Communiqué of the Extra-Ordinary Summit of the SADC Heads of State and Government, Sandton, Republic of South Africa
November 10th, 2008
1. The Extra-Ordinary Summit of the SADC Heads of State and Government met in Sandton, Republic of South Africa on 9 November 2008. The Extra-Ordinary Summit met to review the latest Political and Security situation in the Region with particular reference to the current developments in the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Republic of Zimbabwe.
2. The Extra Ordinary Summit was chaired by H.E. Kgalema Motlanthe, President of the Republic of South Africa and the Chairperson of SADC.
3. The Extra-Ordinary Summit was attended by the following Heads of State and Government or their representatives:
| DRC | H.E. President Joseph Kabila, Deputy Chairperson of SADC |
| Lesotho | Right Honourable Prime Minister Pakalitha Mosisili |
| Mozambique | H.E. President Armando Emilio Guebuza, Deputy Chairperson of the Organ and Acting Chairperson of the Organ |
| Namibia | H.E. President Hifikepunye Pohamba |
| South Africa | H.E. President Kgalema Motlanthe, Chairperson of SADC |
| Zimbabwe | H.E. President Robert Gabriel Mugabe |
| Botswana | His Honour Vice President Lieutenant General Mompati S. Merafhe |
| Swaziland | Right Honourable Prime Minister Dr. Sibusiso Barnabas Dlamini |
| Angola | Honourable Assuncao A. De Sousa dos Anjos, Minister of Foreign Affairs. |
| United Republic of Tanzania | Honourable Bernard K. Membe, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation |
| Seychelles | Honourable Patrick Pillay, Minister of Foreign Affairs |
| Zambia | Honourable Kabinga J. Pande, Minister of Foreign Affairs |
| Malawi | H.E Agrina Mussa, High Commissioner to the Republic of South Africa |
| Mauritius | H.E. Mahomed Ismael Dossa, High Commissioner to the Republic of South Africa |
| Madagascar | H.E. Bary Rafatrolaza, Consul General of Madagascar in Cape Town, Republic of South Africa |
4. The meeting was also attended by His Excellency Thabo Mbeki, Former President of the Republic of South Africa and Facilitator on the Zimbabwe Political Dialogue, Leaders of MDC Formations, Right Honourable Morgan Tsvangirai, Prime Minister Designate and Honourable Professor Arthur Mutambara, Deputy Prime Minister Designate of the Republic of Zimbabwe, and the Executive Secretary of SADC, Dr. Tomaz Augusto Salomão.
5. In his opening remarks, His Excellency President Kgalema Motlanthe of the Republic of South Africa and the Chairperson of SADC welcomed all delegates to the meeting and re-affirmed SADC’s commitment in supporting peace and stability in the Region, in particular, DRC and Zimbabwe.
6. The Extra Ordinary Summit considered and endorsed the Joint Statement of Heads of State of the Great Lakes Region Summit of 7 November 2008 on the situation in DRC, in particular the following:
(i) immediate ceasefire by all the armed men and militia in North Kivu;
(ii) establishment of humanitarian corridors throughout the area to ensure immediate address of the humanitarian crisis and tragedy;
(iii) immediate implementation of Nairobi Communiqué, Goma Agreement and all the relevant agreements and protocols to ensure sustainable peace and durable political stability;
(iv) the Summit of the Great Lakes Region called on the UN Secretary General to strengthen the mandate of the peacekeeping forces in DRC and provide adequate resources and be able to address the volatile situation;
(v) the Great Lakes Region would not stand by and witness incessant and destructive acts of violence by any armed groups against innocent people of DRC; if and when necessary the Great Lakes Region will send peacemaking forces into the Kivu Province of the DRC;
(vi) the Summit of the Great Lakes Region called on the UN and all humanitarian agencies that have shown great support for the victims of military violence to continue to sustain and increase their support until human tragedy is stopped.
7. The Extra Ordinary Summit noted that:
(i) the security situation in the DRC is affecting peace and stability in the SADC and the Great Lakes Regions;
(ii) the security and humanitarian situation is deteriorating in the Eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo;
(iii) many agreements entered into regarding peace and security in the Great Lakes Region were not implemented because of the intransigence of Laurent Nkunda;
(iv) DRC Armed Forces need to be assisted in order to protect the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the country;
8. In view of the above issues, the Extra Ordinary Summit resolved that:
(i) the SADC Team of Military Experts be deployed immediately to assess the situation in the Eastern DRC;
(ii) SADC should immediately provide assistance to the Armed Forces of the DRC;
(iii) the SADC Military Advisory Team be deployed immediately to advise the Command of FARDC on matters which will be agreed by the Government of the DRC;
(iv) the SADC would not standby and witness incessant and destructive acts of violence by any armed groups against innocent people of DRC, if and when necessary SADC will, within the Nairobi framework, send peace peacekeeping force into Kivu Province of the DRC;
(v) the SADC Military Monitoring Commission be dispatched to the DRC immediately to monitor the border between DRC, Burundi, Rwanda and Uganda;
(vi) the SADC Troika of the Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation meet with the Troika of the Great Lakes Region expeditiously to avoid overlaps and map a joint way forward;
(vii) the Teams established by the Double Troika of Defence Sub Committee should implement their mandate of providing technical assistance in the DRC as a matter of urgency; and
(viii) the deployed Teams should report to SADC via the Organ Troika.
9. The Extra Ordinary Summit decided to have a SADC representative in the mediation mechanism established by the Great Lakes Region for the DRC to be based in Nairobi, Kenya, with immediate effect.
10. The Extra Ordinary Summit considered the political and security situation in Zimbabwe and observed that no government has been formed subsequent to the holding of the elections and the signing of the Global Political Agreement. As a result, the country is unable to effectively address the challenges facing the people of Zimbabwe.
11. In view of the above, Summit decided that:
(i) the Inclusive Government be formed forthwith in Zimbabwe;
(ii) the Ministry of Home Affairs be co-managed between the ZANU-PF and MDC-T;
(iii) the efficacy of the arrangement referred to in paragraph 2 above, be reviewed after six (6) months by the Parties with the assistance of the guarantors, SADC, AU and the Facilitator.
(iv) to give effect to these decisions and the provisions of the Global Political Agreement, the Parties must, without any further delay, introduce the Constitution of Zimbabwe Amendment Number 19.
12. The Extra-Ordinary Summit appreciated the efforts of His Excellency Thabo Mbeki, Former President of the Republic of South Africa and the Facilitator of the Political Dialogue on Zimbabwe in finding an amicable solution to challenges facing the Republic of Zimbabwe and encouraged him to continue with his mediation efforts.
13. The Extra-Ordinary Summit will continuously remain seized with the ongoing political situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Republic of Zimbabwe.
14. The Extra-Ordinary Summit congratulated the Republic of Zambia for the professionally managed credible presidential by-elections held on 30 October 2008 and wished H.E. Rupiah Banda, President of the Republic of Zambia well in his new role as Head of State.
15. His Excellency President Kgalema Motlanthe officially closed the Extra-Ordinary Summit.
Sandton, Republic of South Africa
09 November 2008
Via Veritas
November 10th, 2008 13:57
TIME TO CALL FOR FRESH ELECTIONS!!!
Morgan must demand for a deadline for a decision to this impasse.
Zanu Pf are playing games regardless the reason their interests are not the countrys and SADC are hopin Mugabe can make a graceful exit but Mugabe is being stubborn.
Demand a dealine put the cabinet demands on the table and say if these are met we will form government and determine a date.
Request that if date is not met that fresh elections must be made in a time frame from this date
But dont make the call for elections lightly…demand international monitors (EU, SADC, americas, AU etc) to be present from this date ie during the campaigns, at election time, post results and during government transition…if needed.
Mugabe cannot baulk at this as he is not government to decide who comes in to monitor …this is upto the international community or SADC.
he lost the first election which does not give him any right to decide at personel.
The international communtiy must come to the party ie EU, america etc to pay for the monitors. There must be a sufficient number of monitors to be at every polling station and be at every rally.
November 10th, 2008 17:31
Along with many in Zimbabwe and the world, I am in shock and disbelief at the outcome of the summit meeting.
We can only hope that the desperate people of the DRC benefit from yesterday’s meeting, because there was no comfort for Zimbabweans.
What is wrong with our Southern African leaders? Can you not understand the difference between a democratic representative, who is only there to speak for others not to seize power for himself, and a bloody dictator who takes whatever he wants from his own country, even if that be donor money for AIDS victims? Even if that were not important, can you not see what is required to stop the rot in Zimbabwe and protect us all from the consequences?
It is well known that the biggest fear of the MDC and civic society in Zimbabwe, is that the democratic movement will be “swallowed” by ZANU-PF and that they will thereby fail the people of Zimbabwe. It is also well known in the whole world that no significant donor assistance will come to Zimbabwe unless there is meaningful power sharing, unless the MDC wins authority along with responsibility. The EU and the USA are not going to take responsibility to sort out the mess while Mugabe’s cronies and warlords continue to starve, torture, silence and rob the people.
Tsvangirai warned the Summit that a million people are in danger of death from starvation. We have already seen some of those tragic little faces, in Mutare and elsewhere…And the response is an attempt to force him to betray the mandate of his people? For a cosmetic solution that changes nothing and feeds no one?
President Motlanthe has lived up to his image as the man who declared Zimbabwe’s 2002 elections free and fair and has again disappointed all those who placed their hope in him to stand up for justice and democracy. Now Zimbabweans will have to stand up for themselves, weak, sick and hungry as they are, for they are truly alone in Africa and even their needless death will not suffice to make Africa stand up for what is right.
Phansi dictators, liars and appeasers of tyrants, phansi!! Phansi all those greedy for wealth and innocent blood! Forward to a free, democratic Zimbabwe!
November 10th, 2008 20:40
Sadly I’m not in the slightest surprised, but yet again I do find my hopes dashed.
In reality when last did any African decision actually result in betterment?
Maybe colonisation is in fact the only way to progress in as primitive, foolish, immature society as we find here.
May be there are some who won’t like what I say. Well go on – prove me wrong. You got the rest of time to try, but I won’t be holding my breath.
November 10th, 2008 23:19
Why are Southern African leaders so afraid of Mugabe that they allow him to discredit them in their own countries and internationally ? They are also willing to let a whole nation be brought to its knees and the people tortured and starved rather than insist that he plays by the rules. It is incomprehensible!
November 11th, 2008 04:09
What if foreign planes were to drop food parcels in rural Zimbabwe? Would Mugabe’s army fire on these planes?
What if the whole rural population were to pack up their belongings and slowly trek towards the nearest border? Would Mugabe’s troops shoot and kidnap them?
What if the townsfolk were to voluntarily and simultaneously close every service, shop and business and stay home for awhile – would the police go and harrass them in their houses?
What if the ministers of each church were to mount a peaceful rally, would they be arrested?
There has got to be alternative activity to those with strength queuing; there has to be a way to help those starving and dying.
No country in the world has ever had such a bizarre financial collapse, but it is imperative that the world ( not other flaccid African countries) find a way address the desperate humanitarian crisis.
We can’t just wait and watch.
November 11th, 2008 05:57
How can SADC and many journalists describe Mugabe as president and the MDC as the opposition when Tsvangarai and the MDC won the only ellection that SADC accepted as legitimate.
SADC ( The so called leaders ) have completely ignored what the people of Zimbabwe want. Another example of African Leaders thinking that they are more important than the people they claim to represent. “I know more than you because I am more important than you”. An african solution as we keep hearing about seems only to mean an undemocratic, one, pandering to the whim of arrogant despots. Pray for they people of Africa.
November 11th, 2008 12:54
Ozzie
Perhaps the problem is that Zimbabweans citizens collectively demonstrated their will in March this year and since then have not defended or fought for their will, as a people.
November 11th, 2008 13:02
Ozzie
Yes, yes, yes and yes again. History tells us that they would shoot, kill, kidnap etc. The situation is SO Bizarre.
The fact that Mugabe was allowed to sit in while SADC deliberated and everyone else had to leave speaks volumes. He has some kind of hold over each and everyone of them. They all know the situation and the suffering of the people but they will not act. Ultimately, they will blame the MDC for the protracted suffering for not doing as they say.
No matter what the West does, Mugabe sees it as a threat – even the financial crisis is because of the sanctions he claims are destroying his country. He will not see anything else.
November 11th, 2008 13:08
@doccon – over and over I have written these same words!
MDC won and is the rightful government of Zimbabwe. Morgan won and is the rightful President of Zimbabwe. ZANU PF is now the oppositon. Mugabe is a nobody – except that he should be under going trial for crimes against humanity.
I stick with my earlier comment – A primitive, immature, foolish society governs Africa. Including SADC.
Africa does not recognise Morgan because he “won” an election. He would have come to power swiftly if the had beaten the s..t out of everyone. Then he would have been a hero instead.
November 11th, 2008 17:18
Every one of those SADC Heads of State fear that they too will some day be facing the same scenario as friend R. G. Mugabe. It’s simply a case of ‘you scratch my back…’ In point of fact, see item 14 of the communiqué. Here we have a newly elected president accused of vote rigging and being sucked right into the patronage system for which SADC solely seems to exist. I would hazard a guess that despite the antics of SADC as a group, individually they probably can’t stand the little arrogant upstart Mugabe – he certainly brings every one of the member states’ lack of integrity into public view. No doubt when Mugabe gate-crashed and influenced the deliberation session of the summit he told them a few home truths. He had previously stated that he would like to see which fingers that might point to him are ‘clean’ in SADC. Grubby digits is something Mugabe knows about first hand, so to speak.
MDC cannot continue ad infinitum doing nothing but racking up debating points for simply being right – there are very few politicians in Africa whose conscience is led by what is right. If the AU is the MDC’s plan B then I would expect more of the same weak, disapointing communiqués.
November 11th, 2008 22:54
well what are the choices left for the MDC?
I can only really see one way forward and that is to accept the offer of sharing home affairs (obviously not ideal). They have the majority in parliament, they need to start going for it. The country needs funds so desperately to feed the population. Any further delays and we are heading the way of the DRC. We have to get in the faces of ZPF, test the media laws and freedom of expression, get the police on our side. Show them what the MDC can really achieve. Change the dynamic.
What are the alternatives? Carry on waiting for Mugabe to die or for everyone to leave the country or die? Run into the bush and play stupid terrorist games that Mugabe would love and end up legitimising his ‘rule’? An election?…when everyone is starving and the MDC have no structures in the rural areas? People forced to vote like in June? We will get trounced. International observers is a pipe dream. SADC have made their intentions very clear.
No, the MDC have to work their majority, push the boundaries of the agreement. Get the country off its knees and fed.
November 12th, 2008 00:07
MDC won the elections and is the rightful government of Zimbabwe. Morgan won and is the rightful President of Zimbabwe. ZANU PF is now the oppositon. Mugabe is a nobody – except that he should be under going trial for crimes against humanity .What is left to do ? To take up arms ? Well if President Obama reads this, will he please help us get this ended now. It is just so sad that the African leaders are sitting back and allowing Mugabe to stay in a position he legally does not have anymore and daily the people are dying and the country is in ruins because of him.Let us pray for those leaders to realize that this cannot go on much longer.
November 12th, 2008 01:18
Okey dokey – let’s get MDC tag along with Mugabe to turn the country around, put food in bellies, entice investors, and get the begging bowl brimming once more with funds. That will really make the MDC popular – so much so that come the next elections ZANU-PF could lose once more, and this time round even more decisively so. Quite possibly there are those in ZANU-PF able to look forward enough to future elections, and see this threat to their continuance if MDC ratchets up it’s nationwide popularity. ZANU-PF will devote as much future effort as possible to discredit their MDC partner whilst claiming any progress for themselves. Divide and rule is the Mugabe maxim, and in this we have seen that so much effort is spent in dividing that the rule part becomes nothing more than removing staunch detractors…with extreme prejudice. How can there be any harmonious governance if every motion is preceded by mudslinging, blame-laying, and finger pointing? The very same argumentitive antics that has sidelined the suffering populace will migrate from the likes of SADC summits and regional facilitators to parliament, JOC tribunals and dingy war vet beerhalls.
If the MDC becomes the Movement for Democratic Capitulation Mugabe will be vindicated, legitimised and retain his devious ability to work his own self-serving agenda.
November 12th, 2008 07:19
There is a need to understand how the Blocks like SADC work before we lose all hope. The Prime Minister Designate must move from being designate to substantive. Therefore amendment No. 19 of the cosntitution must kick in and that is crucial for us going forward. Morgan is the prime minister and head of government and should start behaving as such and put a resemblance of order in all this. It is not helping that he is perpetuating a power vacuum by all this posturing. If he does not go in we will never know what could have been achieved by the route he has already committed to. His advisers leave a lot to be desired as the comedy of errors so far do inspire anyone given the level of paralysis obtaining ZANUPF as an alternative. To the MDC it might be good for you to knoe that as ZImbabweans we are now looking at alternatives for the future, at this rate we cannot commit fully to an MDC government taking us back to the glorious days. Its time for morgan to redeem himself by being the PM we need and not the Workers’ Committee Cahirman who does not know when to stop negotiating for the sake of negotiating. Go in and do the job morgan, you are the prime minister just assert yourself. If it was Jonathan Moyo with your portfolio I can bet there would have been a government in place by now. Good luck and start acting responsibly as all these people will be working under you.