Natalie Nyathi
President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa has been appointed as the interim chairperson of the Southern African Development Community (SADC). This decision comes after Madagascar stepped down from the chair due to political instability in the country. SADC expressed its thanks to Ramaphosa for taking on this important role during a virtual summit of its heads of state and government.
Madagascar’s leadership faced serious challenges, including protests over power outages and water shortages. The situation worsened when the military took control after the parliament voted to impeach President Andry Rajoelina. This unrest raised concerns about Madagascar’s ability to lead SADC during this time.
As a result, South Africa, which was supposed to take over the chairmanship in 2026, will now lead SADC until August next year. This change is in line with SADC rules, which allow the deputy chair to step in if the current chair cannot fulfill their duties.
SADC includes several member states, such as Angola, Botswana, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eswatini, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. The organization’s main goals are to promote economic cooperation and improve the lives of people in Southern Africa.
Ramaphosa’s leadership is seen as crucial for providing stability in the region during this challenging time. SADC plans to continue its work on important issues like industrialization and energy transition while consulting with member states to select a new chairperson by the end of November.
With Ramaphosa at the helm, SADC hopes to navigate through current challenges and strengthen regional cooperation for the future.