WINDHOEK – Heads of state and government of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) arrived yesterday for the 38th SADC Summit. The President of Seychelles, Danny Faure, was one of the first presidents to touch down at Hosea Kutako International Airport, followed by South African President and outgoing SADC Chairperson, Cyril Ramaphosa, two hours later. Soon after Ramaphosa, Lesotho Prime Minister Tom Thabane also touched down. He was followed by Botswana’s President Mokgweetsi Masisi.
South Africa’s Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Lindiwe Sisulu, was at the airport to receive Ramaphosa.
Speaker of the South African National Assembly, Baleka Mbete, arrived earlier in the day. Other heads of state of SADC who arrived yesterday were Joao Laurenco of Angola, Joseph Kabila of DRC, Emmerson Mnangagwa of Zimbabwe, Edgar Lungu of Zambia, and Tanzania Vice-President Samia Suluhu Hassan.
They were all received by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, Minister of Agriculture, Water and Forestry Alpheus !Naruseb, and Minister of Environment and Tourism Pohamba Shifeta.
The summit takes place under the theme ‘Promoting Infrastructure Development and Youth Empowerment for Sustainable Development’. Ramaphosa is expected to hand over the chairpersonship to Namibia’s President Hage Geingob on Saturday. – Additional reporting by Nampa