The South African Cabinet has approved strategies which the country will use during its tenure as the chair of Southern African Development Community (Sadc) Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation.
South Africa, whose President Jacob Zuma is the Sadc-appointed mediator in the Zimbabwean crisis, is also preparing itself for Zimbabwean elections as part of the region’s observer mission, should polls be held next year.
“Cabinet approved the proposed strategy for South Africa’s terms of chairship of the South African Development Community (Sadc) Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation. South Africa will collectively be responsible for policy guidance and oversee the implementation of decisions between the summits,” read Cabinet minutes from the South African government.
“Cabinet noted that active South African leadership at Executive level is required at the Sadc Election Observer Missions (Democratic Republic of Congo, Zambia, Lesotho and possibly Zimbabwe and Madagascar).”
Cabinet spokesperson Jimmy Manyi could not be reached for comment on the strategies to be adopted or how the Zimbabwean crisis would be tackled, but finding solutions to problems in Zimbabwe has been one of the major tasks of the troika.
Accepting the chair of the troika from Zambia in August, Zuma announced Zimbabwe would be one of the countries on the agenda.
“We will continue to render whatever assistance and support necessary to the people of Zimbabwe, Madagascar and Lesotho, as well as to support the post-conflict reconstruction efforts in the DRC,” he said.
