Hosia Mviringi
Botswana President Mogkweetsi Eric Masisi, who is the current Chair of SADC Organ on Politics, Defence and Security, yesterday returned home a happy man after agreeing on two fundamental things with the Zimbabwean head of state, President Emmerson Mnangagwa.
The two Southern African Heads of State met yesterday in Harare to deliberate on the security situation in Cabo Delgado, Mozambique, where insurgents are wreaking havoc through heartless killings of civilians and displacing thousands.
“As Chair of the Organ ( on Politics, Defence, and Security), and President Mnangagwa as outgoing Chair, and therefore a member of the Troika, and President Ramaphosa as the incoming Chair, and therefore a member of the Organ, I have conferred with President Ramaphosa, and I have reported the contents of my discussion with President Ramaphosa, and we have formed views as a Troika, and one of them will result in taking this further so that as SADC we respond helpfully, to ensure that we assure the integrity and sovereignty of one of our own. Never to be assaulted by dissident, rebellious, and non-state actor forces that undermine the democratic credentials and peace within the region,” said President Masisi in an address to the media.
This was an unequivocal statement by SADC that the regional block will no longer stand akimbo while peace and security of member countries and the region are being trashed and eroded by reckless foreign-sponsored insurgents.
The whole region has everything to lose as the regional economies are closely linked to each other.
The SADC region depends heavily on the Mozambican port of Beira for strategic shipments of both import and export of goods.
All landlocked member states of SADC that include but not limited to Zimbabwe, DRC, Zambia, Botswana and Malawi depend on Beira port for fuel, food and equipment imports. Thus a volatile Mozambique spells doom for the whole region.
President Masisi could however not hide his joy at the assurance of support for their candidate for SADC Executive Secretary, Mr Elias Epedi Magosi.
” Today I return to Botswana a thoroughly happy man, because President Mnangagwa has adopted one of our own in Botswana, in the name of Elias Epedi Magosi, whom we have put forward as candidate for the upcoming position of Executive Secretary of SADC. He is currently Permanent Secretary to the President in the Republic of Botswana, Head of the Public Service. He is a former senior employee of SADC and we would like him to return there and deliver on his mandate,” remarked President Masisi.
The two Presidents agreed to work together in the Education subsector to adopt production-oriented curricula.
We have covered two significant areas, one being the direct cooperation between us, Zimbabwe and Botswana, in the education sector.
“We are concerned about colonial education, which we now want to put behind us, and have education that produces goods and services for our people. So we are sharing, between Zimbabwe and Botswana on how that can be achieved,” said President Mnangagwa.
In response President Masisi said he was happy to cooperate with Zimbabwe in this important sector which is an anchor to the future.
“We cherish our solidarity towards one another, as Presidents, as governments, and as a people, and our commitment to enhancing our bilateral relations, to make them firmer and deeper, and that is why we are attaching on the education sub-sector today. Coincidentally and happily, we are both committed to yielding a knowledge-based economy, both in Zimbabwe as in Botswana, and we are committed to making sure that we succeed,” said President Masisi.
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