegates to the 31st Plenary Assembly, the Secretary General of SADC PF, Dr.

Esau Chiviya, underscored that Parliaments are the building blocks for democracy and 
therefore called for the necessary constitutional, legal, normative and institutional arrangements to be put in place in order to strengthen their institutional independence and operational efficiency in line with the theme.

4. In her remarks during the 31st Plenary Assembly, Hon. Beatrice Nyamupinga, Chairperson of the Regional Women's Parliamentary Caucus (RWPC), lauded SADC member States that have integrated the African Women's Decade (2010-2020) under the auspices of the African Union, into their national agendas.

Hon. Nyamupinga further called upon SADC member States to accelerate the ratification of the SADC Protocol on Gender and Development in order to facilitate its implementation. 
5. In her welcoming remarks, the host Speaker, Hon. Veronica Nataniel Macamo Dlhovo, Speaker of the National Assembly of Mozambique, observed that the theme "Strengthening Parliamentary Democracy" is vital for strengthening democracy in SADC. 
Further, Hon. Dlhovo re-affirmed the National Assembly of Mozambique's commitment to the establishment of a SADC Regional Parliament, adding that such a Parliament would strengthen friendship, peace and stability in the Region and aid regional integration.

6. Hon. Lovemore Moyo, Chairperson of the SADC PF and Speaker of the House of Assembly of Zimbabwe, reiterated the need for Parliaments to remain open and responsive in the performance of their duties in order to promote democracy and good governance.

Hon. Moyo reiterated the need for SADC to establish its Regional Parliament in order to accelerate the implementation of decisions of the Summit of Heads of State and Government for the benefit of SADC citizens. The Chairperson therefore called for continuous dialogue with the SADC Heads of State on the need to amend the SADC Treaty to include the establishment of a SADC Regional Parliament alongside other SADC institutions established in accordance with Article 9(1).

7. Officially opening the 31st Plenary Assembly, the Guest of Honour, His Excellency Armando Emilio Guebuza, President of the Republic of Mozambique, lauded SADC's deep rooted unity and praised the SADC PF for offering a regional parliamentary platform for political engagement and dialogue.

H.E. President Guebuza underscored that the 31st Plenary Assembly's theme, "Strengthening Parliamentary Democracy", aptly captures SADC Parliaments' common goal of responding to the needs of the citizens by monitoring and assisting Governments in the implementation of public policies and programmes. In this regard, he called upon the SADC PF to maintain its role in strengthening parliamentary democracy in the SADC Region.

8. Delivering a vote of thanks during the 31st Plenary Assembly official opening ceremony, Rt.

Hon. Henry Chimunthu Banda, Speaker of the National Assembly of Malawi, expressed 
appreciation for the role that Mozambique, a founding member of SADC, is playing in facilitating regional integration. He also expressed hope that the issue of a SADC Parliament will be discussed at the SADC Summit to held in Maputo in August 2012.

9. Addressing the Plenary Assembly deliberative session, Mr Murumba Werunga, Emeritus Clerk, Parliament of Kenya, who heads the Centre for Parliamentary Studies and Training, urged Parliamentarians as the elected representatives of the people, to prioritise the needs and aspirations of the people in their work, thereby strengthening parliamentary democracy and good governance in SADC.

Mr. Werunga implored SADC Parliaments to continue instituting legislative reforms in order to strengthen their institutional independence and operational efficiency. 
10. SADC member Parliaments, in presenting their Country Reports to the 31st Plenary Assembly, emphasised the need for respecting the principle of separation of powers between the three arms of Government as a way of strengthening democracy within SADC countries. They therefore called for legislative reforms to be sustained in order to strengthen the role of Parliament in building functional and sustainable democracies in the Region.

11. In pursuit of SADC PF's transformation to a Regional Parliament, the Plenary Assembly resolved that from the 33rd Plenary Assembly, all its Sessions will be changed from the current conference style to start operating like a Parliament, thus adopting parliamentary procedures. 
12. The 31st Plenary Assembly adopted the Benchmarking and Self-Assessment Toolkit, paving way for implementation of the Benchmarks for Democratic Legislatures in Southern Africa. In adopting the Self-Assessment Toolkit, the 31st Plenary Assembly noted that it is a useful reference instrument for National Parliaments to transform and become more democratic institutions.

13. The Plenary congratulated the people of the Kingdom of Lesotho for holding credible elections and for respecting the will of the people as demonstrated by the acceptance of results and the smooth transfer of power, adding that this is a good practice that should be emulated by other countries in the Region and the continent.

14. The Plenary Assembly further noted with satisfaction the continued and enhanced cooperation between the SADC PF and the SADC Secretariat which serves to enhance the implementation of SADC Protocols and other decisions for the benefit of SADC citizens.

15. Plenary Assembly noted with gratitude the progress made in mobilising resource for the implementation of SADC PF Programmes and thus welcomed the support from the African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF), International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA), Friederich- Ebert-Stiftung (FES), Open Society Institute for Southern Africa (OSISA), Swedish Agency for International Development (SIDA) and UN Women. The Plenary encouraged other international cooperating partners and the private sector in SADC to support Parliaments as a way of strengthening parliamentary democracy.

16. The 31st Plenary Assembly thanked the National Assembly and people of Mozambique for the warm hospitality extended to delegates during the 31st Plenary. 
17. The 32nd Plenary Assembly of the SADC PF will be hosted by the Parliament of the Republic of Malawi in October 2012.

Issued at Polana Serena Hotel, Maputo, Republic of Mozambique

14th July, 2012

Mozambique hosts the 31st SADC PF Plenary Assembly SADC Parliamentary Forum (SADC PF) wishes to announce that the National Assembly of the Republic of Mozambique will be hosting the 31st Plenary Assembly of the Forum from 09 to 16 July 2012 at Hotel Polana in Maputo.

The SADC PF 31st Plenary Assembly will be held under the theme “Strengthening Parliamentary Democracy” and it seeks to ensure greater parliamentary role in enhancing participatory democracy and good governance in SADC.

The Secretary General of SADC PF, Dr Esau Chiviya explained that this theme is timely as it comes at a time when National Parliaments in SADC have adopted the Benchmarks for Democratic Legislatures in Southern Africa which is a standards instrument meant to guide legislatures to transform themselves into democratic and effective institutions.

The Plenary Assembly will among other things, consider the Benchmarking and Self-Assessment Toolkit which is an implementation tool to guide SADC Parliaments as they seek to domesticate and institutionalise the Benchmarks for Democratic Legislatures in Southern Africa and in so doing strengthen parliamentary democracy in SADC countries.

The 31st Plenary Assembly will be officially opened by Mozambique President, His Excellency Armando Emilio Guebuza on Friday, 13 July, 2012. Chairperson of the SADC Parliamentary Forum, Hon. Lovemore Moyo, who is also Speaker of the House of Assembly of Zimbabwe and the host

Speaker, Hon. Verónica Nataniel Macamo Dlhovo will also address delegates during the Official Opening Session.

The biannual event will be attended by Speakers and Parliamentarians from the 14 SADC Parliaments namely the host Mozambique as well as Angola, Botswana, DRC, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Ends//

Issued by the Office of the Secretary General on Friday 06 July 2012 in Windhoek

The SADC Parliamentary Forum wishes to inform the media and other stakeholders that it will hold a Press Conference to present its Interim Statement on the 2012 Lesotho National Assembly Elections on 28 May 2012 at The Lehakoe Club at 1600hrs.

Guests must be seated by 1620hrs.

Issued by the SADC Parliamentary Forum Secretary General, Dr. Esau Chiviya

For further details please: Mr. Sheuneni Kurasha, Mission Coordinator

Ithute Room Maseru Sun Hotel

Mobile No. +266 574 39764

Email: / 

Following an invitation by the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) of the Kingdom of Lesotho, the SADC Parliamentary Forum (SADC PF) constituted an Election Observation Mission to observe the 26th May 2012 National Assembly Elections in Lesotho. The 22-Member Mission was in the country from 15th to 29th May 2012. It was composed of 10 Members of Parliament, 7 Parliamentary staff from SADC Parliaments and 5 staff from the Forum’s Secretariat. The Mission comprised male and female Members of Parliament from both the ruling and opposition political parties from Botswana, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe. This is the third time that the SADC Parliamentary Forum has observed National Assembly Elections in Lesotho, having previously observed the May 2002 and February 2007 Elections.

The Mission Leader for the SADC PF Election Observation Mission was Hon. Mkhululi Dlamini, a Member of the Parliament of the Kingdom of Swaziland and Treasurer of the SADC PF.

The 2012 Lesotho National Assembly Election is the 27th election to be observed by SADC PF since 1999 when the Forum started observing elections in SADC Member States. Previously, the Forum observed the following elections: Mozambique and Namibia (1999); Mauritius, Zimbabwe and Tanzania (2000); Zambia (2001); Zimbabwe and Lesotho (2002); Malawi, South Africa, Botswana, Namibia and Mozambique (2004); Mauritius and Tanzania (2005); Zambia, DRC and Madagascar (2006); Lesotho (2007); Malawi, South Africa, Botswana, Mozambique and Namibia (2009), Mauritius (2010); and Zambia (2011).

Vice President of SADC Parliamentary Forum & Senator of Parliament of Zimbabwe.

Fernando da Piedade Dias dos Santos (born 5 March 1950), known as Nandó, is an Angolan politician who was Vice President of Angola from February 2010 to September 2012. He was the Prime Minister of Angola from 2002 to 2008 and President of the National Assembly of Angola from 2008 to 2010. He has again served as President of the National Assembly since 2012.

Piedade is a cousin of President José Eduardo dos Santos. His parents emigrated to Angola from São Tomé and Príncipe. He obtained a BA in Law in 2009 at Agostinho Neto University in Angola.

In 1971, Piedade joined the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA). Following Angola's independence from Portugal in 1975 he began a career in the People's Police Corps of Angola, becoming a division head in 1978. In 1981 he moved to the Ministry of the Interior, becoming Deputy Minister in 1984. The following year he was elected as a member of the MPLA-Workers' Party congress and given the rank of colonel in the Angolan military. He later became a member of the People's Assembly, beginning a succession of appointments to government ministerial posts.

After having served as Interior Minister since 1999, Piedade was appointed as Prime Minister in November 2002 and took office on December 6, 2002. The office of Prime Minister had previously been unoccupied for three years.

Piadade was the 14th candidate on the MPLA's national list in the September 2008 parliamentary election.^[1][2] In the election, the MPLA won an overwhelming majority, and Piedade was elected to a seat in the National Assembly.^[2]

Following the 2008 election, the MPLA Political Bureau chose Piedade to become the President of the National Assembly on September 26, 2008. It also chose Paulo Kassoma to replace Piedade as Prime Minister.^[3][4] On September 30, the newly elected members of the National Assembly met and were sworn in; Piedade was elected as President of the National Assembly on this occasion, receiving 211 votes in favor and three opposed.^[5]

On January 21, 2010, the National Assembly approved a new constitution that would increase presidential powers, eliminate the office of Prime Minister, and eliminate popular elections for the office of President. Piedade described the National Assembly's adoption of the constitution as a "historic moment".^[6] President dos Santos then appointed Piedade to the newly established office of Vice-President of Angola on February 3, 2010. Having long served as a close and powerful associate of dos Santos, his appointment as Vice-President made it appear more likely that he was being envisioned as the eventual successor to dos Santos. However, dos Santos had already been designated as the MPLA candidate for President in 2012, suggesting that he had no intention of retiring.^[7]

In 2012, Manuel Vicente, who had headed the state oil company Sonangol, was believed to have been selected by the President as his likely successor.^[8][9] Vicente was designated as the second candidate on the MPLA's list of parliamentary candidates, making him the party's nominee for the post of Vice-President.^[10] Following the MLPA's victory in the 2012 parliamentary election, Vicente took office as Vice President on 26 September 2012, succeeding Piedade.^[11] A day later, on 27 September 2012, Piedade was instead elected as President of the National Assembly.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fernando_da_Piedade_Dias_dos_Santos

The Parliament of Botswana consists of the President and the National Assembly.^[1] In contrast to other Parliamentary systems, the Parliament elects the President directly (instead of having both a ceremonial President and a Prime Minister who has real authority as head of government) for a set five-year term of office. There are no term limits. The President is both head of State and of Government in Botswana's parliamentary republican system. The current President of Botswana is Ian Khama, who assumed the Presidency on 1 April 2008 and won a full five-year term in the postceding Botswana General elections, which were held on 16 October 2009 and returned his Botswana Democratic Party with a majority of 35 (total of 45) seats in the 61 seat Parliament.

There also exists a body known as Ntlo ya Dikgosi, (The House of Chiefs), which is an advisory body that does not form part of the Parliament.

Botswana is one of the two only nations on the African continent since the end of colonial rule to have achieved a clean record of free and fair elections since independence, having held 10 elections since 1966 without any serious incidents of corruption. The other is Mauritius.

The National Assembly is the legislature Botswana's unicameral Parliament. It is advised by the Ntlo ya Dikgosi (Tswana for "House of Chiefs"), which is not a house of Parliament.

The current National Assembly, formed following elections held on 16 October 2009, has a total of 63 members. 57 members are directly elected in single-member constituencies using the simple majority (or First-past-the-post) system for a term of five years. Four members are co-opted (by secret ballot of the rest of the Assembly) while the remaining two (the President and Attorney-general) are ex officio.

Previous National Assembly election results

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parliament_of_Botswana

Introduction

I wish to express my profound gratitude to the SADC PF Secretary General, Dr Chiviya, and the SADC PF Secretariat, for inviting me to share with this distinguished gathering of regional editors and journalists my thoughts on advocating for Sexual Reproductive Health Rights through the Media.

My multiple roles as a parent, citizen of the region, Judge and interim Co-chair of the newly established Regional Think Tank on HIV, Health and Social Justice in Southern and Eastern Africa makes this intervention a matter of duty and a rare honor indeed.

It is not quite often that a member of the judicial arm of the State has an intellectual moment with members of the 4^th Estate - the shapers of public opinion.

Most Judges pride themselves on their clarity of thought, the powers of persuasion which they bring to their judgments - and not necessarily their ability to make public speeches. So if I fumble, stammer, and exhibit some incoherence, please bear with me! Judgments are generally not addressed to non-lawyers; and are rarely addressed to journalists! It follows therefore that this is not a familiar territory for me.

I am used to writing judgments, in which the manner of communication is somewhat rigid, couched in misleadingly neutral terms, dry and devoid of emotion. In the result, no one could credibly argue that Judges have any appreciable competence at public speaking. This constitutes my disclaimer. I can only hope it is effective.

In the tapestry of constitutional literature, the Media like the other three arms of the State, is considered an indispensable component of any democratic society. It has a duty to entertain, inform, and educate. A free and critical Media is indispensable in engendering an educated and enlightened citizenry. I am therefore tempted to go further and suggest that a progressive media has a duty to re-orientate people's values so that they are aligned to the supreme law of the land.

One of the foremost American statesmen, Thomas Jefferson, expressed his belief in the value of the Media/press in the following golden words:

" The basis of our governments being the opinion of the people, the very first object should be to keep that right; and where it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers or newspapers without government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter"

The Media has a huge and untapped potential to inform and educate the general populace about SRHR and HIV and governance issues - such as the imperative for the three arms of the State to be interested and indeed obligated to honor God given rights in executing their diverse mandates.

In other words, the need to respect human rights should never be seen as the monopoly of the judiciary and the three arms of the State need to cooperate at all times to honour fundamental rights of all people.

Defining the Universe of Discourse

Reproductive health is not just a health issue - it is also a human right issue. Reproductive health is a state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing, and not merely the absence of disease in all matters relating to the reproductive system, its functions and processes. Sexual and Reproductive Health encompasses health and wellbeing in matters related to sexual relations, pregnancy, and birth.

It follows from the above that reproductive health deals with the most intimate and private aspect of people's lives, which can be difficult to write about and discuss publicly.

Furthermore, cultural sensitivities and taboos surrounding sexuality often prevent people from seeking Sexual and Reproductive Health information and care. Yet, Sexual and Reproductive Health affects social and economic development of any country. When women die during child birth or from AIDS, children are orphaned.

Girls often drop out of schooling to take care of their siblings. Deprived of education, they later become a burden to their countries.

Without education, girls often marry and begin having children early, which can jeopardize their health and limit their opportunities to contribute to their own development, those of their families, communities, and countries.

The Media plays an important role in bringing Sexual and Reproductive Health matters to the attention of the people who can influence public health policies.

Journalists who produce accurate reports about Sexual and Reproductive Health issues can:

a) Bring taboo subjects in the open so that they can be discussed.

b) Monitor their governments' progress towards achieved stated goals.

c) Hold government official accountable to the public.

Reproductive health of necessity, implies that people are able to have satisfying sexual relations and that they have the capability to reproduce and freedom to decide, if, when and how often to do so. Implicit in the latter point, are the rights of men and women to be informed and to have access to safe, effective, affordable and acceptable methods of family planning of their choice and the right to access appropriate health care services that would enable among other things, women, to go safely through pregnancy and child birth.

Speaking for myself, it is imperative that efforts within the field of Sexual Reproductive Health Rights, HIV and governance issues, should be approached from a human rights perspective, where participation, inclusion and accountability are the central principles. This approach views citizens not as passive receivers of services or beneficiaries of programmes, but as active rights holders, who should be empowered to claim their rights. The Media can play an important role in empowering the people to claim their rights.

The media should never tire to point out contiguously that states have obligations to respect and protect their citizens against violations of their rights.

The courts too have a duty to hold the legislature, the executive and other entities to honor human rights, effect the promise of most constitutions that eloquently speak of the right to dignity. The courts in the region have enforced Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights with admiration even in the face of hostile executive stand points or inadequate legal framework.

The courts are best placed to uphold human rights because unlike politicians, they are not beholden to public opinion and are, therefore, in a position to disregard misguided popular opinion on any matter. This has been particularly the case in the area of HIV.

Our courts have done particularly well in the area of HIV where discrimination and stigma are still rife. The jurisprudence of our courts has sought to infuse rationality in the debate by steadfastly applying scientific logic in their judgements.

In the case of Diau v BBS and Mwale v the Attorney General the Botswana High Court remarked that even in an underdeveloped legal framework that is not fully protective of those infected and affected by HIV, it is the duty of the courts to determine the extent, content and context of human rights of individuals and that the courts must not treat constitutions as museum pieces but rather as living documents intended to cover the interests, not only the current generation, but generations yet unborn.

In Mwale, the High Court went further, and suggested that the right to life encapsulated in the Botswana Constitution is expansive enough to include the right to health especially in the circumstances of the applicant where he was denied the right to be provided with life-saving drugs simply because he was a foreigner. However, it must be indicated that this expansive definition of the right to life was rejected by the apex court in the land.

It must also be noted that Sexual Reproductive Health Rights embrace certain rights that are often recognized by national laws and international law. These rights rest on the basic right of all couples and individuals to decide freely and responsibly, the number, spacing and timing of their children and to have the information and means to do so. To this extent, it is imperative that women should have access to safe and legal abortion care.

I want to put it plainly, and boldly, that without access to safe and legal abortion, women are not fully able to decide freely, on matters related to their Sexual and Reproductive Health, and thus, not able to fully enjoy their human rights.

I do not wish to be understood to be saying that abortion should be promoted as a method of family planning. The position I hold is that the best way to avoid abortions is through improved access to reproductive health services (contraception), information and the empowerment of women - through education which can be done brilliantly by the Media.

I submit further, with respect, that gender equality - in terms of equal rights, (as the High Court of Botswana recently enunciated in the case of Mmusi) including Sexual and Reproductive Rights, equal access to resources and equal opportunities, is central for women to become fully integrated and equal citizens in their countries and thus fulfill their enormous potential for contributing and benefiting from the development of their countries.

It is for this reason that the Botswana High Court, recently, in the case of Mmusi, polemically indicated that, on matters of gender equality, especially in under-developed legal environments, the courts have a duty to act as judicial midwives for the birth of a society based on equality between men and women - that is still struggling to be born. In terms of my experience and conviction, occasionally it becomes necessary for the courts to aid the birth of a new society based on equality by resorting to caesarian birth.

This is so because promoting gender equality demands changes to existing power relations. Women, more particularly girls, are still disadvantaged to negotiate safer sex due to cultural and economic reasons.

It must always be remembered that human rights are universal. There is no such thing as African or European human rights. To this extent cultural and traditional arguments should never be used to undermine human rights.

Concerns around Media Coverage of SRHR and HIV Issues

There is concern in our region that the Media often fail to prioritize Sexual and Reproductive Rights, HIV and governance issues, or report them in an accurate manner.

In the SADC region, it is generally agreed that the Media coverage of reproductive health issues is not satisfactory on account of weak capacity and motivation for reporting these issues.

According to some authorities, the interest of the Media in the area of SRHR is often dominated by announcements of new drugs or official health campaigns. This criticism notwithstanding, it must also be pointed out that, the Media's lack of capacity or motivation is not the only problem; researchers also often lack the capacity to simplify their research or to present it in a way that captures the Media's interest.

In this era, where the ideology of patriarchy is still dominant and religious intolerance high, a capacitated Media can assist in promoting Sexual Reproductive Health Rights and in bringing down the walls of prejudice, discrimination and stigma that still haunt the fight against HIV. And as for the courts there can be no finer moment than cutting through concise legal reasoning to bring down the walls of prejudice.

The Media can also help shine the spotlight on poor legislative frameworks and implementation capacity by the executive on the jurisprudence of deficiency and retrogression that still dominates our law reports, mainly from the jurists of the yester year who pay lip service to human rights.

The SADC Capacitation Programme of the Media

It is in the context of the above that this particular initiative by SADC PF must be appreciated as it seeks to inspire and build capacity of journalists to undertake evidence based reporting of reproductive health issues. It is important that the SADC PF approach must emphasis the following:

a) Enhancing journalists interest in and motivation for reporting on reproductive health issues through training and competitive grants for meaningful and effective reporting on SRHR:

b) Building the capacity of journalists to report simply and clearly, on reproductive health research and the capacity of reproductive health researchers to communicate their research to the Media using plain language, devoid of jargon, where practicable.

c) Establish and maintain trust and mutual relationships between journalists and researchers.

It is indisputable that Sexual and Reproductive Health is a major problem in our region. According to some sources, illness and deaths from poor reproductive health accounts for more than one-fifth of the global burden of the disease.

In our SADC Region, the use of contraceptives by married couples is not satisfactory and as with HIV prevalence, our region is the epicenter of deaths due to unsafe abortion. We still have serious problems of women who die from complications associated with childbirths and too many of our adolescents are hospitalized every year with abortion related complications

Other indications of poor reproductive health rights include adolescents' lack of access to reproductive health information and services.

SADC PF must remain committed to the agenda of seeking to cultivate the interest and capacity of the Media to educate the populace about the need to honor in words and deed, the constitutional provisions of member States that seek to honor the all-embracing right to life - the umbrella provision under which SRHR can find protection. Amongst the issues that SADC PF must seek to unearth and resolve, includes understanding the drivers and consequences of population change in our region.

Conclusion

I am conscious that I have kept you listening for a long time and that I must conclude my address. I conclude by inviting you, in covering SRHR, HIV and governance issues, to remain critical in an informed and respectful manner. Don't hesitate to criticize the Judges if they betray their constitutional oath of office. We are not infallible. Neither are we untouchable angels. A critical appraisal of our judgments is necessitated by the fact that law is fraught with illusion; the illusion that law and justice mean the same thing. What I can say and say unapologetically is that the ultimate objective of law must be the welfare of the people.

The law can be a force for good; but also for bad. This is an incontestable reality. You must also, in covering the issues I have highlighted above, demystify the notion that the law is accessible to all irrespective of wealth or privilege.

You, the members of the 4^th Estate, need to keep watch over us - those engaged directly in the enterprise of law - that we keep our faith in honouring the morality of our constitutions - whose central theme is equality and dignity. I am certain that if you remain focused on quality and evidence based reporting, and reduce undue sensationalisation and distortion, in the context of the theme of this conference, this world shall be a better place to live in.

I thank you for listening.