The year 2009 in retrospect by Kizito Sikuka

THE CURTAIN comes downon a historic year for southernAfrica, which has seen signifi-cant advances towards regionalintegration and African unity.

Two key indicators werethe launch of the ChirunduOne Stop Border Post and aground-breaking agreementbetween three RegionalEconomic Communities(RECs) to form a single FreeTrade Area by 2012.

The Chirundu One StopBorder Post between Zambiaand Zimbabwe was formallyopened for business inDecember, setting a newbenchmark for regional inte-gration among SADC MemberStates and a test case for thecontinent as a whole.

This is the first One StopBorder Post on the continentand others, such as Namangabetween Tanzania and Kenya,

are watching for lessonslearned as they prepare toopen the next one.

SADC selected Chirundu afew years ago as one of the bor-der posts for the pilot phase ofthe One Stop border initiativethat aims to facilitate trade andfree movement of goods andservices among the 15-memberregional community.

With the One Stop BorderPost, travellers are cleared justonce for passage into anothercountry in contrast with thecurrent situation in which trav-ellers have to be sanctioned onboth sides of the border oftengenerating lengthy delays.

In the long run, the projectseeks to harmonize customsand immigration laws at borderposts within the SADC region.

In another major milestonefor 2009, SADC agreed on aplan of action with theCommon Market for Easternand Southern Africa (COME-

SA) and the East AfricanCommunity (EAC) to estab-lish an enlarged Free TradeArea (FTA) encompassing 26Member States by 2012.

This follows recommenda-tions made at the inauguralTripartite Summit held in 2008by leaders from the threegroupings to merge their FTAsinto one grand market, in linewith the continental integra-tion envisaged by the AfricanUnion.

Secretariats from SADC,COMESA and EAC agreed ona plan of action in Novemberand leadersare expected toapprove and endorse the planat their forthcoming Tripartitesummit scheduled for early2010.

A single FTA will open bor-ders to literally half of the con-tinent, spanning the entiresouthern and eastern regionsof Africa.

continued on page 2...

POLICY 3

TRADE 4-5

SOUTH-SOUTH 6COOPERATION

INFRASTRUCTURE 7

ENERGY 8-9

TOWARDS 2010 10

INVESTMENT 2010 11

GENDER 12

ELECTIONS 13

STATISTICS 14

EVENTS 15

HISTORY TODAY 16

SADC TODAY Vol. 12 No 1 December 2009

2 SOUTHERN AFRICA Today

continued from page 1...

The year 2009 in retrospect

This will be, by any stan-dards, a formidable economiccommunity with a combinedGross Domestic Product (GDP)of more than US$625 billion anda combined population of morethan 500 million.

The FTA will help to resolvethe long-standing conundrum ofoverlapping membership,which has presented headachesfor the three RECs in their questtowards deeper integration, astechnically a country can belongto only one Customs Union.

The launch of the FTA by2012 will result in the threegroupings coalescing into a sin-gle free trade area with the ulti-mate goal of establishing a sin-gle Customs Union.

Among other developmentsin 2009, southern Africa was notspared from the effects of theglobal economic crisis.

The SADC Ministerial TaskForce on Regional EconomicIntegration said the global eco-nomic crisis has had a negativeimpact on the economies of mostcountries in the region, a devel-opment that has impacted onregional macroeconomic conver-gence.

Mining, agriculture andtourism were the most affectedsectors, thus hampering growthin Member States.

SADC leaders said at theirSummit in Kinshasa inSeptember that the effects of thecrisis must be closely monitoredwith a view to implementingmeasures aimed at minimizingits impact on the region.

Regarding political develop-ments, the region witnessed sta-bility in most parts of southernAfrica with five countries hold-ing general elections.

The people of Botswana,Malawi, Mozambique,Namibia and South Africa wentto the polls in 2009. Ruling par-ties in the respective countrieswere returned by the electoratewith a resounding two-thirdsmajority, in electoral processesthat were witnessed by theAfrican Union and SADC elec-tion observers.

The latter ruled that all fiveelections complied with the

SADC Principles and GuidelinesG o v e r n i n g D e m o c r a t i cElections.

In Zimbabwe, the SADC-sponsored talks managed to bro-ker a deal to form an inclusivegovernment led by PresidentRobert Mugabe with formeropposition leader MorganTsvangirai as Prime Minister.

The inclusive government,sworn into office in February2009, has been credited foraddressing many of the coun-try's political and economicchallenges since its formation inFebruary, although illegal inter-national sanctions remain inplace, imposed by the EuropeanUnion and USA.

Peace returned to theDemocratic Republic of Congowith SADC leaders expressingtheir confidence in the countryby hosting the 2009 annualSummit in Kinshasa.

SADC elected DRC as chairof the 15-member organizationfor the period 2009/10, takingover the rotating chair fromSouth Africa.

Political parties in Lesothowere urged to continue with thepeace dialogue to find a lastingsolution to the challenges facingthe country.

However, a major setback forSADC emerged again in Marchwhen Madagascar slid intopolitical turmoil.

This was after oppositionleader Andry Rajoelina seizedpower from President MarcRavalomanana in a publicdemonstration backed by themilitary, similar to the methodused by Ravalomanana when heseized power a few years earlierfrom his predecessor, DidierRatsiraka.

SADC-led mediation effortshave seen both leaders togetherwith two former Madagascanpresidents including Ratsirakaagreeing to set up a transitionalgovernment to govern the coun-try until fresh elections are heldin 2010. However, implementa-tion of this agreement continuesto be a challenge as the yeardraws to a close.

On the environment front,southern Africa was in agree-ment with the rest of Africa on acommon position for theCopenhagen Climate ChangeSummit in December.

Key points are that Africa willnot accept a new pact to replacethe Kyoto Protocol, and thatAfrica requires a scaled-upfinance, technology and capacitysupport for adaptation and riskmanagement.

The spirit and the principlesof the Bali Action Plan must alsobe respected and guide all nego-tiations, Africa said.

The year 2009 also saw SADCEnvironment and NaturalResources Ministers launchSADC's report on the state of theregion's environment, theSouthern Africa EnvironmentOutlook.

The outlook says that climatechange caused by global warm-ing is well underway, with aver-age temperatures in the regionhaving risen by 0.5 degreesCelsius over the last century,with the 1990s deemed thewarmest and driest decade ever.

On South-South cooperation,SADC together with the rest ofAfrica strengthened its relationssignificantly with China andSouth America.

Under the Forum for ChinaAfrica Cooperation (FOCAC), theAsian nation pledged, amongother things, a US$10 billion loanto African countries to construct100 clean energy stations duringthe next three years.

African and South Americanleaders met in Summit inSeptember and approved a planto establish an African-SouthAmerican Bank to finance devel-opment in respective continentsas well as to promote trade.

On energy development,SADC continued to experienceserious shortfalls as it advancestowards the desired surpluspower generation, expected in2013 if short term power projectsare implemented on time.

The Southern African PowerPool in collaboration with theSADC Secretariat hosted aPower Sector InvestorsRoundtable in Livingstone,Zambia to attract investment tothe energy sector for completionof some key projects within thenext two years.

SADC Energy Ministersmeeting in April called for aunited stand in confronting thechallenges, saying “no one coun-try can individually tackle

power shortages” presentlybeing felt across the region.

Regarding gender develop-ment, southern Africa, one of theworld's leading regions inadvancing the involvement ofwomen in decision-making, wit-nessed the appointment of thefirst woman Vice-President inMalawi, Joyce Banda, and thefirst woman to occupy the postof Speaker of the NationalAssembly in Botswana,Margaret Nasha.

The appointment of Bandaand Nasha signals another steptowards gender equality in theregion. However, the low num-ber of women who made it intoParliament in the recent elec-tions is a setback in a regioncommitted to reach 50 percentparity in decision-making by2015.

As a means of tracking imple-mentation of the SADC Protocolon Gender and Developmentapproved in 2008, the SADCGender Unit and Ministersresponsible for Gender andWomen Affairs launched their2009 edition of the SADC GenderMonitor in October.

The SADC Gender Monitoralso reviews progress towardsthe targets of the BeijingPlatform for Action, set at theFourth World WomenConference in 1995.

SADC leaders endorsed thecandidature of Malawi to assumethe chair of the African Unionfrom Libya, whose tenure expiresin January 2010. The chair rotatesaccording to regions and the nextchairperson should come fromthe SADC region

The year 2009 also sawZimbabwe assume the COME-SA chair at the launch of itsCustoms Union in June.

With 2009 having come andgone, attention now turns to2010 with high expectations onthe 2010 Soccer World Cupfinals to be hosted for the firsttime in Africa by South Africaand the 2010 Africa Cup ofNations in Angola, hosted insouthern Africa only for the sec-ond time.

Both countries have madestrong efforts to engage neigh-bouring countries to ensure thatboth events have regional own-ership and support. sardc.net r

SOUTHERN AFRICA Today 3

Three decades of global fight against gender discriminationEXACTLY 30 years ago, theUnited Nations GeneralAssembly made an overarch-ing global commitmenttowards ensuring rights forthe world's women.

This commitment madethrough the Convention on theElimination of all Forms ofDiscrimination against Women(CEDAW) was adopted by theUN General Assembly on 18December 1979, and defineswhat constitutes discrimina-tion against women and setsan agenda for national actionto end such discrimination.

All countries in SADChave since ratified CEDAWand efforts have been made toharmonize statutory lawswith the Convention.

CEDAW is regarded as aninternational constitution forwomen and aims to endexclusion of women from pol-itics, law, justice, employ-ment, work, the economy,social services, health, educa-tion, culture and religion.

In order to end discrimina-tion against women, MemberStates are committed to:l Incorporate the principle

of equality of men andwomen in legal systems,abolish all discriminatorylaws and adopt appropri-ate ones which prohibitdiscrimination againstwomen;

l Establish tribunals andother public institutionsto ensure effective protec-tion of women againstdiscrimination; and

l Ensure elimination of allacts of discriminationagainst women by per-sons, organizations andenterprises.Thirty years on, the south-

ern African region has madesignificant strides in ensur-ing gender equality and non-discrimination of women inall sectors of society.

Policy frameworks andprogrammes towards genderequality and women'sempowerment have beeninstituted at both regionaland country level.

The SADC Protocol onGender and Developmentsigned in 2008 is one mile-stone as it is the most compre-hensive regional instrumenttowards realiszing genderequality and women'sempowerment.

The protocol encompassesprovisions made in CEDAWas well as other regional,global and continental instru-ments for achieving genderequality, such as the BeijingPlatform for Action, theMillennium DevelopmentGoals and the African UnionCharter on Human andPeople's Rights and theRights of Women in Africa,into one regional instrument.

The adoption of theProtocol has seen increasedregional momentum towardsachieving gender equalityand ending discriminationagainst women.

Other achievementsinclude the securing of provi-sions for equality or non-dis-crimination of women inSADC Member State constitu-tions. Most SADC Member

States now have gender orwomen's empowerment poli-cies in place.

Over the last decade, therehas been an increase ofwomen in decision-makingpositions in the region inmost SADC countries withfive countries (Angola,Mozambique, Namibia, SouthAfrica and the UnitedRepublic of Tanzania) havingmore than 30 percent womenin their parliaments.

Botswana has appointedMargaret Nasha as the firstwoman to occupy the post ofSpeaker of the NationalAssembly.

In Malawi, Joyce Banda wasappointed as the first womanto the post of Vice Presidentwhile Zimbabwe has had awoman Vice President since2004. Mozambique and SouthAfrica have had a womanPrime Minister and VicePresident, respectively.

However, the majority ofcountries in the region stillhave very few women inpolitical positions, as evi-denced by the recent electionsin Botswana in which womenoccupy 6.5 percent of seats inparliament, the lowest figurein the region.

To address this situation,the region is developing a

strategy to serve as a guidefor Member States to achievethe 50/50 target of women inpolitics and decision-makingpositions by 2015.

Countries in the regionhave also enacted or amendedlegislation on issues of genderviolence, including provisionsagainst marital rape.

Institutional measuressuch as arms of governmentresponsible for women affairshave been put in place toimplement plans towardsgender equality.

Despite achievements, theregion still faces challenges toattainment of gender equalityobjectives because in practicewomen still suffer gender dis-crimination and violation ofrights.

This is often because ofignorance of the law; econom-ic hardships; cumbersomecourt procedures; insufficientinformation on existingrights; and lack of awarenessof existing laws that make itdifficult for women to exer-cise their rights.

Customary law is also stillpractised by many people insouthern Africa and contin-ues to govern their daily lives.Rights under customary lawdo not usually coincide withuniversally defined rights.

Other challenges affectingachievement of women'srights include HIV and AIDSwhich place a heavy toll onwomen's labour throughincreased unpaid care work.Poverty also remains high anddisproportionately affectswomen and children who arealready vulnerable, with a cor-responding negative impact ontheir ability to meet basicneeds.

Despite these challenges,southern Africa has made sig-nificant progress towardsachieving gender equality tar-gets since 1979. r

P O L I C Y

Women from different parts of southern Africa celebrate three decades of theglobal fight against gender discrimination.

4 SOUTHERN AFRICA Today

SADC WILL in 2010 move amajor step towards deeperregional integration when the15-member bloc launches aCustoms Union, which aimsto promote the free move-ment of goods, services andcapital across Member States.

The establishment of aCustoms Union follows thesuccessful launch of a SADCFree Trade Area (FTA) inAugust 2008, which startedwith the signing of a regionalTrade Protocol in 1996. The

Trade Protocol came intoeffect in 2000.

A Customs Union is anadvanced stage of integrationwhen compared to a FTA as itdoes not require tariffs orquotas on goods originatingfrom within the region.

The SADC region has acombined population of morethan 250 million and theestablishment of a CustomsUnion will usher in one of thelargest free trade zones on theAfrican continent. r

THE CHIRUNDU One StopBorder Post between Zambiaand Zimbabwe has formallyopened for business, setting anew benchmark for regionalintegration among SADCMember States.

SADC selected Chirundu afew years ago as one of theborder posts for the pilotphase of the One Stop Borderinitiative that aims to facili-tate trade and free movementof goods and services amongthe 15-member regional bloc.

The Beitbridge border postlinking South Africa and

Zimbabwe is another port ofentry that has been chosen bySADC for the pilot phase butwork is yet to start.

Beitbridge and Chirunduare considered to be amongsub-Saharan Africa's busiestports of entry with hundredsof commercial trucks passingthrough the two border postseveryday.

Under the One Stop BorderPost scheme, travellers arecleared just once for passageinto another country.

This development isexpected to address delays,

Chirundu One Stop Border Post commissioned

SADC to launch Customs Unionin 2010

T R A D E

Trucks ready to cross the Chirundu One Stop Border Post which links Zambiaand Zimbabwe as it officially opens for business.

which are experienced atmost border posts as well aspromote the smooth flow ofgoods through the removal of“restrictive” operational pro-cedures.

In the long run, the projectseeks to harmonize customsand immigration laws at bor-der posts within the SADCregion.

Officially commissioningthe One Stop Border Post inDecember, ZimbabwePresident Robert Mugabe andhis Zambian counterpart,Rupiah Banda, hailed thedevelopment saying it is amajor step towards totalregional integration.

Mugabe said the OSBPconcept would greatly reducethe cost of doing business onthe continent.

“This is a practical demon-stration of regional integra-tion at work.”

He said, establishment ofthe OSBP at Chirundu is atrade facilitation programmein the North-South Corridor,an initiative identified bythree of Africa's main regionalcommunities namely SADC,COMESA and the EAC.

The North-South Corridorseeks to link Dar es Salaam inTanzania and the southernports of Durban and PortElizabeth in South Africa withrobust infrastructure. It alsoaims to link other ports suchas Walvis Bay (Namibia),Beira (Mozambique) andLobito (Angola).

“This will be a major stridetowards the integration ofAfrica as envisaged in theAbuja Treaty on the creationof the Africa EconomicCommission,” Mugabe said,adding that the new develop-ment will result in cost sav-ings of up to US$486 millionannually, which can be chan-nelled to other economic uses.

President Banda concurredsaying the One Stop BorderPost is a landmark achieve-ment in the history of eco-nomic integration in theregion.

He said such infrastructuredevelopment is crucial forgrowth as a region with ineffi-cient transport and borderclearance systems will find itdifficult to trade competitive-ly thus affecting economicprospects as well as the pros-perity of its citizens.

“In this region we cannotafford to continue doing busi-ness as usual without thecomplete overhaul of ourinfrastructure and the harmo-nization of our trade poli-cies,” he said.

“If we improve our infra-structure, we will be able tomeet the challenges of inter-regional trade and reap for usthe benefits thereof.”

Zambia and Zimbabwe incollaboration with the UnitedKingdom's Department forInternational Development,Japan International Co-opera-tion Agency and the WorldBank spearheaded the imple-mentation process.

SADC is expected to soonroll out the concept to otherregional ports of entry, as itseeks to harmonize customslaws and promote the move-ment of goods amongMember States in preparationfor the SADC Customs Unionexpected in 2010 as well as toconsolidate gains of theSADC FTA launched inAugust 2008.

SADC executive secretaryTomaz Salomão, COMESASecretary General SindisoNgwenya, and the EACSecretary General JumaMwapacho witnessed thecommissioning of theChirundu One Stop BorderPost. r

SOUTHERN AFRICA Today 5

THREE OF Africa's main sub-regional bodies have agreedon a plan of action to establishan enlarged Free Trade Areaencompassing half of the con-tinent's countries by 2012.

Secretariats from SADC,the Common Market forEastern and Southern Africa(COMESA) and the EastAfrican Community (EAC)approved the plan in earlyNovember in Dar es Salaam,United Republic of Tanzania.

This was after leaders fromthe three Regional EconomicCommunities (RECs) directedthe Secretariats at their inau-gural Tripartite Summit in2008 to develop a roadmapfor the implementation of themerger for consideration atthe next meeting set for 2010.

After a period of intensiveconsultations with variousstakeholders, the threeSecretariats have now pre-pared all the legal documentsnecessary to establish a singleFTA and have identified keysteps needed to be taken byMember States to ensure thisgoal becomes a reality.

The creation of a singleFTA encompassing 26 of atotal of 54 African countriesrepresents yet another impor-tant milestone for Africa as itmoves towards total conti-nental integration as envis-aged by the AfricanUnion (AU).

According to a statementfrom the Dar es Salaam meet-ing “it is expected that whenthe Tripartite Summit meets,in April or May 2010, theHeads of State andGovernment will clearly pro-nounce themselves on theway forward with establish-ing the single FTA.”

The draft documentagreed by the threeSecretariats has 14 annexescovering various comple-

mentary areas that are neces-sary for effective functioningof a regional market.

The main proposal is toestablish the FTA on a tariff-free, quota-free, exemption-free basis by simply combin-ing the existing FTAs ofSADC, COMESA and EAC.

SADC launched its FTA inAugust 2008 while other tworegional communities estab-lished theirs a few years ago.

By the year 2012, it isexpected that all the threeFTAs will not have exemp-tions or sensitive lists thuspromoting the free movementof goods and services acrossthe three communities.

Provisions have however,been made for those that wishto continue maintaining sen-sitive lists, especially withsome big partners.

The document also callsfor the immediate promotionof trade facilitation, harmo-

nization of customs laws andcoordination of industrial andhealth standards to combatunfair trade practices andimport surges.

Such cooperation will alsoensure the use of simpler andstraightforward rules of ori-gins that recognize inlandtransport costs as part ofvalue addition in productionand the transfer of informa-tion across the region.

The three Secretariats saythe FTA will be underpinnedby a robust infrastructure pro-gramme targeting such sec-tors as energy, transport andtelecommunications to makesure the regional market isaccessible and competitive.

There should be a“preparatory period for con-sultations at the national,regional and Tripartite levelfrom early 2010 up to June2011”, to ensure the successfulimplementation of the FTA.

It is expected that by June2011, there will be a final agree-ment on the FTA, which will beready for signing and adoptionin July the same year.

Member States will haveabout six months to finalizeand ratify the agreement sothat a single FTA is launchedin January 2012.

A single FTA will open bor-ders to literally half of thecontinent, spanning the entiresouthern and eastern regionsof Africa.

This will be, by any stan-dards, a formidable economiccommunity with a combinedGross Domestic Product(GDP) of more than US$625billion and a combined popu-lation of some 530 million.

An enlarged FTA willensure that goods producedin the region will enjoy tradepreference compared to thosefrom outside the SADC-COMESA-EAC region.

The FTA will permanentlyresolve the long-standingoverlapping membershipconundrum, which had pre-sented headaches for thethree RECs in their questtowards deeper integration.

Technically, a country can-not belong to more than oneCustoms Union, yet the threeRECs have either alreadyestablished or are workingtowards creating their unions,with SADC expected tolaunch its own in 2010.

As such, the launch of thegrand FTA by 2012 will resultin the three sub-regions coa-lescing into a single free tradearea with the ultimate goal ofestablishing a single CustomsUnion in the near future.

SADC is made up of 15members, COMESA and theEAC have 19 and five respec-tively. Some of the membersbelong to more than one ofthe three RECs. r

SADC-COMESA-EAC Free Trade Area set for 2012

T R A D E

SADC-COMESA-EAC Free Trade Area to boost trade in Africa.

6 SOUTHERN AFRICA Today

CHINA AND Africa haveagreed on a new plan ofaction for the next three yearsin a bid to strengthen cooper-ation.

The Sharm el-SheikhAction Plan 2010-2012, whichwas adopted together with theSharm el-Sheikh Declaration,will focus on trade, agriculture,infrastructure, climate changeand social welfare amongother issues.

China and Africaapproved the new measuresat the recent fourth ministeri-al Forum on China-AfricaCooperation (FOCAC) held inEgypt in early November.

Under trade cooperation,China announced a US$10 bil-lion loan to Africa and plansto support Chinese financialinstitutions in setting up aspecial loan of US$1 billionfor small and medium enter-prises on the continent.

“For the heavily indebtedpoor countries and leastdeveloped countries in Africahaving diplomatic relationswith China, we will canceltheir debts associated withinterest-free governmentloans due to mature by theend of 2009,” Chinese PremierWen Jiabao said.

He said relations betweenChina and Africa are “trans-parent” and “never attachedto any political strings.”

China pledged to furtheropen its market to Africanproducts and phase in zero-tariff treatment to 95 percentof the products from the leastdeveloped African countriesstarting with 60 percent of theproducts within 2010.

This development is expect-ed to boost China-Africa tradeover the next few years.

Last year, China-Africatrade exceeded the US$100 bil-lion target set for 2010. At leastUS$56 billion of the total vol-

ume accounted for importsfrom Africa, up by 54 percentover the previous year.

By mid 2009, more than1,600 Chinese enterprises hadalso started business in Africawith a direct investment stockof US$7.8 billion.

China made a commitmentto build 100 clean energypower stations in Africa toincrease the uptake of solarpower, bio-gas and smallhydro-power, and constructabout 2,200 km of road and3,300 km of railway.

Chinese companies arealready involved in variousinfrastructure developmentsin Africa.

With regard to climatechange, FOCAC pledged toestablish a China-Africa part-nership in addressing climatechange.

“We will hold senior offi-cials' consultations withAfrican countries from timeto time, and enhance coopera-tion on satellite weather mon-itoring, development and uti-lization of new energysources, prevention and con-trol of desertification andurban environmental protec-tion,” the Sharm el-SheikhAction Plan said.

Global warming as aresult of climate change hascaused various effects on theenvironment with averagetemperatures in the SADCregion, for example, having

S O U T H - S O U T H C O O P E R A T I O N

risen by 0.5 degrees Celsiusover the last century, and the1990s deemed the warmestand driest ever, according tothe recent Southern AfricaEnvironment Outlookrecently released by SADCand SARDC.

On agriculture, China saidit will increase the number ofagricultural technologydemonstration centres to 20.

The Asian nation will send50 agricultural technologyteams to Africa and train2,000 agricultural technologypersonnel in order to helpstrengthen Africa's ability toensure food security.

China made an undertak-ing to build 50 China-Africafriendship schools and train1,500 school principals andteachers in African countries.

By 2012, the number ofChinese government scholar-ships to Africa will increase to5,500 while training of teach-ers will be about 20,000.

China and Africa aim tolaunch a joint science andtechnology partnership,under which the two willexchange information on howto improve their ICT.

Under healthcare, “we willdeepen cooperation in med-ical care and health. We willprovide medical equipmentsand anti-malaria materialsworth 500 million yuan to the30 hospitals and 30 malariaprevention and treatment

centres built by China andtrain 3,000 doctors and nursesfor Africa.”

The Chinese Premier saidthe new measures will deepenrelations between China andAfrica, and consolidate gainsmade over the past years.

“Whatever change maytake place in the world, ourpolicy of supporting Africa'seconomic and social develop-ment will not change,” Wensaid.

A number of African Headsof State including PresidentsRobert Mugabe of Zimbabweand Paul Kagame of Rwandaattended the fourth ministerialmeeting of FOCAC.

Mugabe attended the sum-mit in his capacity as COME-SA chairperson whileKagame is chair of the EastAfrican Community.

FOCAC also reviewed theimplementation of variousagreements signed since 2006and expressed satisfactionthat most projects have beenimplemented on time while afew others will “be completeby year end.”

At the last FOCAC Summitin 2006, China and Africaadopted a number of resolu-tions to promote cooperationbetween the two continents.

The fifth ministerial con-ference of the FOCAC will beheld in China in 2012, accord-ing to the action plan.sardc.net r

China and Africa strengthen cooperation under FOCAC

President Mohammed Hosni Mubarak of Egypt and Prime Minister Wen Jiabao of China at the 4th Forum on China– AfricaCooperation which was attended by a number of African Heads of State in Egypt.

SOUTHERN AFRICA Today 7

Zimbabwe to craft infrastructure master plan

DRC refurbishes its railway system

SUB-SAHARAN AFRICAneeds to double its infrastruc-ture spending to US$93 bil-lion a year, 15 percent ofregional output, to drag itsroad, water and power net-works into the 21st century, aWorld Bank report says.

The research compiledby the InfrastructureConsortium for Africa (ICA)identified the continent'sinadequate electricity grids asits most pressing challenge,with 30 countries facing regu-lar blackouts and high premi-ums for emergency power.

Despite the gulf between itstarget figure and the US$45 bil-lion spent now, the report saidgovernments could narrow thefunding gap to US$31 billion

by making US$17 billion in rel-atively simple efficiency gains,such as making more electrici-ty users pay their bills.

The report said that infra-structure improvements todate, mainly in telecoms, hadaccounted for more than halfof the meagre growth rates ofrecent years on the continent. Frequent blackouts and poorroads still cause headaches andunnecessary costs for businessand trade.

If all sub-Saharan Africa's48 countries caught up withMauritius, the Indian OceanIsland that leads the region ininfrastructure terms, overallgrowth would rise by 2.2 per-centage points, it added.

“In most African countries,particularly the lower-incomecountries, infrastructureemerges as a major constrainton doing business, depressingfirm productivity by about 40percent.”

In the power sector, sub-Saharan Africa needs to build7,000 megawatts of capacity ayear to meet the demand ofthe region's 800 million peo-ple, who currently haveaccess to the same amount ofpower as Spain, with a popu-lation of just 45 million.

In other comparisonshighlighting the extent of theproblems, the report said theregion had less than a quar-ter of the paved roads foundin other parts of the develop-ing world – but three-quar-

ZIMBABWE IS working on anational infrastructure masterplan to cover current needs,medium-term solutions andlong-term vision.

The infrastructure cluster,an interministerial coalition,recently met in Harare anddissected cross-cutting issuespertaining to infrastructuremaintenance, rehabilitationand development.

Deputy Prime MinisterArthur Mutambara is leadingthe process of crafting thecountry's new infrastructuremaster plan.

“To drive our industrialgrowth and ensure capacityutilization rises and interna-tional money inflows andrises in disposable incomes,we need to solve challengesaround infrastructure,”Mutambara said.

The infrastructure masterplan will mainly focus onenergy, telecommunications,transport systems, informa-tion communication technolo-gy and water systems amongother areas.

As the government grap-ples with current Western-ledeconomic sanctions, theMinistry of Finance has not

had enough funds to allocatefor infrastructure develop-ment in the 2010 NationalBudget.

Ministry of Finance ActingDirector (Budgets), FidelisNgorora said the bulk offunding in the 2010 budgetwill be earmarked for therehabilitation and mainte-nance of the country's exist-ing infrastructure.

“This would encompassinfrastructure such as roads,energy projects, Hwange andKariba as well as our watersystems. We want to channelresources to the key enablerssuch as energy, water andtransport, but we will also lookat health and safety issues,cholera mitigation as well assanitation issues,” he said.

Zimbabwe's infrastructuremaster plan would also pro-pose the approach to be takenin dealing with infrastructureand viability problems atstate enterprises as well as theparastatals.

The Zimbabwe govern-ment has over the years failedto complete several infra-structure projects across thecountry owing to financiallimitations. The Herald r

THE DEMOCRATIC Republicof the Congo has signed anagreement with Belgium torefurbish the Kinshasa urbanrailway system.

The aim of the project is toimprove mobility across thecapital and in the outlyingdistricts.

The total cost of the work isestimated at $US10.4 millionand will be spread over fouryears.

This amount includeslogistics support, the acquisi-tion of new carriages andlocomotive, and the refur-bishment of buildings.

Congolese Minister ofTransport and Means ofCommunication, Matthieu Pitasaid, “The present urban rail-way is the embryo of a high-capacity mass transit system oftomorrow, and it is around thisaxis that bus transport serviceswill also be organized.” r

I N F R A S T R U C T U R E

Africa needs US$93 billion for infrastructure

Sub-Saharan Africa to boost its road network.

ters the number of mobilephones.

“Whether for power,water, road freight, mobiletelephones, or Internet servic-es, the tariffs paid in Africaare several multiples of thosepaid in other parts of thedeveloping world.”

For instance, moving atonne of goods one kilometrein Africa costs between fourand 14 cents, compared tobetween one and four cents inother developing regions.

African taxpayers arefunding two-thirds of the cur-rent spending, with the restcoming from outside sources,such as private investors oroverseas aid. Private invest-ment is highest in technologyand telecoms, the report said.New Era r

8 SOUTHERN AFRICA Today

by Egline Tauya

RECENT GEOLOGICAL sur-veys have provided evidencethat Malawi, Mozambique andTanzania have huge potentialfor geothermal energy, whichcould reduce heavy reliance onhydropower and fossil fuel inthose countries and the region.

According to an assess-ment by the United NationsEnvironment Programme(UNEP) and the GlobalEnvironment Facility, there is4,000MW of electricity readyfor harvesting along the RiftValley.

Like other renewableenergy sources such as solar,wind and hydro, geothermaloffers significant potential interms of climate change mit-igation.

“Geothermal is 100 percentindigenous, environmentallyfriendly, and a technologythat has been under-utilizedfor too long.

“It is time to take thistechnology off the backburner in order to powerlivelihoods, fuel develop-ment and reduce depend-ence on polluting and unpre-dictable fossil fuels,” saysthe UNEP ExecutiveDirector, Achim Steiner

Only Kenya has begun tap-ping this renewable resourcein the Rift Valley, with a goalof generating 1200 MW by2015.

Based on preliminaryexploration, current estimatesindicate a geothermal poten-tial of 650MW in the UnitedRepublic of Tanzania.

The government ofTanzania is interested in theuse of small-scale geothermal

plants for rural electricitymini-grid systems, althoughthis has not yet started.

The geothermal field in thevicinity of Lake Natron inTanzania would allow base-load power to be fed into themain grid system of theTanzania Electricity SupplyCompany.

In Malawi, 21 major hotsprings are reported in theChitipa-Karonga area downto Chipudze in the southernregion. Almost all the knowngeothermal energy sources ofthe country are of the convec-tive type.

For Mozambique, the mostpromising areas for geother-mal energy development arein the northern and centralprovinces.

The local availability ofgeothermal fluids confirmsthe possibility of small-scalepower generation, and war-rants more detailed studiesand eventual exploratorydrilling.

At least 38 thermal springshave been identified inMozambique mostly withinthe Rift Valley just north ofMetangula where vigorously

boiling water is reported onthe edge of Lake Niassa.

There are several springslower in temperature (below60 degrees Celsius) foundalong and to the west of majorfaults in the Espungabera-Manica areas, near the borderwith Zimbabwe.

South Africa is also relative-ly well-endowed with eighty-seven thermal springs docu-mented to day of temperaturesranging from 25 degreesCelsius to 67.5 degrees Celsius.

Of the 87 thermal springs,29 have been developed fordirect use, mainly as familyleisure and recreationalresorts, using the water forhealth or spa purposes.

Since coal is abundant andrelatively cheap, coal-burningpower stations are the majorsuppliers of South Africa'senergy requirements. Untilrecently, very little attentionwas devoted to research onrenewable energy resourcessuch as geothermal.

A recently launchedresearch project in SouthAfrica is aimed at investigat-ing the feasibility of generat-ing power using a thermal

spring binary system as wellas from hot granites.

In Madagascar, eight siteshave been identified. France isfinancing a prototype (micro-geothermal) pre-feasibilitystudy for a 50 –100 KW facilityusing a low-temperature geot-hermal resource to supplyelectrical energy to isolatedvillages.

Zambia has several sitesplanned for construction butthe projects have stalled due tolack of funds.

The Botswana governmenthas called for companies to ten-der for the provision of consul-tancy services to conduct a pre-feasibility study for the con-struction of a solar geothermalpower plant in the country.

With so much energy avail-able and Africa's populationsin dire need, UNEP is ready tosupport drilling.

The African Rift ValleyGeothermal DevelopmentFacility backed by the UNEPand the World Bank, will sup-port drilling in the Rift Valleycountries starting as early as2010.

According to MoniqueBarbut, Chairperson and ChiefExecutive Officer of the GlobalEnvironment Facility, “Thework in the Rift Valley isdemonstrating that geothermalis not only technologicallyviable but cost effective forcountries in Africa where thereis an overall potential of at least7000 MW.”

The World GeothermalCongress to be held in Bali,Indonesia in April 2010 will pro-vide an opportunity for south-ern Africa to gain confidenceinto tapping this clean andrenewable energy source. r

Southern Africa has potential for Geothermal “clea

E N E R G Y

Untapped Geothermal potential offers an alternative energy source as southern Africa moves towards the use ofclean energy. As the energy sector is a major source of greenhouse gas emissions that cause global warming, renew-able sources such as geothermal are considered a solution to substitute carbon-intensive energy. The CleanDevelopment Mechanism (CDM) established under the guiding principles of the Kyoto Protocol of the UNConvention on Climate Change encourages the funding of geothermal projects.

Geothermal energy such as that derived from hotsprings is an alternative sourceof energy for southern Africa as it moves towards the use of clean energy.

erate significant amounts ofelectricity.

Eskom, the national powerutility, believes that the windrevolution in the country hasthe capacity to generate 10times the official wind energyestimates.

South Africa has two majorwind projects at Klipheuweland Darling, both in theWestern Cape.

Klipheuwel, the first windpower plant in Sub-SaharanAfrica, has the capacity todeliver enough power for2,500 households while theDarling plant, which is thecountry's first commercialwind farm with four windturbines, has potential to pro-duce about 5.2 MW of elec-tricity.

In the north ofMadagascar, a massive windfarm is due for construction in2010 as the country aims tostabilize its local energy sup-ply.

The island nation dependson petroleum for energy, a sit-uation that leads to excessiveair pollution.

Hence the country plans tobuild its first wind farm inRamena near Antisarana thatwill be connected to thenational grid.

The wind farm project isregarded as a first step in alarger programme that willsee the entire island draw itsenergy from the wind andreduce carbon emissions.

Namibia has announcedplans to build a wind farm at

SOUTHERN AFRICA Today 9

E N E R G Y

EC announces funding for energy projects

SADC MEMBER States areslowly turning to wind powerto boost production and meetthe ever-growing demand forelectricity in the region, as theneed for cleaner and alterna-tive energy sources gainsmomentum.

Among the countries lead-ing the search on how to har-ness the huge wind potentialthat lies untapped in theregion are Madagascar,Mozambique, Namibia, SouthAfrica and Tanzania.

Wind energy, whichinvolves using air to turnturbines and generate elec-tricity, is regarded as one ofthe most reliable and cleanforms of power that does notpollute the environmentcompared to other formssuch as coal.

Wind farms are also rela-tively easier to construct as ittakes only a year to build onewith a capacity of 100megawatts (MW).

Because of this, SADCMember States are scaling uptheir efforts to exploit thisalternative source of energythat has emerged as one of themost lucrative sources of“carbon financing” under theClean DevelopmentMechanism.

South Africa plans to com-mission at least 400 MW ofwind power by independentpower producers within thenext three years.

Most of the plants will belocated along the West Coastthat has the potential to gen-

Walvis Bay to generate 300MW of electricity.

The wind farm, to be estab-lished in phases and expectedto be operational by 2011, willbe Namibia's second plant.

The first plant, still undernegotiation, is to be located inLüderitz, according toNamPower.

In Mozambique, EnergyMinister SalvadorNamburete has revealed ajoint wind project with Italianinvestors to implement awind farm in Matutuíne dis-trict. The farm has the capaci-ty to produce more than 20MW of power.

Tanzania plans to build a50 MW wind farm in the cen-tral region of the country. Theproject, which is due to beoperational in 2015, is beingadvanced to 2010 to ensureadequate power.

While wind power projectsare not being implemented ona large scale in other SADCcountries, efforts are under-way to explore ways to har-ness wind energy.

In Angola, Botswana andZimbabwe, wind energy isbeing utilized for pumpingwater for livestock as well asdomestic supply in ruralareas. sardc.net r

an” energy

THE EUROPEAN Commission has announced a loan of 100million euros for Africa, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countriesto carry out projects in the energy sector, as part of the SecondEnergy Facility Programme.

The invitation for proposals was made at an energy seminarfor stakeholders in Maputo, Mozambique in November.

In 2005, the European Commission (EU) launched the EnergyFacility Programme, an initiative aimed at providing assistance toACP countries in preparing and carrying out energy projects aspart of the 10th European Development Fund.

As a result of that project, the EC ranked Mozambique as thecountry with the greatest success in the first phase, having sub-mitted nine projects of which seven were approved.

Following the First Energy Facility programme,Mozambique put forward projects worth 24.5 million euros,which are currently at different stages of execution,Mozambique's Energy Minister Salvador Namburete said atthe seminar.

In the previous stage, the EC funded projects in the areas ofrural electrification, new and renewable energies, constructionand maintenance of small dams, mini hydroelectric facilities,institutional support, technical assistance to the EnergyMinistry, the Energy Fund and state electricity company EDM.Macauhub r

Southern Africa turns to wind for alternative energy

T O W A R D S 2 0 1 0

Southern Africa ready for Angola 2010

Botswana courts teams to the World Cup

by Patson Phiri

FOUR SOUTHERN Africancountries will raise theregional profile at the 2010Africa Cup of Nations finalsset for January 2010 – Angola,Malawi, Mozambique andZambia.

Angola qualified for thefinals as the host nation whilethe other three SADC coun-tries booked their placesthrough the qualifying rounds.

A total of 16 African coun-tries will take part in the bien-nial tournament, which willbe staged exactly five monthsbefore the 2010 Soccer WorldCup finals in South Africa.

Only South Africa as thehost will represent the SADCregion at the World Cup tour-nament after other countriesfrom the region failed to qual-ify for the global event.

The Malawi team, com-monly known as the“Flames”, won their place forAngola on the last day ofqualification despite losingaway to Burkina Faso.

Their passage to the AfricaCup of Nations was sealedwhen the only other side,Guinea, who had a real chanceof snatching the last spot toAngola, was beaten 3-0 by animpressive Ivorian team.

The result meant thatMalawi finished in third posi-tion with four points. The topthree teams from the fivegroups qualified for Angola2010.

Malawi's qualification wasgreeted with joy in Blantyreand other cities as it is only

the second time the countryhas qualified for the Africantournament since its inaugu-ration in 1956.

Malawi qualified togetherwith Burkina Faso and IvoryCoast in a group where the lat-ter also qualified for the WorldCup finals in South Africa.

Mozambique's “BlackMambas” sealed their place atthe African finals with a winover Tunisia in front of acapacity crowd in Maputo.

Dario Monkeiro's second-half goal securedMozambique's first appear-ance at the Africa Cup ofNations since 1986.

Mozambique togetherwith Nigeria and Tunisiaqualified for the Africanfinals. From this group,Nigeria won the sole ticket tothe World Cup finals.

The last southern Africanteam to qualify for Angola isZambia. Zambia secured itsplace on the last day after adraw with Rwanda.

Unlike most southernAfrican countries, Zambia hastaken part in most Africa Cupof Nations finals.

Zambia has been to thefinals for a record of 14 times.Egypt and Algeria joinZambia from their group ingoing to the Africa Cup ofNations, with Algeria repre-senting the continent at theWorld Cup finals in a fewmonths time.

The draw for the AfricaCup of Nations was held on21 November in Luanda, pit-ting Angola against Mali,Algeria and Malawi.

Mozambique is in thesame group as Benin, Egyptand Nigeria. Zambia has beendrawn to face Cameroon,Gabon and Tunisia.

The top two teams in eachof the four groups will qualifyfor the second stage.

Zambian coach HerveRenard expressed optimism

BOTSWANA HAS set asideabout 1 million pula to attractteams that have qualified forthe 2010 Soccer World Cupfinals in South Africa and 2010Africa Cup of Nations inAngola to camp in the country.

Environment, Wildlife andTourism Minister KitsoMokaila told Parliament thathis ministry is working close-ly with the Youth, Sports andCulture Ministry to imple-ment the programme.

He said the governmenthas already started refurbish-ing facilities such as stadiumsand airports to attract visitors.

Mokaila added that thesedevelopments are meant tocomplement the objective ofbringing the teams, moretourists and business oppor-tunities.

He said football eventswere mainly urban-based andtherefore rural areas couldonly benefit by extension.

A total of 32 countries fromall the five continents willtake part in the World Cupfinals in South Africa, the firstto be played on African soil.

More than 90,000 soccerfans and officials, mainlyfrom qualifying countries, areexpected to come to SouthAfrica for the finals, accord-ing to the world football gov-erning body, FIFA.

This is in addition to asmany as 400,000 tourists fromall over the world who areexpected to visit Africa dur-ing the tournament.

For Angola 2010, 16 Africanteams will take part in thebiennial tournament. BOPAr

that his team will do well atthe tournament.

“We are not afraid of meet-ing any of the big teams at theAfrica cup. We will take themjust like any other team,”Renard told SANF in an inter-view.

The Africa Cup of Nationshas remained an influentialtournament since its inaugura-tion in 1956 when a meetingheld in Lisbon between sevendelegates resulted in the for-mation of the Confederation ofAfrican Football.

The initial tournamenttook place the following yearin Khartoum, Sudan and hassince then grown into one ofAfrica's leading sportingevents.

South Africa is the onlysouthern African country tohave won the African Cupof Nations, when it hostedthe finals in 1994. Angola isthe second SADC country tohost the finals. r

10 SOUTHERN AFRICA Today

In action is Tico Tico of Mozambique and at the right is Flavio of Angola, some topplayers from southern Africa due to play at the Africa Cup of Nations tournament.

SOUTHERN AFRICA Today 11

I N V E S T M E N T

SADC 2010 Investment Promotion:“One Team – 15 Nations”A SADC 2010 investmentpromotion programme hasbeen launched against thebackdrop of the Africa Cup ofNations soccer finals set forAngola in January and theSoccer World Cup finals inSouth Africa in June – July.

The programme provides aframework to guide, informand coordinate the activitiesof the region as a whole to“ensure all 15 Member Statesbenefit from the internationalexposure that these twoevents offer in terms of for-eign direct investment.”

The project seeks to ensurethat all SADC countries playan active role in preparationsfor the two events, particular-ly the World Cup that is beingstaged for the first time inAfrica.

SADC 2010 runs under thetheme “One Team – 15Nations”, and is being imple-mented by the SADCSecretariat through a steeringcommittee, expert resourcesand an advisory group.

The investment promotionprogramme is the culmina-tion of more than four yearsof consultations and ispremised on three main the-matic clusters – investment inregional infrastructure, tradeand tourism.

South Africa and theInternational FootballAssociation (FIFA) have pub-licly acknowledged that thesuccess of the World Cup

finals will depend largely onhow prepared the wholeSADC region is.

As many as 500,000 touristsfrom all over the world andmore than 90,000 soccer fansand officials mainly from qual-ifying countries will visitSouth Africa for the month-long event, according to FIFA.Millions more will watch theevent on television.

To prepare for such a hugeinflux as well as a large num-ber of investors who usuallyuse such major events to scoutfor investment opportunities,SADC has taken a proactivestance to tap into the lucrativebusiness prospects offered bythe two events.

“The SADC 2010 pro-gramme is to run fromSeptember 2009 to December2011. By the end of its imple-mentation the programme isexpected to have succeeded inraising the visibility of SADC,the organization, both region-ally and internationally, aswell as to have attractedmeasurable sustainableinvestment into the region,contributing to the economicwell-being of its people,” theSADC 2010 plan says.

To ensure that the objectiveof the programme as definedin the three main thematicclusters is achieved, SADC willmake sure that the transportcorridors known as SpatialDevelopment Initiatives (SDIs)are developed and that the

Southern African Power Pool(SAPP) is well resourced toadequately supply power toSouth Africa and the rest of theregion before, during and afterthe games.

Telecommunications willbe improved while the devel-opment of Trans FrontierConservation Areas will beencouraged among MemberStates.

“The SADC 2010 pro-gramme will also promote thebenefits of the Free TradeArea, Finance and InvestmentProtocol, and the UNIVISA.”

“By promoting these pro-grammes and their benefits,the campaign hopes to attractsustainable investment intothe region, both prior andduring the games and lastingwell beyond 2010.”

SADC said it has decidedto jointly coordinate andimplement the 2010 planbecause if it was left toMember States to drive thecampaign “there is the likelydrawback of certain MemberStates not selling themselvesas successfully as others”.

“Promotion at solelyMember States level also runsthe risk of overshadowing thevery purpose of SADC and itsreason for being.”

A combined population ofmore than 250 million and an

estimated Gross DomesticProduct (GDP) of US$471 bil-lion make the SADC region avaluable investment destina-tion.

SADC is working with var-ious stakeholders such astourism boards, the mediaand sports organizations toensure that there is a sense ofownership within the pro-gramme.

Some of the activities linedup ahead of the two majorsporting events include amusic festival and the publica-tion of an investment newslet-ter for the SADC region.

South Africa won the rightto host the 2010 Soccer WorldCup final in May 2004. TheWorld Cup final is the secondmost prestigious and lucra-tive sporting event in theworld, surpassed only by themultiple events of theOlympic Games.

The tournament has enor-mous socio-economic impactson both the host nation andsurrounding countries.

Angola is hosting theAfrica Cup of Nations for thefirst time. South Africa is theonly other SADC country thathas staged the tournament, in1994 when it won the cup,again becoming the firstsouthern African country toachieve such a feat. r

SADC goes with the theme “One Team –15 Nations” towards an investmentpromotion programme in southern Africa.

The vuvuzela will be a prominent feature at the South Africa 2010 world cup.

12 SOUTHERN AFRICA Today

G E N D E R

Region takes concrete steps to combat trafficking ofpersons ahead of 2010by Patience Zirima

SOUTHERN AFRICAN coun-tries have stepped up efforts tocombat trafficking of personsahead of the FIFA 2010 WorldCup to be held in South Africa.

The World Cup bringswith it expectations ofincreased economic activity inSouth Africa and the region,but also fears that women andgirls will be more vulnerableto sexual exploitation.

Due to the expectedincrease in cases of traffickingof women and children fromthe region into South Africa,SADC has come up with vari-ous regional and nationalmeasures to fight trafficking.

In May 2009, SADCMember States reviewed andadopted the Ten Year StrategicPlan of Action on CombatingTrafficking in Persons, espe-cially women and children inthe SADC region.

At a regional level, thisforms the basis for action byMember States as the planlays out methods and areas ofcooperation to combat allareas of human trafficking.

The plan is based on keyissues as outlined in the UNProtocol to Prevent, Suppressand Punish Trafficking inPersons, Especially Womenand Children; a protocol to theUN Convention AgainstTransnational Organized

Crime; the OuagadouguAction Plan to CombatTrafficking in Human Beings,especially Women andChildren of the African Union;and the SADC Protocol onGender and Development.

The UN protocol came intoforce in December 2003 andbecame the first global instru-ment with an agreed defini-tion on trafficking in persons.

It defines trafficking as the“recruitment, transportation,transfer, harbouring or receiptof people through the threat oruse of force or other form ofcoercion, through abduction,fraud, deception or the abuseof power, or through usingpayments or other benefits toinduce vulnerable people toconsent to being trafficked forthe purpose of exploitation”.

The Protocol seeks to closegaps in existing internationaland national legislation andoffer greater protection totrafficking victims.

Of note too is that theProtocol intends to assist vic-tims “with full respect of theirhuman rights” and to pro-mote international coopera-tion against trafficking.

The Protocol urges signato-ry governments to adopt com-prehensive anti-trafficking leg-islation, to provide aid, coun-seling and repatriation assis-tance to victims, to step up

South Africa, the anticipat-ed destination country fortrafficked persons does nothave comprehensive legisla-tion against traffickingalthough this is coveredunder other laws and thecountry is however, in theprocess of drafting legislationnow.

O n l y M a d a g a s c a r,Mauritius, Mozambique,Tanzania and Zambia haveanti-human trafficking legis-lation. Since only a few coun-tries in the region have anti-trafficking legislation, alarmshave been raised at theregion's preparedness torespond to trafficking.

In Swaziland, the govern-ment established the Inter-Agency Task Force on PeopleTrafficking and PeopleSmuggling which is workingon establishing interim meas-ures for the reporting, investi-gation and prosecution oftrafficking as well as appro-priate support for victims oftrafficking.

The task force has alsoembarked on awareness-rais-ing and education campaignson human trafficking and theanticipated legislation.

Various campaigns havebeen launched against humantrafficking 2010 including theRed Light 2010 Campaign, agroup of organizations work-ing together to combathuman trafficking, exploita-tion and abuse of women andchildren in southern Africa.

The regional campaigncommittee is led by Womenand Law in Southern Africa(WLSA) and regional part-ners.

The campaign seeks torespond to the negativeimpact that the FIFA 2010World Cup may have on vul-nerable women and childrenin southern Africa. r

THE FIRST woman to occu-py the post of Speaker of theNational Assembly inBotswana, Margaret Nasha, isa veteran politician who hasfought for gender equalityand women empowerment.

Under her leadership atthe Caucus for Women inPolitics, the governmentpassed the Marital andChildren's Bills which elevat-

ed the rights of marriedwomen and children.

Dr Nasha has served in var-ious diplomatic positionsincluding High Commissionerto the United Kingdom,Chairperson of the SADCgroup of Ambassadors andHigh Commissioners, andmember of the CommonwealthExecutive Committee of HighCommissioners.

In 1994, she was appointedas a Specially Elected Memberof Parliament and wasMinister for PresidentialAffairs and PublicAdministration in the previousgovernment.

In the cabinet, she has helda range of portfolios includingminerals, energy and waterresources, local government,and lands and housing. r

training programmes for lawenforcement and immigrationofficers and to improve infor-mation exchange and cross-border cooperation to preventtrafficking.

At the regional level, theSADC Action Plan calls onMember States to:l Ratify and implement the

various UN, AU andSADC protocols that dealwith trafficking in persons;

l Offer training for skillsenhancement and capacitybuilding to law enforce-ment officials, customsand immigration officials,social workers, the judici-ary civil society and theprivate sector to deal withtrafficking

l Develop and disseminateregional public aware-ness materials on traffick-ing in persons;

l Strengthen mechanismsto support victims andprotect witnesses andwhistleblowers;

l Develop the regionalManagement InformationSystems (MIS) to estab-lish levels, trends andpatterns of trafficking inpersons in the region; and

l Monitor implementationof the Plan of Action atregional and countrylevels.

First woman speaker for Botswana Parliament

SOUTHERN AFRICA Today 13

E L E C T I O N S

SADC elections impress observers SADC AND the African Uniondescribed the recent electionsin southern Africa as being inconformity with regional stan-dards and principles.

Botswana, Malawi,Mozambique, Namibia andSouth Africa went to the pollsin 2009. South Africa held itselections in April while Malawiconducted its polls in May.

Botswana and Mozambiqueheld elections in October, andNamibia in November.

The African NationalCongress (ANC) led by JacobZuma won South Africa'sfourth democratic electionsince the end of the apartheidregime in 1994.

SADC said in its prelimi-nary statement that the pollswere conducted in compli-ance with guidelines adoptedby SADC Member States.

“It is our considered judg-ment that the election processwas conducted in a free, fair,transparent and crediblemanner,” the statement said.

The AU concurred, sayingit was also impressed by theenthusiasm displayed bySouth African voters as wellas the peaceful manner inwhich the elections were held.

“The AU observer missionwas impressed by the skilfuland efficient organization ofthe elections by theIndependent ElectoralCommission of South Africa.”

In Malawi's general elec-tions President Bingu waMutharika of the DemocraticProgressive Party (DPP) wonthe poll with more than two-thirds majority.

SADC said the polls werepeaceful, transparent andcredible despite some con-cerns raised.

“SADC was impressed bythe patience of voters whowere able to express theirfranchise peacefully, freelyand unhindered.”

The AU paid tribute to theway the people of Malawiconducted their elections.

“The smooth conduct of theelections and the vibrancy ofthe electorate gave honour notonly to the people of Malawibut Africa as a whole.”

With regard to Botswana,SADC said, “We are happywith the elections and havenot received any complaintsof intimidation from any ofthe political parties.”

The AU also commendedthe election in which the rul-ing Botswana DemocraticParty (BDP) led by PresidentSeretse Khama Ian Khamawas re-elected for the nextfive years.

In Mozambique's presi-dential and parliamentaryelection, President ArmandoGuebuza and his Frelimoparty won with over 75 per-cent of the votes cast.

Despite concerns raised bythe opposition, electionobservers said the electionswere held in conformity withregional standards and prin-ciples, and the results wereconfirmed by theConstitutional Court.

“The pre-election phasewas characterized by a peace-ful, tolerant, and yet enthusi-astic political atmosphere.There was clear evidence ofvigour and enthusiasmamong political parties asthey conducted their cam-paigns,” SADC said.

The AU added that freeand fair elections will pro-mote peace and stability inthe region.

In Namibia, both SADCand the AU also praised theelections saying “no acts ofintimidation or violence wereobserved or reported duringthe elections.”

“Generally, the electionwas characterized by a peace-ful, tolerant and yet enthusi-

astic political atmosphere,”said the SADC statement.

President HifikepunyePohamba and the ruling SouthWest Africa People'sOrganization won the electionswith a two-thirds majority.

At least two southernAfrican countries will go tothe polls in 2010. Most

certain are the UnitedRepublic of Tanzania andMauritius.

Angola, Lesotho and theDemocratic Republic ofCongo are also expected tohold elections next year.Angola was expected to holdpresidential polls in 2009 butrescheduled to 2010. r

THE SADC Organ onPolitics, Defence and SecurityCooperation has expressedsatisfaction at the way theregion is addressing the polit-ical situation in Lesotho,Madagascar and Zimbabwe.

In a communiqué releasedfollowing the recent SADCTroika summit inMozambique, southernAfrican leaders said theregion is committed to find-ing a lasting solution to thepolitical and security chal-lenges in Lesotho andMadagascar, as well as imple-mentation of the GlobalPolitical Agreement inZimbabwe.

“Summit noted withappreciation the progressmade by the Joint MediationTeam on Madagascar led bySADC Facilitator JoaquimChissano, former President ofthe Republic of Mozambiquein promoting dialogue amongthe four political leaders inorder to restore the constitu-tional normalcy inMadagascar,” the Troika saidin a statement.

The political turmoil inMadagascar emerged againearlier this year after opposi-tion leader Andry Rajoelinaseized power from PresidentMarc Ravalomanana in a pub-lic demonstration backed bythe military.

On the situation inLesotho, the Troika said muchprogress has been made inpromoting dialogue amongall stakeholders.

“Summit noted withappreciation the role of theChristian Council of Lesothoin facilitating dialogue amongthe Basotho political stake-holders.”

With regard to the situa-tion in Zimbabwe, the Troikasaid the inclusive governmenthas achieved a lot since itsformation in February, addingthat no amount of disruptionshould reverse the gains.

“Summit further noted theInclusive Government'sachievements made in thepolitical, social and economicfronts during the nine monthssince its inception inFebruary,” the Troika said. r

Organ satisfied with progress onregion's political challenges

People casting their votes at different elections held in southern Africa.

14 SOUTHERN AFRICA Today

Statistics for developmentLACK OF statistical develop-ment is hampering humandevelopment in southernAfrica and awareness of theuse of statistics is essential totrack progress and strengthendecision-making.

The need to build capacityin the development and useof statistics in southernAfrica, and the rest of Africa,was one of the conclusions ofa recent international statis-tics meeting, the Partnershipin Statistics for Developmentin the 21st Century(PARIS21).

The meeting held in Dakar,Senegal underscored capaci-ty-building in human andfinancial resources, statisticaltools, and new and relevanttechnology as crucial toobtaining access to timely,accurate and relevant statis-tics.

Development partnerswere encouraged to supportcapacity in developing coun-tries to allow the generationof nationally appropriate andaccurate statistics as opposedto estimates.

Underscoring accuracyand relevance, SenegalesePresident Abdoulaye Wadedrew the attention of devel-opment partners to theimproper use of computer-generated data and interna-tional rankings that do notreflect the reality in develop-ing countries, leading to ques-tionable results.

In his opening remarks,Wade said statistics only havevalue if they are used, that is,if they are provided to theuser in time to make deci-sions.

He also rejected the defini-tion of poverty based onincome of US$1 per day as nota representative of the realityin which daily work outsidethe formal economy is notproperly valued.

An alternative definition ofpoverty proposed to develop-ment partners includes: lackof access to safe drinkingwater, food, decent shelter,basic healthcare, primaryeducation and a healthy envi-ronment.

In response to why invest-ing in advocacy is importantfor statistical development insouthern Africa, the MalawiCommissioner of Statistics,Charles Machinjili said thiswould help to get statisticsused and by improvingawareness and use of statis-tics, a culture of evidence-based decision-makingwould be strengthened.

The huge communicationgap between producers andusers of statistics was noted,and statisticians were encour-aged to go beyond the pro-duction of statistics tostrengthen linkages with poli-cy makers, researchers, mediaand the private sector.

The role of statistics is notonly to provide public databut to produce public knowl-edge, meaning the focusshould not all be on produc-ing the figures but on trans-forming the figures intoknowledge understood byvarious sectors of society.

Thus, the importance oforganizations that can play anintermediate role betweenproducers and users wasunderscored.

A key output of the meet-ing was the DakarDeclaration on theDevelopment of Statistics, inwhich participants agreed onthe need to focus attention onimplementation of strategicplans with sustainable fund-ing and technical capacityfrom development partnersby 2014.

The conference sought toconsider the state of statisticaldevelopment in various coun-

food security, and financialcrisis, issues that are notincluded in current nationalstatistics.

These statistics couldinclude data on indicatorssuch as changes in ocean tem-perature, rise in sea level,impacts on biodiversity, andmigration resulting from nat-ural disasters.

Since the impact of thesechanges cross nationalboundaries, statisticians wereencouraged to share data sothat the problems can beanalysed at the most appro-priate level of geography –affording a regional analysis.

Participants agreed thatnational systems of data col-lection should be the founda-tion of the international statis-tical system, and statisticalstrategies should be devel-oped at regional level to coor-dinate and harmonize thenational statistical develop-ment strategies. sardc.net r

S T A T I S T I C S

tries and regions, to identifychallenges, determine whatneeds to be done, and agreeon steps and responsibilitiesof various partners, and wasattended by statisticians, poli-cymakers, research institu-tions, civil society and coop-erating partners from devel-oped and developing coun-tries including all memberstates of SADC.

It was organized by a con-sortium involving theOrganization for EconomicCooperation andDevelopment (OECD), WorldBank, United NationsStatistical Division (UNSD),European Commission andthe International MonetaryFund (IMF), in collaborationwith the government ofSenegal.

PARIS21 is an internationalpartnership of policymakers,analysts and statisticians withthe secretariat hosted byOECD in Paris, France.

The work of the secretariatis guided by a steering com-mittee, an international groupof stakeholders with repre-sentatives of developingcountries from each region ofthe world, bilateral donors,and multilateral institutions.

One of the co-chairs of thesteering committee is PaliLehohla, Statistician-General,Statistics South Africa.

The Dakar conference dis-cussed statistics relevant tothe targets of the MillenniumDevelopment Goal (MDGs)under three sub-themes –Demand for Better Statisticsand Use of Data, Strategy forStatistical Development, andPartnership for theDevelopment of Statistics.

The high demand for sta-tistics was noted for emergingissues such as climate change,

SOUTHERN AFRICA Today 15

E V E N T S

2009 / 2010 EVENTS DIARY

December 20091 World AIDS Day

On 1 December every year, SADC and the rest of the worldcommemorate World AIDS Day. The theme for this year is“Universal Access and Human Rights”.

7-18, Denmark 15th UN Climate Change Conference of the PartiesThe 15th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties(COP15) will take place in Copenhagen, Denmark.Attended by Heads of State and Government, the meetingaimed to find solutions to the impact of climate changeindicated by the rise in global average air and ocean tem-peratures, widespread melting of snow and ice, and risingsea level due to increased emissions of greenhouse gasessuch as carbon dioxide.

January 2010 7, Mozambique Meeting of the SADC Political and Diplomatic Committee

The SADC Organ on Politics, Defence and SecurityCooperation has called a meeting of the SADC Political andDiplomatic Committee to consider the agenda and makepreparations for participation in the African Union (AU)Summit and Executive Council. The meeting will discusssupport for the candidature of Malawi for the AU chair asper the decision of the SADC Summit held in DRC inSeptember 2009.

10-13, Angola Africa Cup Of NationsThe Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) is hosted in southernAfrica for the second time, when the 16 qualifying nationswill meet in Angola to determine Africa's champions. Fournational teams from the SADC region qualified forAFCON – Angola, Malawi, Mozambique and Zambia.

17-22, Ethiopia Second Meeting of the Statistics Commission for Africa STACOM-Africa II will consider progress in various areasaimed at supporting African countries to produce and usequality statistical data in support of national and regionaldevelopment..

25 Jan - 2 Feb, 14th Ordinary Session of the African Union Summit Ethiopia Heads of State and Government will gather for the 14th

Ordinary Session of the African Union, preceded by theusual technical meetings and Council of Ministersmeetings. The Summit will run under the theme“Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) inAfrica: Challenges and Prospects for Development”.

February SADC Council of Ministers SADC Council of Ministers meets twice a year to reviewprogress in implementation of various programmes onregional development, integration and trade amongMember States. This year focus will centre on the SoccerWorld Cup 2010 to be held in June – July, and the SADCCustoms Union 2010 to be implemented this year.

SADC TODAY Vol 12 No 1 December 2009

SOUTHERN AFRICA TODAYis produced as a reference source of activities and

opportunities in the Southern African Development Community, and a guide for decision-makers at all levels of

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EDITORMunetsi Madakufamba

EDITORIAL COMMITTEEKizito Sikuka, Egline Tauya, Patience Zirima,

Clever Mafuta, Phyllis Johnson, Shiela Chikulo

EDITORIAL ADVISORHead of Corporate Communications Unit, SADC

Leefa Penehupifo Martin

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8 December Immaculate Conception Day Seychelles9 December Independence and Republic Day Tanzania 10 December International Human Rights Day Namibia16 December Day of Reconciliation South Africa

Incwala Day Swaziland22 December National Unity Day Zimbabwe26 December Family Day Namibia 25 December Christmas Day SADC

Vendredi Noël MadagascarFamily Day Mozambique

26 December Family Day NamibiaDay of Goodwill South AfricaBoxing Day Botswana,

Lesotho, Swaziland, Malawi, Zimbabwe

1 January New Year's Day SADC4 January Martyrs Day Angola, DRC 12 January Zanzibar Revolution Day Tanzania 15 January John Chilembwe Day Malawi 16-17 January Lumumba Hero Day DRC 18 January Kabila Hero Day DRC 20 January Army Day Lesotho

1 February Abolition of Slavery Day Mauritius 3 February Heroes Day Mozambique 4 February National Armed Struggle Day Angola 5 February Chama Cha Mapinduzi Day Tanzania 14 February Chinese New Year Mauritius

PUBLIC HOLIDAYS IN SADCDecember 2009 -February 2010

AMONG THE first people to realise that the causes ofthe war had been removed was Josiah MagamaTongogara, who was a key figure in reaching agree-ment at Lancaster House. The ZANLA Commanderand Secretary for Defence of ZANU PF regardedLancaster House as a “second front” brought about bythe people of Zimbabwe and their liberation forces,and by the end of November hewas firm in his conviction thatthey had “scored a tremendousvictory… in the near future thepeople of Zimbabwe will beproud to have their newZimbabwe and this will neverbe reversed any more.”

A sharA shared futured future within a re within a regegional communitional communit yy

H I S T O R Y T O D A Y

THIRTY YEARS ago, on 21 December 1979, an agreement was signed in London that set inmotion a series of events that put Zimbabwe on the course to where it is today.

The signatures appended reluctantly to that agreement beneath the chandeliers of LancasterHouse ended the war in a place that some called Rhodesia and signalled a different route toindependence for a country that the majority called Zimbabwe.

The 103 days of pressure and posturing conducted by the adroit ForeignSecretary of the United Kingdom, Lord Carrington, from 10 September until21 December 1979, were notable by the avoidance of the main issue in a 90-year-old dispute.

The parties simply agreed to disagree on the core issue of land, and wenton to reach agreement on all surrounding matters, including the sensitivequestion of a ceasefire and a brief return to British rule before elections andindependence.

Land was discussed instead at strategic meetings on the sidelines, andconcluded at one such meeting convened at the residence of theCommonwealth Secretary General, Sonny Ramphal.

His deputy (and successor as Secretary General), Chief Emeka Anyaoku,said in his memoirs* that, “The two leaders of the nationalist movements(Robert Mugabe and Joshua Nkomo) strongly objected to the proposal thatthe future government of the country should commit itself to paying full com-pensation to the white farm owners on a 'willing seller/willing buyer' basis.

“For them, this amounted to mortgaging the future resources of Zimbabwe to buy back landthat had been forcibly taken away from their people in the first instance. “They argued that theland ownership structure was unacceptable to them, and that their people had taken up armsto fight the liberation war in order to regain the land.

“They certainly were not prepared to pay to recover what has been 'stolen' from them, asthe land had not been paid for when their people were forced off it.

“I took the point and reported these conversations and my impressions to Sonny Ramphal,while updating him on how far I was able to persuade them to go along with certain elementsof the proposals,” Anyaoku said.

“Sonny Ramphal then made approaches to Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and PresidentJimmy Carter of the United States, both of whom indicated that they would be willing to pro-vide assistance to independent Zimbabwe that would enable the new government to buy backland from white farmers on a 'willing seller/willing buyer' basis.

“The British and American offer was conveyed to the nationalist leaders and, on the basisof this, it became possible to move the negotiating process forward.”

Ramphal blames Thatcher for not instituting the fund. “In those first 10 years after independ-ence, all of this should have been worked out in London. But it was not,” he said, adding that,“Robert was interested in the details as well as the principle regarding land at Lancaster House.”

Carrington was clear on where British interests lay, and that the nationalist forces fightingfor independence had the upper hand. “It was exhausting Rhodesia, and in this context thatmeant it was particularly exhausting the white Rhodesians.”

Ian Smith, the erstwhile Prime Minister of Southern Rhodesia, felt the sting of Carrington'stongue when he accused the Foreign Secretary of having blood on his hands. “If there is bloodon anyone's hands, it is yours,” Carrington retorted angrily.

In his memoirs*, Carrington described the many weeks at Lancaster House as a “tempestu-ous and testing time” and said he was not optimistic at the outset. But he added that he “wasstruck by the normality and poise of both Nkomo and Mugabe after their very long periods ingaol.”...

“The agreement set out a simple sequence – simple in concept, likely to be troubled in exe-cution. There was to be a ceasefire: the guerrilla forces were to stand down, move to assemblypoints, accept disarmament.

“There was to be a reversion to the constitutional situation before the unilateral declarationof independence by Smith; and then there were to be elections in Rhodesia, based on universalsuffrage, with all parties permitted to take part and with independence and recognition of abalanced constitution granted by the British crown thereafter.”

*Emeka Anyaoku, The Inside Story of the Modern Commonwealth, Evans, 2004*Reflections on Things Past: The Memoirs of Lord Carrington, Collins, 1988D. Martin / P. Johnson, The Struggle for Zimbabwe: The Chimurenga War, Faber/ZPH, 1981

3030 years

The legacy of Lancaster House:Land in principle but not in detail