The Namibia’s Minister of Justice, Hon. Sakeus E Shanghala, who is undertaking a benchmarking visit to the Republic of Botswana at the Ministry of Defence, Justice and Security visited the Secretariat of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), in Gaborone, Botswana on 11 September 2018. The Minister was welcomed to the Secretariat by the Deputy Executive Secretary for Corporate Affairs, Ms Emilie Ayaza Mushobekwa, on behalf of the SADC Executive Secretary, Her Excellency, Dr Stergomena Lawrence Tax.
During the brief visit, the Minister received updates from Ms Mushobekwa and Ms Nthabiseng Liphapang, the SADC Secretariat Acting Senior Legal Counsel, on the Secretariat’s preparations for the next meeting of the SADC Senior Legal Officials to be hosted by the Republic of Namibia in November 2018. The meeting will be convened in line with the directive of the Committee of Ministers of Justice/ Attorneys General given at its last meeting held in Centurion, South Africa, in June 2018. The Minister was accompanied by the Namibian High Commissioner to Botswana, H.E. Mr Mbapeua Muvangua, the First Secretary at the Namibian High Commissioner in Botswana, Mr Jordan, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Justice in the Republic of Namibia, Mr Issaskar Ndjoze, and two Legal Officers from the Namibia Ministry of Justice, Ms Amber Coerecius and Ms Anél Van der Vyner.
Hon. Sakeus appreciated the preparatory work done by the Secretariat, and provided guidance. The purpose of the SADC meeting of Senior Legal Officials scheduled for November 2018 is to further deliberate on the recommendations of the Report on the Implementation of the Protocols on Extradition and on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters. The implementation of the two Protocols forms part of, among other things, issues identified in the Action Plan of the Committee of Ministers of Justice/Attorneys-General.
