southern africatoday - sardc · clusters). a detailed value chain study is proposed for specific...

by Joseph Ngwawi

THe SouTHeRN African DevelopmentCommunity is considering a series of boldmeasures to advance the aspirations of Mem-ber States as outlined in the IndustrialisationStrategy and Roadmap as the region movesto ensure that efforts to transform its econ-omy gain traction.

SADC is developing a costed Action Plan forthe Industrialisation Strategy and Roadmap2015-2063, which was adopted in April 2015 toallow the region to harness the full potential ofits vast and diverse natural resources.

The Action Plan seeks to establish a coher-ent and synergistic implementation schemecontaining strategic options and general poli-cies towards the progressive attainment oftime-bound targets set out in the strategy androadmap.

Senior officials from SADC Member Statesmet in Gaborone in May to discuss the ActionPlan with private sector, regional think tanksand International Cooperating Partners.

The plan will focus on the first 15 years ofthe strategy timeframe, and aims to create anenabling environment for sustaining industrialdevelopment as a driver of economic transfor-mation; and establish an enduring alliance forindustrialisation consisting of the public andprivate sectors as well as strategic partners.

The SADC Industrialisation Strategy andRoadmap was developed as an inclusivelong-term modernisation and economictransformation scheme that should enablesubstantial and sustained economic develop-ment to raise living standards.

It is anchored on three interdependentstrategic pillars: v industrialisation as champion of economic

transformation; v enhanced competitiveness; and,v deeper regional integration.

A number of strategic interventions foreach of these pillars are proposed in the Ac-tion Plan.

SOUTHERN

AFRICA TODAY

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SADC ToDAy Vol 18 No. 4 JuNe 2016

SADC advances the Industrialisation Agenda

POLICY 3

ELECTIONS 4

HERITAGE 5

WATER-ENERGY 6

GENDER-ENERGY 7-10

INDUSTRIALISATION 11

AFRICAN UNION 12

SADC SUMMIT 13

TRAFFICKING 14

EVENTS 15

HISTORY TODAY 16

C O N T I N U E D F R O M P A G E 1

With regard to Industrialisa-tion, major interventions pro-posed include an improvedpolicy environment for indus-trial development, increasedvolume and efficiency of pub-lic and private sector invest-ments in the SADC economy,creation of regional valuechains and participation in re-lated global processes, as wellas increased value addition foragricultural and non-agricul-tural products and services.

In the area of an improvedoperating environment, thereare plans to develop and oper-ationalise a Protocol on Indus-try by 2020, which should leadto the development of indus-trialisation policies and strate-gies at national level.

Where Member States al-ready have such policies andstrategies, these should be re-viewed and aligned to theSADC Industrialisation Strat-egy and Roadmap.

Member States will be re-quired to develop national In-dustrial Upgrading andModernization Programmes(IUMPs) by 2018 and imple-ment these by 2020.

These should be in line withthe SADC IUMP, which pro-vides the basis for a sector-spe-cific approach toindustrialisation in the region,focusing on upgrading existingmanufacturing capacities, mod-ernising productive facilities, re-inforcing the institutionalsupport infrastructure, andstrengthening regional capacityfor research and innovation.

There is also a target to pro-gressively increase the share ofgross domestic investment toGross Domestic Product (GDP)to 25 percent by 2020 and to 30percent by 2025.

To achieve these targets,there are plans to develop aSADC Investment PromotionFramework as well as a SADCRegional Action Programme onInvestment to accompany it.

To encourage the creation ofregional value chains and par-ticipation in global processes,the region has identified fivepriority areas where the valuechains can be established andfor which regional strategiesshould be developed by 2020.

These are in the areas ofagro-processing, minerals ben-eficiation, consumer goods, cap-ital goods, and services (See thetable on Value Chain PotentialClusters).

A detailed value chainstudy is proposed for specificproducts or services in the pri-ority areas.

As part of the process ofpromoting value chain partici-pation, there are plans to de-velop model legislation andregulations for intra-SADCagro-processing, minerals ben-eficiation and other manufac-turing activities and services.

Reduction or removal ofstructural impediments to in-dustrialisation is another tar-get being pursued by SADC.In this regard, there is need toimprove power generation ca-pacity and facilitate an in-crease in the development anduse of renewable sources of en-ergy as well as ensure ade-quate water supply.

There is also need to reducedelays at ports and borderposts and shorten dura-tion of movement ofgoods across borders inthe SADC region. Thiswill involve harmoniza-tion of border-crossingprocedures in SADC by2020.

The Action Plan alsoproposes an active rolefor Small and MediumEnterprises (SMEs) inthe SADC industrialisa-tion agenda.

SMEs are an impor-tant variable in theSADC developmentagenda, representing 90percent of all businessesand accounting for morethan 50 percent of em-ployment.

Almost all SADCMember States havepolicies to nurture anddevelop SMEs whilededicating institutionalcapacity to championthese programmes.

An intervention beingproposed is the develop-ment of a framework forestablishing and support-ing regional industrialclusters to promote SMEs

SADC advances the Industrialisation Agenda

2 SouTHeRN AfRiCA Today, June 2016

SADC Member States

Botswana, South Africa, Zambia, ZimbabweSouth Africa, ZimbabweMalawi, Mozambique, South Africa, Swaziland,Tanzania, Zambia, ZimbabweMozambique, South Africa, Zimbabwe Angola, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa

Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, ZimbabweDRC, ZambiaSouth Africa, ZimbabweMozambique, South Africa, ZimbabweBotswanaAngola, Madagascar, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania

Lesotho, Zambia, South AfricaBotswana, Lesotho, Madagascar, Mauritius,Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, ZimbabweSouth Africa, Zimbabwe Botswana, ZambiaMozambique, South Africa

South Africa, Lesotho, Mozambique, ZimbabweSouth Africa, Zambia

Botswana, Mauritius, Seychelles, South Africa,Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Value Chain Potential ClustersValue Chain

1. Agro-Processing Cluster

Livestock – beef, dairy, poultrySoyaSugar

Forestry – wood productsFisheries

2. Minerals and BeneficiationClusterDiamondsCopperPlatinumIron/SteelSoda AshOil and Gas

3. Manufacturing of ConsumerGoods Cluster

Leather Goods and FootwearClothing and Textiles

PharmaceuticalsLeather GoodsFertilizer4. Capital Goods Equipment and Machinery

AutomobilesMining machinery

5. Services Cluster

development. Specific activitiesunder this intervention includestudies to identify the potential,type and location for regionalindustrial clusters involvingSMEs and the development ofmaster plans for establishingthe regional clusters includingtechnology upgrading.

Among the initiatives pro-posed is the concept of a “Fac-tory SADC” under which theregion will strive to achieve in-creased production and use ofSADC raw materials for down-stream processing in agro-industries and other manufac-turing industries.

The thinking is that a SADCRaw Materials Initiative/Strat-egy should be developed andimplemented by 2020 to ensurethat Member States cooperateon access to raw materials anduse for value addition.

Interventions under theCompetitiveness pillar areaimed at strengthening of boththe macroeconomic and micro-economic environments in theregion.

Initiatives proposed in-clude development of indus-trial investment programmesto support SMEs by 2018;training for skills, entrepre-neurial and managerial devel-opment; and centres ofspecialization for priority sec-tors.

The regional Integrationpillar aims to widen the eco-nomic space for developmentand create incentives for in-dustry to expand, thus pro-viding opportunities foreconomies of scale, clusteringand economic linkages.

Specific interventionsunder this pillar include fullimplementation of the SADCFree Trade Area to cover allMember States; a common ex-ternal tariff by 2025; gradualphase-down and abolition ofrules of origin by 2025; liberal-ization of exchange controls toallow free movement of capi-tal within SADC by 2030; andratification of the SADC Pro-tocol on Trade in Services forimplementation by 2020. r

Source Costed Action Plan for SADC Industrialisation Strategy and Roadmap (Compiled from National Reports)

Towards alternative funding for regional development

Institutional architecture needed to administer the Industrialisation Agenda

P O L I C Y

SouTHeRN AfRiCA Today 3

To this end, the 35th SADCSummit “directed Council tofinalise ongoing work onalternative sources of fundingand report to the next OrdinarySummit” scheduled for Augustin Swaziland.

SADC has made significantprogress in exploringalternative financing modalitiesto support self-sufficiency andfinancial independence withthe Secretariat now in theprocess of developing aSADC Resource MobilisationFramework (AlternativeSources of Funding SADCRegional Programmes).

A number of consultantswill be engaged for sevend i f f e r e n t b u t r e l a t e dassignments to determine how

fiscal space could be created toenable SADC Member States tofinance regional activities,programmes and projects.

The assignments will focuson various issues, includinghow to curb Illicit FinancialFlows (IFFs); the creation ofa regional lottery system;harnessing the resources from aproposed philanthropy networkand database of private sectorcompanies; development of asharing formula for import andexport levies; and introductionof regional transport andtourism levies.

For example, the study oncurbing IFFs will analyse illicitcross-border financial flows asa measure to boost resourcemobilisation in the region.

It is estimated that Africalost more than US$1.8 trillionto IFFs between 1970 and 2008,and continues to lose resourcesvalued at up to US$150 billionannually through IFFs or“illicit capital flight”, mainlythrough tax evasion, andmispricing of goods andservices by multinationalcompanies, according to arecent study commissioned bythe African Union.

This means that resourcesthat are intended to developAfrica are being usedelsewhere to improve theeconomies of the United Statesand other countries in Europeand Asia.

The consultants will assesshow much of the income lost toIFFs “will be curbed from thisoption and how much of theresources can be mobilisedusing innovative financialinstruments.”

Another possibility is thecreation of a regional lotterysystem, whose proceeds can gotowards financing regionalprogrammes and projects. Thestudy will determine theindicative levels of income thatmember states can generatefrom this option, as well as the

THe ACTioN Plan for the Industrialisation Strategy andRoadmap 2015-2063 proposes an institutional architecture toadminister the industrialisation agenda. The proposed Industrial Sector Management Committee will

consist of representatives of Member States, private sectorassociations or designated bodies, regional technical and financialthink-tanks and other industry-related stakeholders. While operating independently, the Committee will be a

broad-based technical organ on industrialisation issues to supportthe Ministerial Task Force on Regional Economic Integration,working with the SADC Secretariat. The Committee will have thefollowing responsibilities:• Provide technical input on strategic intervention areas for

industrialisation;• Ensure inclusiveness of actions and equity of economic impact;• Provide a vibrant platform for dialogue between participating

organs and act as intermediary among regional industrialoperators;

• Facilitate harmonisation of the rules and regulations affectingindustrialisation;

• Create space for leveraging the direct and indirect contributionof the private sector and the centres of excellence to speed upthe industrialisation and regional integration processes; and

• Produce regular progress reports with recommendations to theMinisterial Task Force.

Above the Ministerial Task Force will be the Council ofMinisters, which reports to the Summit of SADC Heads of Stateand Government. r

financial burden of a regionallottery option on the lotteryindustry at the national level,and the shape of a coordinatingmechanism and a regionalregulatory framework.

Lotteries are an innovativefinancing mechanism that hasbeen used successfully to fundregional programmes in SouthEast Asia, where pooledrevenues are distributedequally to different countries.

A separate consultancy onthe viability of using a tourismlevy to finance regionalprogrammes is expected toexplore how the tourism sectorcould be an alternativemeasure to finance regionalprogrammes.

The levy is expected to beapplied on tourism-relatedactivities, including hotelaccommodation and othercharges.

A similar initiative by theAfrican Union (AU) proposes tolevy taxes on plane tickets,hotels and text messages asalternative sources of financingfor the AU. It is hoped that thesemeasures will raise aboutUS$600 million a year, and overfive years, it is expected that theAU will be able to pay most ofits costs using its own funds.

According to the SADCSecretariat, the consultancyfor the development of theSADC Resource MobilisationFramework is expected to beundertaken over two months,and is expected to allow SADCto take charge of the regionaldevelopment agenda byexploiting its vast naturalresources, which range fromminerals to wildlife andwatercourses.

SADC estimates that theregion will requireapproximately US$260 millionto fund its projects, includingcoordination of activities,studies, capacity-buildinginitiatives and consensusmeetings. sardc.net r

A MAJoR decision from the35th SADC Summit held inBotswana in August 2015 wasthe need for southern Africa totake full charge of its regionaldevelopment agenda byembracing new and innovativef inancing mechanisms,recognizing that the currentsituation where most SADCinitiatives are funded bydevelopment partners is notideal and sustainable.

Only 9.2 percent of regionalprojects are funded by SADCMember States, according to theSADC Secretariat, while thebalance of 90.8 percent comesfrom International CooperatingPartners. This compromises theownership and sustainability ofregional development.

Advancing the Industrialisation Agenda continued from page 2

tary candidates although it iscontesting presidential elec-tions, while six parties – Al-liance for Democracy andDevelopment, Movement forMultiparty Democracy(MMD), National RestorationParty, National RevolutionParty, Radical RevolutionaryParty and United DemocraticFront – have only parliamen-tary candidates and are notcontesting the presidency.

The campaign period waspreceded by a voter registra-tion and verification exercisethat ended on 25 May.

According to preliminaryvoter registration figures re-leased by ECZ, more than sixmillion people will be eligibleto cast their votes in August.

Previous general electionswere held in 2011 and saw thePF winning 61 of the 150 par-liamentary seats while itspresidential candidate,Michael Sata, was electedPresident after gaining almost42 percent of the vote, against35.4 percent for the nearestrival, Rupiah Banda of the for-mer ruling MMD and 18.2 per-cent for Hichilema.

The 2016 general electionswill be held concurrently witha referendum to decide onwhether the constitutionshould be amended to enhancethe Bill of Rights as well as re-peal and replace Article 79 thatdeals with issues that need tobe put to a referendum.

Under Article 79, only theBill of Rights and the Article it-self require the holding of a ref-erendum in order to amendthem. The proposal is tobroaden the issues requiringreferenda, to include changes tothe electoral system, presiden-tial terms, election of the vicepresident, and appointments ofcabinet ministers and provin-cial ministers. sardc.net r

president since independencefrom colonial rule more than50 years ago, on 24 October1964. He/she will serve a five-year term, as will those electedin parliamentary and localgovernment elections.

According to informationfrom the ECZ, a total of 650candidates from 13 parties willcontest for 156 parliamentaryseats, with 90 of the aspirantsbeing women --13.8 percent ofthose vying for seats in theNational Assembly of Zambia.

This does not augur well forthe representation of women inthe Zambian parliament. Atotal of 113 women contested inthe last parliamentary electionsin 2011, with only 17 beingelected. This accounted for only11 percent of the constituencyseats in parliament.

Presidential appointmentsincreased the number ofwomen in parliament to 23,raising the proportion to justover 14 percent, among thelowest in the SADC region.

Among the 650 parliamen-tary candidates for the 2016elections are 109 who are con-testing as independents.

The Democratic Assemblyis not fielding any parliamen-


According to the new Zam-bian Constitutional amend-ment adopted in January, thewinning candidate should se-cure at least 50 percent-plus-onevote unlike previously whenthe president was elected usinga majority system in which thecandidate with the highestnumber of votes was elected,even if they scored less than 50percent of the valid votes cast.

The constitutional changesalso introduced running matesfor the vice-presidency. In thepast, a vice-president was ap-pointed by the president.

Elections for running mateswill allow the vice-president tobecome president in the eventof the incumbent being inca-pacitated. This will enable thevice-president to assumepower for the remainder of theincumbent’s tenure.

Such a development avoidsthe need for early elections aswas the case in 2015 followingthe death of President MichaelSata in October 2014. Early elec-tions were also held in October2008 after President LevyMwanawasa died in June of thesame year.

The winning candidate willbecome Zambia’s seventh

by Joseph Ngwawi and Patson Phiri

PoliTiCAl CAMPAiGNS,banners and rallies have stolenthe limelight in Zambia as thecountry heads towards generalelections set for 11 August.

Media coverage has beenfocused on campaigns for thepresidential, parliamentaryand local government elec-tions that started on 16 May.

A total of nine candidateswill contest the presidentialelections, according to theElectoral Commission of Zam-bia (ECZ).

Front-runners are the in-cumbent president, EdgarLungu of the Patriotic Front(PF); and HakaindeHichilema, leader of the mainopposition United Party forNational Development.

Other presidential candi-dates include former FinanceMinister Edith Nawakwi ofthe Forum for Democracy andDevelopment, who is the onlyfemale candidate; TilyenjiKaunda of the United Na-tional Independence Party;and former justice ministerWynter Kabimba who nowheads the Rainbow Party.

3 AuGuST has been declared as the date for local government elections in South Africa. According to South African constitution, the councils of metropolitan and local munic-

ipalities are elected by a system of proportional representation, while the councils of districtmunicipalities are partly elected by proportional representation and partly appointed bythe councils of the constituent local municipalities.

Therefore at local government or municipal elections, voters have three ballot papers,one each for ward councillor, party for the council of the local municipality, and party forthe council of the district municipality. r

South Africa announces date for local government polls

Expectant mood as Zambians prepare forgeneral elections

E L E C T I O N S

H E R I T A G E

Safeguarding African heritage for sustainable developmentby Kizito Sikuka

fRoM CAPe to Cairo orYaoundé to Mogadishu, Africahas some of the most out-standing natural and culturalheritage sites that offer a vari-ety of options for socio-eco-nomic growth, includingtourism and infrastructure de-velopment.

For example, betweenZambia and Zimbabwe, thereis the majestic Victoria Falls lo-cated on the Zambezi River.

In Egypt, the Great Pyra-mids stand tall, while theUnited Republic of Tanzaniaboasts of the Mount Kiliman-jaro and Ngorongoro Conser-vation Area.

According to the GeneralConference of the United Na-tions Educational, Scientificand Cultural Organisation(UNESCO), which overseesthe protection of world her-itage sites, a total of 89 Africansites are currently inscribed onthe World Heritage List – af-firming the richness of thecontinent and its potential todrive its own developmentalagenda.

However, the challengefacing the continent is how tostrike a balance between max-imizing the use of these sitesto promote socio-economic de-velopment, while at the sametime preserving them for fu-ture generations.

Tanzanian Prime MinisterKassim Majaliwa Majaliwatold a recent InternationalConference on Safeguarding

African World Heritage as aDriver of Sustainable Devel-opment held in Arusha that itis time Africa finds innovativeways of managing the com-peting environmental, socialand economic dimensions ofdevelopment.

He said it is sad to note thatsome of the poorest countries inAfrica are “extremely rich innatural resources” such as oil,gas and minerals yet continueto face various challenges to ex-ploit these resources.

Some of the challenges in-clude limited technologies andthe fact that a number of theseresources are located in areasof cultural significance, whichunder international laws areprotected from destruction.

“As Africa, we are and willcontinue to do our best to pro-tect and conserve our her-itage,” he said, adding thatsimilar efforts should, how-ever, be channelled towardsfinding “a balance betweenconservation and develop-ment,” so that the continent isable to use its resources toeradicate poverty and pro-mote socio-economic develop-ment.

For example, he said, oneway of dealing with resourcesfound in protected areas is tocome up with “innovative”ways of extracting them forthe benefit of Africa, with min-imum destruction to the envi-ronment.

“What if there is an appro-priate technology that wouldallow exploitation without

necessarily impairing the out-standing universal values forsuch sites,” he said.

“If these resources are ap-propriately exploited, theywill generate revenue to alle-viate poverty among our peo-ple and at the same time fosterconservation. The bottom linehere is how to strike a balancefor a win-win situation.”

Majaliwa urged stakehold-ers to continue working to-gether to protect Africanheritage sites for present andfuture generations.

This is due to the fact thatsome sites on the continent areunder threat from a combina-tion of factors, includingarmed conflicts, uncontrolledmovement of people, poach-ing, weak management andclimate change.

UNESCO estimates thatabout 33 percent of the sites onthe List of World Heritage inDanger are located in Africa.

“We need to all cooperateif we want to preserve Africanheritage for present and futuregenerations,” Majaliwa said.

Director of the World Her-itage Centre of UNESCO, DrMechtild Rössler concurred,saying protection of Africanheritage is critical to sustain-able development.

She said it was also impor-tant to actively involve localcommunities in the formula-tion and implementation ofdecisions aimed at safeguard-ing heritage, as “the commu-nities are the real custodians ofthe heritage sites.”


The International Confer-ence on Safeguarding AfricanWorld Heritage as a Driver ofSustainable Development thatwas held on 31 May-3 June is-sued the Ngorongoro Declara-tion that calls for more effortsto safeguard African heritagefor sustainable development.

“We call upon the AfricanUnion and its Regional Eco-nomic Communities to pro-mote sustainable developmentwhile guaranteeing the con-servation of African Naturaland Cultural Heritage in linewith the AU visionary Agenda2063,” reads part of the decla-ration.

The declaration urged theactive inclusion of “womenand youth in the conservationand management of naturaland cultural heritage.”

There is also the need forAfrica to develop and imple-ment policies that prevent andresolve conflicts as well as re-store peace, security and socialcohesion within and outsidetheir borders using heritagevalues.

Another critical issue is in-creasing public awareness onthe benefits of safeguardingAfrican heritage as well asharnessing indigenous knowl-edge on preserving heritage.

The objective of the confer-ence was to explore methods tostrengthen sustainable devel-opment through environmen-tal sustainability, and inclusivesocial and economic develop-ment, while also fosteringpeace and security. sardc.net r

Photo Kizito Sikuka, SARDC


W A T E R - E N E R G Y

“Accelerating Energy Delivery and Access to Water Resources in the SADC Region – A Collective Approach”

by Kizito Sikuka

THe AVAilAbiliTy ofadequate water and energysupplies is critical inadvancing regionaldevelopment and integrationin southern Africa.

This is the key message ofthe Southern AfricanDevelopment Community(SADC) Ministerial Workshopon Water and Energy held on20 June in Gaborone.

The SADC Chairperson,President Seretse Khama IanKhama of Botswana saidlimited access to water andenergy has the capacity torender the integration agendaof SADC meaningless, hencethe region should collectivelywork together in addressingchallenges facing the twosectors.

According to the SADCSecretariat, access to electricityin the region is estimated atless than 40 percent in mostmember states, while 60percent have access to safedrinking water.

“These figures indicatethat the SADC region has tomuster greater political willin order to improve access tosafe water and affordableclean energy,” PresidentKhama said.

He warned that “if thestatus of the energy and watersupply services situation in theregion does not improve, theSADC IndustrialisationStrategy and Roadmap couldremain a pipe dream.”

For example, improvedaccess to energy and watercould reduce transactions costsof doing business in theregion, thereby promotinginvestment, trade and industrygrowth.

He said SADC has anumber of strategicdocuments, including theRegional InfrastructureDevelopment Master Plan(RIDMP), that clearly spell outwhat is needed to improve thewater and energy sector.

The challenge, therefore, isfor countries to fullyimplement all agreed regionalprojects, programmes andactivities within the stipulatedtimeframes so that the benefitsof belonging to a regionalcommunity are enjoyed bySADC citizens.

“We should endeavour todo more and compel action onthe plans that are so well setout and articulated in theregional strategic frameworkdocuments,” he said.

The RIDMP Energy SectorPlan, for example, hasidentified 73 power projectsthat will increase generationcapacity from the current56,000 Megawatts (MW) andensure that the projecteddemand of 96,000MW issurpassed by 2027.

The Water Sector Planlikewise contains a total of 34infrastructure projects aimedat improving access to water inthe region.

President Khama said it isequally important for theregion to come up withinnovative approaches to forgecloser collaboration betweenthe water and energy sectorsas well as that of agriculturesince these are inextricablylinked, and any uncoordinateddevelopment in one area hasthe capacity to negativelyimpact on others.

“It is also important that webroaden our discussions to theexisting energy, water and

food nexus. Invariably, theinterlinkages in the energy,water and food sectors cannotbe overemphasised, andrequire efficient managementof demand and supply toensure proper correlation,” hesaid.

He said the recent decreasein water availability caused bylow rainfall in the 2015/16agricultural season had anadverse impact on theproduction of food and energyin southern Africa.

According to a conceptpaper produced for the SADCEnergy and Water MinistersWorkshop, the declining waterlevels in Lake Kariba, betweenZambia and Zimbabwe,resulted in low hydropowergeneration activities as watercapacity was only 12 percentby 1 February compared to the53 percent recorded at thesame time the previous year.Lake Kariba is one of the mainsources of electricity in theSADC region.

In October 2015, the UnitedRepublic of Tanzania was alsoforced to switch off itshydropower plants due to lowwater levels in the country'sdams. As a result of the lowwater levels, hydroelectricitygeneration had fallen to 20percent of capacity.

Tanzania has sinceconverted some of itshydroelectricity plants tonatural gas.

The SADC ExecutiveSecretary, Dr. StergomenaLawrence Tax said it is time forthe region to develop concreteand practical solutions toaddress water and energychallenges.

“Energy and water play avital role in regional economic

growth, and access to the samehas a direct impact on thequality of lives of our people,”she said, adding that the two“are fundamental enablers toeconomic development, andthus for industrialisation,which SADC has frontloaded,a major focus of the region.”

Running under the theme,“Accelerating Energy Deliveryand Access to Water Resourcesin the SADC Region – ACollective Approach,” theSADC Ministerial Workshopon Water and Energy is one ofthe three regional meetingsconvened by President Khamaand aimed at findinginnovative ways of managingthe competing environmental,social and economicdimensions of development insouthern Africa.

Various stakeholders,including energy and waterministers, representatives ofnational energy and waterregulators and utilities,International CooperatingPartners, SADC energy andwater thematic groupmembers and implementingpartners, research institutionsand independent powerproducers, participated in theworkshop.

A similar meeting on foodsecurity and povertyeradication was convened inMay, while another one onillegal trade in wildlife isscheduled for July.

The action plans from theministerial workshops will betabled for consideration atthe forthcoming SADCCouncil of Ministers andSummit of SADC Heads ofState and Government inSwaziland in August foradoption. sardc.net r

Access to water, energy key to SADC regional integration


ing. In some situations where collecting firewood is restrictedthrough formal regulations, women are more vulnerable to sex-ual harassment or fines for illegal firewood collection.

The physical safety of women is compromised as violentcrimes can also be perpetrated even in daylight where re-sources are scarce and women are obliged to collect fuel fromremote and isolated areas (ENERGIA/DfID, 2006).

The International Institute for Sustainable Development(IISD) has estimated that illnesses from indoor pollution resultin more deaths of women and children annually than HIV andAIDS, malaria, tuberculosis, and malnutrition combined (IISD,2013).

Existing Legal and Policy FrameworkEnergy has been recognized globally as themissing Millennium Development Goal but isincluded as Goal No. 7 of the Sustainable De-velopment Goals (SDGs).

At regional level, the SADC Treaty seeksgender parity and SADC’s development blue-print, the Regional Indicative Strategic Develop-ment Plan (RISDP), identifies gender and energy as acritical area of regional development and integration.

The existing SADC energy policy framework is compre-hensive and places emphasis on the availability of sufficient,reliable and least costly energy services. This addresses thebroader SADC objectives, which include investment attrac-tion and promoting competitiveness and trade as a means foreradicating poverty, aligned with the environmentally sus-tainable use of energy resources.

The main policy instruments concerning energy in theSADC region are: SADC Protocol on Energy (1998), SADC Energy Cooperation Policy and Strategy (1996), SADC Energy Action Plan (1997) and (2000), and SADC Regional Energy Access Strategy and Action Plan

(2010). The Protocol acknowledges the important roles of women

and men in the implementation of energy programmes andurges Member States to “ensure that the development and useof energy takes cognisance of the gender realities of the region.”

Under Guidelines for Cooperation, the Protocol alsorecognises that the gender dimension is one of the keysocio-economic issues that the region’s energy policyshould address. This is in addition to the SADC Protocol onGender and Development and the SADC Treaty that di-rectly seek to facilitate the empowerment of women andpositively influence gender-balanced interests.

The promotion of community participation in policy for-mulation and implementation with special attention on thegender dimension is highlighted in the SADC Energy Protocol.

MoST WoMeN and girls in the SADC region spend theirtime on basic tasks that are time-consuming, non-remunera-tive and highly laborious, such as collecting biomass fuels,without access to modern energy services.

This further exacerbates gender inequalities as manywomen, especially in rural and peri-urban areas, are unableto access wage employment, education or business opportu-nities due to these responsibilities, and this also limits optionsfor social and political interaction outside the household.

In all SADC Member States, women and girls are largelyresponsible for household and community activities includingenergy provision, and thus are the primary energy producersand end users at household level.

The limited participation of women in designing home en-ergy systems, resource access, and decision-making at na-tional and regional levels is a major challenge within thegender and energy nexus.

The regional trend at the critical decision-making level ismore inclined towards men, with women occupying less than10 percent of most governance structures in this regard.

The major energy source in the SADC region is traditionalfuels such as firewood and animal and crop residue, whichaccounts for 74 percent of energy requirements for cooking,crop drying and brick making in rural communities (SARDCet al, 2012).

Women in urban areas have also been affected by the de-mand-side electricity management policies such as load shed-ding. These measures have had negative impacts on familyactivities and on business.

Accessibility and Social DimensionsWomen are disproportionately affected by challenges associ-ated with access to modern sources of energy compared tomen. This has affected development processes including en-ergy as sustainable development cannot be achieved withoutfull and equal rights for half of the population, both in lawand practice.

There is need for the region to develop mechanisms fo-cused on addressing inequalities in the energy sector as wellas to expand the role of women in developing as well as im-plementing energy solutions.

Energy production, procurement, transportation and dis-tribution further perpetuates gender imbalances, especiallyfor women living in rural areas. The primary source of energyfor rural people in most SADC Member States is biomasswhich may be sourced more than five kilometres away fromhomesteads.

This has a negative impact on women, not only in travellinglong distances on foot but women normally carry

heavy loads of firewood on their heads, whichcan compromise physical health and wellbe-

Mainstreaming Gender in the SADC Energy Sector

Energy Policy Brief No. 12


Other issues are: energy trade -- integrated resource planning-- energy efficiency and conservation -- demand-side manage-ment -- energy pricing – involvement of private sector and othernon-state actors -- energy competition -- training and capacitybuilding -- investment and funding – and, the environment.

The policy framework is supportive and responsive toSADC's strategic priorities that are targeted to industrialisa-tion, the promotion of economic and social infrastructure,agriculture, human resources development, gender main-streaming and improvement of social welfare.

Energy plays a pivotal role in the development agenda of anyregion, the SADC region included. Access to affordable, reliableand modern energy is critical in addressing development chal-lenges such as poverty, gender inequalities and food security.

Key Goals and Targets for Energy and Gender

uN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) An intergovernmental initiative through the uN with 17 goals and 169 targets to 2030Goals 1. End poverty in all its forms everywhere2. End hunger, achieve food security and improved nu-

trition and promote sustainable agriculture3. Ensure healthy lives and promote wellbeing for all at all

ages4. Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and

promote lifelong learning opportunities for all5. Achieve gender equality and empower all women and

girls6. Ensure availability and sustainable management of

water and sanitation for all7. Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and

modern energy for all8. Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable eco-

nomic growth, full and productive employment anddecent work for all

9. Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive andsustainable industrialisation and foster innovation

10. Reduce inequality within and among countries11. Make human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and

sustainable12. Ensure sustainable consumption and production pat-

terns13. Take urgent action to combat climate change and its im-

pacts14. Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and

marine resources for sustainable development15. Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terres-

trial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combatdesertification, and halt and reverse land degradationand halt biodiversity loss

16. Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainabledevelopment, provide access to justice for all and buildeffective, accountable and inclusive institutions at alllevels

17. Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalizethe Global Partnership for Sustainable Development.

G E N D E R - E N E R G Y

Revised SADC Regional indicative StrategicDevelopment Plan (RiSDP) to 2020

• Increase access and affordability for infrastruc-ture and services

• Electricity generation and transmission expan-sion plan implemented

• Gender mainstreaming capacity in the region de-veloped and strengthened

• SADC progress monitored towards the achieve-ment of gender parity at all levels

• At least 50 percent women in decision-makingpositions in the public sector by 2015, or affirma-tive action in place to accelerate the attainmentof this target.

African union Agenda 2063

Inclusive growth and sustainable development Access to affordable and decent energy Capable institutions and transformative leadership People-driven development, relying on the poten-

tial of African people, especially women and youth All citizens of Africa actively involved in decision-

making Full gender parity, with women occupying at least

50 percent of elected public office at all levels andhalf of managerial positions in the public and theprivate sectors.

Adapted from UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (2015), SADC

(2015) and African Union Commission (2015)

Gender Composition of energy Sector Governance inSADC

Men Women Total

Ministers responsible for energy 13 2 15Heads of power utilities 15 0 15Heads of regulatory institutions 10 2 12a

Heads of regional power organizations (SAPPb, RERAc) 2 0 2

a) Of the 15 SADC Member States, only Botswana, DRC andMauritius are without energy/electricity regulators.b) The Southern African Power Pool (SAPP) was established in 1995to coordinate the planning, generation, transmission and marketingof electricity on behalf of the 12 interconnected SADC Member Stateutilities.c) The Regional Electricity Regulators Association of Southern Africa(RERA) was established in 2002 to facilitate the harmonization ofregulatory policies, legislation, standards and practices and to be aplatform for effective cooperation among energy regulators withinthe SADC region. 10 of the 12 countries with energy/electricityregulators are members of RERA.

Source Author compilation

energy Access and Capacity – Selected indicators

F 290 million of 915 million people in Sub-Saharan Africahave access to energy and the number of people withoutaccess is rising.

F At least 25 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa are in a state ofpower crisis.

F Only five percent of rural areas in the SADC region haveaccess to electricity.

F SADC has experienced electricity shortage since 2007.F SADC has experienced an upwards trend in renewable ca-

pacity of 26 percent between 2000-2014.F Renewables account for 23.5 percent of total generation ca-

pacity in SADC.

Adapted from UNDP (2012), SADC (2012), REN21 et al (2015)

Challenges with Policy FrameworkWhile the SADC energy sector policy framework is quite com-prehensive and addresses the broader regional objectives andstrategic priorities, the programmes fall short of the stated re-gional objectives.

Gender inequalities in decision-making positions in the en-ergy sector across southern Africa make it reasonable to con-clude that the present structures and processes within thesector have not addressed the inequalities and subsequentlyenergy-related challenges faced by women.

The regional policy framework aims to address challengesin the energy sector but its successes depend on the imple-menting agents such as power utilities in Member States andregional energy institutions. The current status suggests thatthe region has not been improving the structure of governancein the energy sector.

One of the targets set by the SADC Protocol on Gender andDevelopment, which was adopted in 2008 but was

ratified and entered into force in 2013, is thatby 2015 the region should have reached50/50 gender representation in decision-making positions. This target has not beenreached in the top leadership in energy in-

stitutions at national and regional levels. (SeeTable on composition of energy sector governance)

Selected Experiences of SADC Member StatesMember States have undertaken a number of initiatives to pro-mote gender equality in the energy sector, with varying out-comes.

One such initiative was a gender audit of the Botswana en-ergy sector undertaken by the Botswana Technology Centre(BTC) in consultation with the Energy Affairs Division of theMinistry of Minerals, Energy and Water Resources and otherstakeholders (UNDP, 2012; Wright et al, 2009).

The results of the audit showed that, although there is acommon understanding of the different roles of women andmen in Botswana, the knowledge of the relationship betweengender, energy and poverty was still limited.

This indicates that existing energy policies and programmesare gender blind, which means they do not address gender dis-parities. Women are often excluded from consultations during



the development of energy policies and pro-grammes.

Based on the outcome of the audit and sub-sequent training initiatives, awareness about theimportance of the gender-energy nexus has in-creased within the Botswana government and theBotswana Power Corporation (BPC). BPC recently started a gen-der mainstreaming programme for rural electrification.

The audit also led to a pilot project for collecting gender-disaggregated data andstrengthening gender expertise in thecountry’s energy sector.

To promote the participation of women in the energy sector,Zimbabwe established the Gender and Energy Network ofZimbabwe, an initiative to engender energy access issues andempower women on issues of energy. Chaired by the Ministryof Women's Affairs, Gender and Community Developmentand the Ministry of Energy and Power Development, the net-work seeks to achieve the goals through raising awareness onthe relationship between gender and energy, and advocatingfor policy reforms.

Zambia has made progress on sensitising gender issues inthe energy sector. The Revised National Energy Policy (RNEP)promised to provide more gender balance in the sector’s “en-ergy planning, management and utilisation to ease the burdenof poverty on all vulnerable groups, especially women athousehold, community and national level” (RNEP, 2008).

The country has also undertaken a critical gender analysisthrough the Ministry of Mines, Energy and Water Develop-ment which culminated in the Zambia Gender and EnergyMainstreaming Strategy (2011-2013). The Zambia ElectricitySupply Corporation Limited (ZESCO) is implementing the In-creased Access to Electricity Service (IAES) Project which hasenabled women to play a more effective role as economicagents using rights-based development approaches that focuson increasing the economic opportunities of women and thefreedom to work in security and dignity (ESMAP, 2014).

The Case for Mainstreaming Gender in Energy“Gender mainstreaming is much more than awomen’s issue; it is the basis for establishing a levelof equality between women and men that can helpstimulate economic growth, create higher-level jobs,support communities, raise productivity and reducepoverty.” UNIDO (2014)

Mainstreaming gender in the energy sector meanscreating space for equal opportunities for women and men toreach full potential and contribute towards the sustainable de-velopment of the energy sector.

Increasing participation by women should be a top priorityfor reforming the energy sector. Increasing the number of womenin decision-making positions can extend gender context sensi-tivity in finding solutions to problems affecting the sector. Theenergy sector is dominated by men in decision-making positionsand has done little to address challenges faced by women.

Efforts to mainstream gender in the energy sector can havemany other benefits. Many women have limited access tomodern sources of energy yet this can be addressed by increas-ing the uptake of renewable energies, which in most cases arelocally sourced.



comfortable spaces within which to learn about technologiesand discuss particular concerns.

There is also need to promote access to cheap, renewableenergy technologies across southern Africa to ensure easyavailability to all. This would require adopting programmesto provide incentives to the private sector and research insti-tutions to produce basic technologies that can be accessedmore cheaply by the majority of the people in the region.

Although there is cost-saving over time, the solar home sys-tems are not cheap to install; a typical home system in the regionis cited by Madamombe (2015) to cost between US$500 andUS$1,000. Greater effort could be put into involving women inthe design and production of locally appropriate energy tech-nologies to encourage more investment in renewable energy.

The use of innovative financing schemes, such as fee-for-service arrangements, is one way to overcome these high up-front costs. Installing solar panels to power multiple housesat once can help to cut costs. Botswana, Namibia, Swazilandand Zambia have developed solar markets, in many caseswith special funds to support consumer credit.

Policy ConsiderationsSADC Member States should: Develop and strengthen energy policies that focus on im-

proving rural and peri-urban energy systems in order toreduce the workload women have in sourcing biomass;

Target increasing the number of women in decision-mak-ing positions and actively engage women in problem-solving processes;

Enhance the development and utilisation of modern re-newable energy sources and technologies;

Increase energy education and build gender-balanced ca-pacity in energy planning, implementation and monitoring;

Establish efficient energy production, procurement, trans-portation, distribution and end-user systems in an environ-mentally sound manner and with due regard to genderissues;

Reform the energy sector and facilitate investment and ex-pansion of services to promote adoption of more efficientand sustainable use of biomass;

Mainstream gender in all energy programmes at the na-tional and regional levels.

ConclusionAddressing gender-related challenges in the energy sector is keyto addressing the energy poverty that southern Africa is cur-rently facing, hence the gender issues should also be prioritisedin the sectoral development discourse and programmes. Main-streaming gender in energy should be supported by appropriatepolicies and structures that take into account gender realities insouthern Africa. Policy formulation and strengthening the ex-isting policies is essential with consultations from women andmen so that all have equal opportunities to sustainably con-tribute to the development of the region. r

This can result in improved standards of living and eco-nomic empowerment, as well as expanding opportunitiesthrough promoting alternative renewable energy resources,particularly to those groups with little access to modern grid-based energy.

Women play a critical role in energy provision and con-sumption within households and possess valuable knowl-edge relevant to sustainable energy solutions.

Women can draw on the natural circles of family, friends andcommunity for customers, which has proved to be an effectiveway of distributing renewable energy technologies to ruralhouseholds. Thus, renewable energy projects can enhance theeconomic autonomy and social status of women, including anearned income and opportunities to participate in and drive sus-tainable development of communities (UNIDO, 2014).

As women bear the burden of manual work of gatheringfirewood in most parts of southern Africa, the focus on initia-tives aimed at improving institutional structures is a case forimproving the development of the region.

Way ForwardGender equality is one of the critical pathways for a successfultransition to sustainable energy for all by 2030 (UN DESA,2015). There is need to increase efforts to promote an inclusiveenergy policy planning and implementation. Barriers, such aslack of training and education, and social norms that viewmodern energy technology businesses as “work for men”limit the opportunities for women to engage in sustainableenergy entrepreneurship.

Policy makers and other stakeholders should work to-gether to develop policies and programmes that address thegender-energy-development paradigm and expand the roleof women in developing and implementing energy solutions.Thus women as the major end-users in the household can buyinto reformed energy services forged through equal partner-ship collaboration with men in line with gender parity goals.

There is need to mainstream gender in energy program-ming and policy, not just to ensure that these are good socialinterventions but to promote efficiency. Incorporating genderperspectives into energy projects, policy and planning is crit-ical in ensuring the effectiveness of all development activitiesthat involve energy use.

As women are the primary energy end-users in house-holds and communities in most SADC countries, involvingwomen in the various steps of the energy value chain can ex-

pand both the scale and quality of sustainable energy ini-tiatives. Involving women in the design of

sustainable energy solutions can help to en-sure that interventions are tailored to meetthe needs of women as well as men.

Involving women in the distribution andmarketing of renewable energy technologies

and products can help to encourage the use ofthese services by providing other women with

This policy brief is part of a project on Communicating Energy in Southern Africa, funded by the Austrian DevelopmentAgency / Austrian Development Cooperation. Responsibility for the content of this publication lies entirely with the

authors. The information and views expressed do not reflect the official opinion of the ADA/ADC.

DeVeloPMeNT PARTNeRShave begun a process to aligntheir support to the SADCIndustrialisation Strategy andRoadmap and the RevisedRegional Indicative StrategicDevelopment Plan (RISDP).

Alignment of support tothe two regional planningdocuments will ensure thesmooth implementation ofagreed activities andprogrammes, thereby promotingsocio-economic developmentand deeper integration.

The two regional documentswere adopted by a SADC Extra-Ordinary Summit held in April2015 in Harare, Zimbabwe.

The SADC IndustrialisationStrategy and Roadmap aimsat accelerating the growingmomentum for strengtheningthe comparative and competitiveadvantages of the economies ofthe region, and is anchored onthree pillars, industrialisation,competitiveness and regionalintegration. The strategy coversthe period 2015-2063.

The Revised RISDP is a five-year plan that guides theimplementation of all SADCprogrammes from 2015 until2020.

The plan has four priorityareas: Industrial development and

market integration; Infrastructure in support of

regional integration; Peace and Security coopera-

tion as a prerequisite for re-gional integration; and,

Special programmes of re-gional dimension.

Various developmentpartners that recently metthe SADC Executive Secretary,Dr. Stergomena LawrenceTax backed the SADCindustrialization agenda andRevised RISDP.

For example, Mexico has aunique technology of processingand preserving agriculturalproducts – particularly maizewhich is the staple food in mostSADC Member States. Mexico,

through its Ambassador in SouthAfrica Maurice Escanero, haspledged to assist the region indeveloping its agriculturalsector.

Agriculture is the backboneof most economies in southernAfrica. According to theSADC Secretariat, agriculturecontributes between four and 27percent of the Gross DomesticProduct of the region, and about20 percent of total exportearnings.

In addition, more than 70percent of the SADC populationof 277 million is dependent onagriculture for livelihoods.

Therefore, investment inthe sector has the potentialto contribute significantlyto regional socio-economicdevelopment.

Cuba has committed tostrengthen cooperation withSADC in the area of health. TheCaribbean island has one of thebest health systems in the world.Cuban Ambassador toBotswana, Juan Carlos Arencibia

Corrales, told Dr Tax in mid-April that there is need “to

re-examine the cooperationbetween Cuba and SADC asenshrined in the Memorandumof Understanding concludedbetween the two parties in June2004.”

Corrales said Cuba wasinterested in collaborating withSADC, and the two should nowwork on identifying “concreteinitiatives and actions tolink Cuba’s health sectorachievements and expertise tothe implementation of theSADC Industrialisation Strategyand Roadmap, especially inthe development of thepharmaceutical sector.”

The head of France’s RegionalEconomic Service for SouthernAfrica, Serge Boscher, told

the SADC Deputy ExecutiveSecretary for RegionalIntegration, Dr. ThembinkosiMhlongo, that institutions such asthe French Development Agencywill be encouraged to engageclosely with SADC to support theindustrialisation agenda.

SADC’s traditional partners,including Germany and Britain,have said support to SADC willcontinue in sectors such as watermanagement, natural resourcesmanagement, peace and security,capacity building, infrastructure,agriculture, trade, and regionalintegration.

These thematic sectors arecritical towards the successfulimplementation of the SADCindustrialisation agenda. r

SADC, AfDB cooperation to focus on industrialisation


I N D U S T R I A L I S A T I O N

Development partners back industrialisation agenda

THe AfRiCAN Development Bank and SADC have agreed to work together on implementation ofthe regional industrialisation agenda aimed at boosting socio-economic development and regionalintegration. Meeting on the margins on the AfDB annual meeting held in late May in Lusaka, Zambia, the

SADC Executive Secretary, Dr. Stergomena Lawrence Tax, and AfDB President, Akinwumi AyodejiAdesina, agreed that cooperation would be on a programmatic approach, focusing on industrialisationas the region’s major priority. Specific attention would be given to projects that will address binding constraints, notably in

infrastructure (energy, information communication technology, transportation, water); and in areasthat will enhance competitiveness and facilitate industrialisation; specifically in agro-processing anddownstream processing, mineral beneficiation, and in national, regional and global value chains. It was also agreed that regional programmes to be supported will be in line with the SADC

Industrialisation Strategy and Roadmap 2015-2063, and the SADC Regional InfrastructureDevelopment Masterplan (RIDMP). The RIDMP is the sub-region’s strategy for the development of integrated regional infrastructure

to meet projected demand by 2027. Under this ambitious infrastructure plan approved in 2012, SADC aims to develop cross-border

infrastructure in the six priority areas of energy, transport, tourism, water, information communicationtechnology, and meteorology. For the energy sector, SADC has, for example, identified 73 power generation projects to increase

generation from the current 56,000 Megawatts (MW) and ensure that the projected demand of96,000MW is surpassed by 2027. r

A F R I C A U N I O N

Mokuy from EquatorialGuinea, who is representingthe central African region.

Kazibwe is a member of theAU’s Panel of the Wise, aformer UN specialrepresentative and formerexecutive vice-president ofUganda. Mokuy is alsoEquatorial Guinea’s Ministerof Foreign Affairs andCooperation.

Ve n s o n - M o i t o i h a sexpressed confidence inwinning the elections andpromises to vigorously pushforward Africa’s continentalintegration agenda.

“I am convinced thattogether we can build astronger, more coherent andmore effective and results-oriented AU, and presentit as a high-performanceorganisation,” she toldjournalists at a recent pressconference to announce hernomination as the SADCcandidate for the post.

“As chairperson of theCommission, I will provide thenecessary guidance forprogramme formulation andprioritization, driving theformulation of the strategicplan of the organisation.”


The other five SADCMember States belong to otherregions of the AU. These arethe Democratic Republicof Congo, Madagascar,Mauritius, Seychelles and theUnited Republic of Tanzania.The AU is divided into fiveregions -- central, east, north,south, and west.

The SADC ministers havesince mandated the SADCSecretariat with supportfrom Botswana and SADCdiplomatic missionsaccredited in Ethiopia toformulate a strategy anddevelop an effective campaignin support of their candidate.

Venson-Moitoi is arespected and skilledadministrator who has servedin various capacities in thegovernment of Botswana,including as Minister ofWorks, Transport andCommunications, as well asMinister of Trade, Industry,Wildlife and Tourism.

A former journalist, she hasalso served as Minister ofCommunications, Science, andTechnology, and Minister ofEducation.

Venson-Moitoi wasselected as the sole SADC-sponsored candidate ahead offtwo other candidates, fromMalawi and South Africa.

Elections for the AUCommission chairperson areset for July at the 27thOrdinary Session of theAssembly of Heads of Stateand Government of the AUscheduled for Kigali,Rwanda.

Venson-Moitoi will facestiff competition from twoother candidates. These are Dr.Specioza Naigaga WandiraKazibwe from Uganda, who isrepresenting the east Africanregion, and Agapito Mba

SouTHeRN AfRiCA isdetermined to retain theAfrican Union Commissionchair following the resignationof the incumbent, Dr.Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma,who has served only one termbut has been very successful inadvancing the continentalintegration agenda.

SADC has endorsed theForeign Affairs andInternational CooperationMinister from Botswana,Pelonomi Venson-Moitoi, as itscandidate to contest elections tochoose a new chairperson,following the announcementby Dr. Dlamini-Zuma that shewill not seek re-election whenher first term of office comes toan end in June.

Dlamini-Zuma, who was aSADC-sponsored candidatewhen she became the firstsouthern African and the firstwoman to head the AUCommission in 2012, isexpected to return home toactive politics in South Africa.

As per the AUConstitution, a chairpersoncan serve for two four-yearterms. Normal practice is thatthe position rotates betweenthe various regions of Africabut that is not certain.

Meeting in Gaborone in lateMarch, SADC ministers offoreign affairs said the regionis determined to retain the AUCommission chair and agreedthat Venson-Moitoi wouldbe the SADC-sponsoredcandidate.

The ministers who met arefrom the 10 SADC MemberStates that make up the AUSouthern African region –Angola, Botswana, Lesotho,Malawi , Mozambique,Namibia, South Africa,Swaziland, Zambia andZimbabwe.

The AU Commissionchairperson is responsible forthe operations and delivery ofthe AU agenda aimed atadvancing greater continentalintegration for a moreprosperous Africa.

The AU Commissioncomprises the chairperson,deputy chairperson and eightcommissioners responsible forpeace and security; politicalaffairs; trade and industry;infrastructure and energy;social affairs; rural economyand agriculture; humanresources, science andtechnology; and economicaffairs.

In the last AU elections, Dr.Dlamini-Zuma defeated JeanPing from Gabon in a closelycontested poll that saw severalrounds of voting failing toprovide an ultimate winner.

Dr. Dlamini-Zuma becamethe first southern African,and first woman, to head theAU Commission since theformation of the Organisationof African Unity (OAU) –predecessor to the AU – in 1963.

Other regions in Africahave previously had theircandidates occupying the topAU post. r

AfRiCAN leADeRS meet in July to chart the continent’sdevelopment agenda, including deliberation on the imple-mentation modalities of how to promote gender empower-ment.

The 27th African Union (AU) Summit running under thetheme “2016: African Year of Human Rights with particularfocus on the Rights of Women” is scheduled for 10-18 Julyin Kigali, Rwanda.

A major issue for deliberation will be the implementationplan of Agenda 2063 – a continental framework adopted bythe AU in 2013 to enable Africa to fully exploit its resourcesfor the benefit of its people and develop into an integrated,prosperous continent.

The leaders are also expected to discuss the economicand political situation in the continent. r

AU Commission SADC candidate pledges to drive continental integration agenda

S A D C S U M M I T


sharing of surplus energy bycountries to meet local demand.

Another benefit is theelimination of trade barriersto promote the smoothmovement of goods andservices across the region.

Prior to the actual Heads ofState and GovernmentSummit set for August therewill be meetings of seniorofficials, followed by theCouncil of Ministers.

According to the last SADCCouncil of Ministers meetingheld in late March, the summitis expected to deliberate on awide range of issues,including implementation ofthe region’s operational plans.

Council identified priorityareas for implementationduring the year. Theseinclude key milestones onindustrialisation, trade,infrastructure development, aswell as peace and security. r

THe SADC SuMMiT of Heads of Stateand Government is responsible for theoverall policy direction and control offunctions of the Community as the supremepolicy-making institution of SADC.Political and policy decisions on regionaldevelopment and integration are taken bythe SADC Summit or Troika, or by theSADC Summit Troika of the Organ onPolitics, Defence and Security Cooperation.

Summit is made up of SADC Heads ofStates or Government of the 15 MemberStates and is managed on a Troika systemthat comprises the current SADC SummitChairperson, the incoming Chairperson (asthe Deputy), and the immediate previousChairperson. The Summit vests authority inthis group of three leaders to take decisionson behalf of SADC that are ordinarily takenby Summit, as well as providing policy

Structure of SADC governance

by Sibongile Sukati

KiNGDoM of Swaziland isintensifying preparations forthe annual regional summitwhere southern Africancountries will review progresstowards deepening integrationand promoting socio-economicdevelopment.

The 36th SADC Summit ofHeads of State and Governmentis scheduled for Mbabane,Swaziland in August.

His Majesty King Mswati IIIof Swaziland, currently thedeputy chairperson of SADC,will assume leadership of theregional organization fromPresident Seretse Khama IanKhama of Botswana at theSummit.

King Mswati III said thecountry is ready to host thisimportant meeting that givesshape and focus to the regionalintegration agenda of southernAfrica.

“This is a responsibility thatwe receive with both handsand we are very honoured tohost the event,” King MswatiIII said during a ceremony tocommemorate his birthdayheld in late April, adding that“the country shall play ameaningful role in pursuingthe aspirations of SADC.”

The longstanding vision ofSADC is a united, prosperousand integrated region.

Significant progress hasbeen made to achieve thesegoals, including the attainmentof the SADC Free Trade Area(FTA) in 2008, which allowsconsumers in the region to getproducts at lower prices due toincreased production, whileproducers benefit from trade ingoods originating within theregion.

With regard to peace andsecurity, SADC has succeededin consolidating regionalstability through variousmeasures, including mediation

in conflicts in Lesotho andMadagascar.

Swaziland is yet to set thetheme for the 2016 Summit.The previous two summitshave focused on the topicalissue of industrialisation.

Botswana ensured that theindustrialisation momentumwas maintained last yearwhen the country hosted the35th SADC Summit underthe theme, “AcceleratingIndustrialisation of SADCE c o n o m i e s , T h r o u g hTransformation of NaturalEndowment and ImprovedHuman Capital.”

This theme continued thetrajectory of the 34th Summithosted by Zimbabwe in 2014,which focused on “EconomicTr a n s f o r m a t i o n a n dSustainable Developmentthrough Beneficiation andValue Addition.”

According to the SwaziFinance Minister MartinDlamini, a total of E50 million(about US$3.5 million) hasbeen set aside to ensure that

the 2016 SADC Summit is asuccess.

The country has set up aSADC Summit ResourceMobilization Team tocoordinate some of theactivities including anInternational Trade Fair aswell as the annual Umhlangaceremony, commonly knownas the Reed Dance.

The SADC Secretariatlaunched its preparations forthe 36th SADC Summit inSwaziland in September lastyear.

As part of the preparations,SADC Executive Secretary Dr.Stergomena Lawrence Taxpaid courtesy calls on KingMswati III as well as to PrimeMinister Sibusiso BarnabasDlamini.

Dr. Tax urged the media topromote and publicize SADCby informing the citizens ofthe various benefits ofbelonging to a sharedcommunity in southern Africa.

Benefits of belonging to ashared SADC include the

Swaziland prepares for 36th SADC Summit

direction to SADC institutions between theregular SADC Summits. The Summit meetsonce a year in August/September.

The Summit Troika of the SADC Organ onPolitics, Defence and Security Cooperation isalso managed on a Troika basis and isresponsible for maintaining peace andsecurity in the SADC region. It is mandatedto steer and provide Member States withdirection regarding matters that maythreaten peace, security and stability in theregion. The Organ Troika consists of aChairperson, incoming Chairpersonand outgoing Chairperson, andreports to the SADC SummitChairperson.

SADC operat ions arecentralised at the Secretariatbased in Gaborone,Botswana. r

was also important for SADC tocooperate with other regionalblocs to combat TIP since thecrime is a global issue.

“Trafficking is a cross-bor-der issue that needs a regionaland global response,” he said,adding that regional coopera-tion is critical in fighting TIPsince all countries are eithersources, transit routes or des-tinations for victims.

“There is also need forSADC to collaborate with theEU to address this modern-day slavery.”

SADC Programme Officerresponsible for research, infor-mation and documentationunder the programme thatdeals with TIP issues,Mukundi Mutasa capped it allwhen he said “our appeal tomedia is to raise awareness ontrafficking so that we preventhuman trafficking from everhappening or even spirallingout of control.”

The SADC Regional Train-ing of Trainers for Media Prac-titioners on TIP workshop from15-17 June was organized bySADC to capacitate the mediaon reporting TIP. sardc.net r

T R A F F I C K I N G


Media essential in combating human trafficking tive national laws as well asnational responses, cannot beoveremphasised,” Pitso said.

Deputy Secretary for Safetyand Security in the Ministry ofDefence, Justice and Securityin Botswana, IkwatlaengBagopi said efforts to combatTIP could remain elusive ifpeople are not aware of thevarious forms of TIP and vari-ous measures to prevent it.

“The role of the media incommunicating trafficking inpersons cannot be overempha-sised. The media is a key re-source in preventing andcombating trafficking in per-sons, hence it was very impor-tant to organise and capacitatethe media in reporting on traf-ficking in persons,” he said.

Bagopi called on SADCcountries to implement allagreed national, regional andinternational commitment to-wards combating TIP in theregion.

A total of 13 of the 15 SADCMember States have specificlegislation that addresses theissue of human trafficking.These are Angola, Botswana,Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi,Mauritius, Mozambique, SouthAfrica, Seychelles, Swaziland,the United Republic Tanzania,Zambia and Zimbabwe.

The remaining two – theDemocratic Republic of Congoand Namibia – are in theprocess of enacting specificlegislations, even though theyhave various pieces of legisla-tions to prosecute cases of TIP.

At the regional level, SADChas crafted a 10-year strategicplan of action on combatingTIP, especially women andchildren. The regional strate-gic plan runs from 2009 to2019.

Head of the EuropeanUnion (EU) Delegation toBotswana and SADC, Ambas-sador Alexander Baum said it

by Kizito Sikuka

“…not her real name…” This is a common line in

most media reports on humantrafficking. The idea to with-hold the name is one of thestrategies used by the mediato protect the victims ofhuman trafficking from beingknown by the public so thattheir dignity is maintained.

However, what can themedia do to prevent humantrafficking from ever happen-ing or even spiralling out ofcontrol?

This is the main questionmedia practitioners from south-ern Africa who attended a re-gional workshop in Botswanaon Trafficking in Persons (TIP)were trying to answer.

The Head of the SouthernAfrican Development Com-munity (SADC) Gender Unit,Dr. Joseph Pitso said TIP is acomplex, broad and crosscut-ting issue that requires thesupport and involvement ofall stakeholders in order tosuccessfully combat it.

In this regard, the media hasan important role to play, notonly in educating the publicabout trafficking but also mobi-lizing mass support towardspreventing it from happening.

“The media is undoubtedlyone of the key partners incombating trafficking in per-sons, as you are the mouth-piece and the eye in ourcommunities,” he said.

“It is, therefore, importantthat the media is able toclearly define trafficking inpersons versus smuggling ofmigrants, and report factualinformation, always cognisantof basic human rights and vic-tim sensitivity.”

According to a United Na-tions Protocol (2000) popularlyknown as the Palermo Protocol,TIP refers to the recruitment,

transportation, transfer, har-bouring or receipt of persons bymeans of threats or use of forcefor purposes of exploitation.

A distinction is made be-tween TIP and smuggling, al-though there are linkagesbetween the two.

Human smuggling refers tothe illegal movement of an in-dividual into a country inwhich she/he is not a nationalor a permanent resident. Thesmuggled individual is assistedfor a fee by criminal syndicatesto cross into another country.

Smuggling ends with the ar-rival of the migrants in thecountry of destination whereastrafficking involves the ongo-ing exploitation of the victimsto generate illicit profit for thetraffickers. Smuggling is al-ways cross-border whereastrafficking need not be.

Dr. Pitso urged the mediato keep abreast with issues ofTIP so that they are able toclearly articulate the issues tothe public.

TIP has affected a numberof people in SADC, with vic-tims, mostly women and chil-dren, subjected to sexualexploitation, forced labour,slavery or even the removal ofbody organs.

The modus operandi usedby syndicates includes falsenewspaper advertisements forjobs in major towns or othercountries.

In other cases, young chil-dren are kidnapped and sold towork in factories or shops;young men are forced to workin labour markets such as agri-culture and textile industries forlittle or no pay; and babies orvery young children are stolenor bought for illegal adoption.

“Therefore, as media prac-titioners, the importance ofunderstanding the crime oftrafficking in persons, in addi-tion to understanding respec-


June - August 2016June15-17, Botswana SADC Regional Training of Trainers for Media Practitioners on Trafficking in

PersonsThe TIP workshop aims at raising awareness among the media on the natureof the crime of trafficking in persons, the different forms that it takes and theongoing international, regional and national responses.

20, Botswana SADC Energy-Water Ministerial WorkshopThe meeting brings together ministers responsible for energy and water issues inthe SADC region with private sector, research institutions and other non-state ac-tors to facilitate the exchange of ideas and forge practical and sustainable solu-tions to energy and water challenges in the region.

20-23, Botswana SADC Ministers Responsible for Gender/Women AffairsMinisters will meet to discuss the SADC regional gender programme and shareprogress made by Member States in implementation of gender commitments, aswell as reviewing proposals for revision of the Protocol on Gender and Develop-ment and its Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting Framework.

21, Botswana SADC Water Ministers MeetingSADC Water Ministers meet annually to review progress in the implementationof the SADC Water Programme, which is a framework for action to achievesustainable use of water resources through the development of water infra-structure on the basis of sound water governance and integrated water re-sources management.

21, Botswana SADC Energy Ministers MeetingSADC Energy Ministers meet annually to discuss efforts to address the energysituation in the region, including renewable energy sources. SADC has hadchallenges in meeting energy requirements for more than a decade due to agenerating capacity that does not meet the growth in demand, forcing mostcountries to implement Demand Side Management such as load shedding.

July10-18, Rwanda 27th African Union Summit

African Heads of State and Government will meet for their annual Summit andwill select a new chairperson for the AU Commission to replace Dr. N.Dlamini-Zuma who is stepping down. The SADC candidate for this post is theForeign Affairs and International Cooperation Minister from Botswana,Pelonomi Venson-Moitoi.

14, Tanzania 18th RERA Executive MeetingEnergy regulators from SADC Member States will meet to discuss harmonisa-tion of regulatory policies, legislation, standards and best practices. RERA isan association of electricity and energy regulators which provides a platformfor cooperation among regulators within the SADC region.

August 3, South Africa Local Government Elections

Municipal elections in South Africa will be held to elect councillors for the nextfive years. South Africa’s local government is made up of eight metropolitan mu-nicipalities, 44 district municipalities, and 207 local municipalities.

11, Zambia General ElectionsZambians will go to the polls to choose a new leadership for the next five years,including President, Members of Parliament and local councillors. Accordingto a Constitutional amendment adopted in January, the winning candidate forPresident should secure at least 50 percent-plus-one vote, unlike previouslywhen the candidate with the highest number of votes was elected, even if theyscored less than 50 percent of the valid votes cast.

22-31, Swaziland 36th SADC Summit of Heads of State and GovernmentSADC leaders will meet on 30-31 August for their annual Summit to discuss issuesaimed at promoting regional integration and development. The Summit is pre-ceded by meetings of senior officials from 22-24 August and Council of Ministerson 26-27 August. King Mswati III of Swaziland will assume leadership of SADCfrom President Seretse Khama Ian Khama of Botswana. The theme of the Summitis “Resource Mobilisation for Investment in Sustainable Energy Infrastructure foran Inclusive SADC Industrialisation for the Prosperity of the Region”.

21-27, Swaziland SADC Industrialisation Week This is a week-long exhibition aligned to the SADC Summit in Swaziland. TheSADC Secretariat will work with the private sector and strategic partners to show-case and popularize existing and potential value chains for industrialisation.

23-26, DRC 47th SAPP Management Committee The meeting is held annually to bring together leaders of power utilities andgovernment representatives in the 12 member states of the Southern AfricanPower Pool to discuss key management issues related to the regional electricitygrid and regional power supply.

E V E N T S

SOUTHERN AFRICA TODAYis produced as a reference source of

activities and opportunities in theSouthern African Development Community, and a guide for

decision-makers at all levels of national and regional development.

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SOUTHERN AFRICATODAY is published six times a year by the Southern AfricanResearch and Documentation Centre (SARDC) for the SADC Secretariat in Gaborone,Botswana, as a reliable knowledge source on regional development. Articles may be

reproduced freely in the media and elsewhere, with attribution.

EDITORMunetsi Madakufamba

EDITORIAL COMMITTEEJoseph Ngwawi, Kizito Sikuka, Egline Tauya, Admire Ndhlovu,Phyllis Johnson, Danai Majaha, Shirley Pisirai, Anisha Madanhi,

Ntombikamama Moyo, Nyarai Kampilipili, Allan Chiduza

EDITORIAL ADVISOR

SOUTHERN AFRICA TODAY is supported by the Austrian Development Agency, insupport of the SADC Energy Thematic Group of International Cooperating Partners,

which is co-chaired by Austria.

© SADC, SARDC, 2016

SOUTHERN AFRICA TODAY welcomes contributions from individuals andorganizations within the SADC region in form of articles, photographs, news items andcomments, and also relevant articles from outside the region. The publishers reserve

the right to select or reject items, and to edit to fit the space available. The contents donot necessarily reflect the official positions or opinions of SADC or SARDC.

SOUTHERN AFRICA TODAY is published in English, Portuguese and French, and isavailable electronically at www.sardc.net Knowledge for Development, linked to

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Botswana; P12 P Johnson SARDC, au.int, www.dailynews.gov.bw; P13 allafrica.com,SARDC, SADC; P14 K Sikuka SARDC; P16 S Nzima The World

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This document was produced in the context of a project funded by the Austrian Development Agency/the Austrian DevelopmentCooperation. The responsibility of the content of this publication lies entirely with the author; the information and views expresseddo not reflect the official opinion of the Austrian Development Agency/the Austrian Development Cooperation.

5 June Liberation Day Seychelles14 June Freedom Day Malawi16 June Youth Day South Africa18 June Constitution Day Seychelles25 June Independence Day Mozambique26 June Independence Day Madagascar29 June Independence Day Seychelles30 June Independence Day DRC 1 July Sir Seretse Khama Day Botswana4 July Heroes Day Zambia5 July Unity Day Zambia6 July Independence Day Malawi Eid Ul-Fitr* Malawi, Mauritius, Tanzania7 July Saba Saba Industry Day Tanzania17 July King’s Birthday Lesotho18 July President’s Day Botswana19 July Public Holiday Botswana22 July Birthday of Late King Sobhuza Swaziland

1 August Parents’ Day DRC Farmer’s Day Zambia3 August Public Holiday South Africa8 August Nane Nane Peasant Day Tanzania

Heroes Day Zimbabwe9 August National Women’s Day South Africa Defence forces Day Zimbabwe 15 August Assumption Day Madagascar, Mauritius, Seychelles17 August SADC Day** All26 August Heroes’ Day Namibia29 August Umhlanga Reed Dance Swaziland

*Exact date depends on sighting of the new moon**SADC Day is not a public holiday but a commemoration of signing theSADC Treaty on 17 August 1992

PUBLIC HOLIDAYS IN SADCJune – August 2016

A shared future within a regional community

foRTy yeARS ago on 16 June 1976 an incident happened in South Africa thatchanged the face of the struggle for political freedom and emancipation fromthe racist apartheid system. On that fateful day a protest by black African schoolchildren in the Johannes-burg suburb of South West Town (Soweto) against the apartheid government andthe imposition of Afrikaans as a medium of instruction ended when police firedlive ammunition at them. The apartheid authorities put the death toll at 95 butothers said that many times that number of people died, mainly students. The incident grabbed international headlines and galvanised the resolve ofthe majority black population to fight for freedom. Many young people left thecountry to join the African National Congress (ANC) in exile, to continue theirstudies or go for military training. The picture of Mbuyisa Makhubo carrying the body of his 13-year-oldfriend, Hector Petersen, became an iconic image symbolising the struggle ofthe youth of South Africa – and the beginning of the end of apartheid. The photograph, taken by Sam Nzima of The World newspaper, appeared innewspapers and on television channels all over the world, sparking outrageand a new awareness which hardened opposition within and outside SouthAfrica to the brutality of the apartheid authorities. On that day, more than 20,000 Soweto schoolchildren staged a peacefulprotest again the imposition of Afrikaans as the language of instruction forblack pupils and against the discrimination they suffered under the inferior“Bantu education” curriculum. The Bantu education system, which had been enforced for black SouthAfricans since 1953, was characterised by separate schools and universities,poor facilities, overcrowded classrooms and inadequately trained teachers. The courage of the Soweto students in June 1976 is today commemorated bya national holiday in South Africa, Youth Day, which honours all the young peoplewho lost their lives in the struggle against apartheid and Bantu education. Forty years on, South Africa recognises the courage of the youth who helpedto bring an end to apartheid. The 16 June student uprising epitomises the role played by young peoplein the struggle to unshackle southern Africa from colonial rule. The youth wereat the forefront in the struggle for independence in all countries in southernAfrica, before and after Soweto. To mark this year’s celebrations, various events were held across South Africawith the main celebrations set for Orlando Stadium in Soweto where the uprisinghappened on that fateful day in 1976. Other key activities to be held in the monthof June include educating young people about their history and heritage. The theme for this year’s Youth Day celebrations is “Youth Moving SouthAfrica Forward”.

JuNe iS a special month in the history of Seychelles,a 115-island archipelago in the Indian Ocean. It is themonth that the country gained independence fromcolonial rule on 29 June 1976.

The month also witnessed the historic adoptionof the current Constitution on 18 June 1993, whichsaw the introduction of the multiparty system of gov-ernment. To celebrate these achievements, Seychellesin 1993 combined the two events and has commem-orated them on 18 June as National Day. However,starting last year in 2015, National Day was movedto its original date of 29 June.

June 18 is now marked as Constitution Day to cel-ebrate the adoption of the current constitution in1993. On this day, thousands of people attend cele-bratory events that include parades, a flower show,music, and a presidential speech.

Seychelles @40 40years

H I S T O R Y T O D A Y

40 YEARSREMEMBERING SOWETO

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