Fellow SADC Citizens,
Today, 23 March 2025, we commemorate the Southern Africa Liberation Day, a day that we have set aside to honour the brave, courageous heroes and heroines of our region, who sacrificed their lives to bring about our independence, freedom, democracy and sovereignty.
As we commemorate this annual event, we deeply reflect on where we stand in the context of our historical struggle whose aim was to give us full ownership of the means of production in our economies, and consequently, to be masters of our destiny, as well as to restore our dignity.
I urge you all, as independent peoples of SADC, to remain vigilant and be alert to the emerging challenges that threaten our hard-won independence and the general stability of our region. We must, therefore, stand in solidarity against the imposition of illegal and unwarranted sanctions, the use of coercive measures and or any other actions that undermine our sovereignty and territorial integrity.
On this historic day, we also remember our brothers and sisters in the Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic, who are still denied the right to determine their own destiny. Africa will not be free, until the Western Sahara, is liberated, free and independent.
SADC remains a relatively calm and peaceful region. For this, we are proud. However, I reiterate our call for lasting peace in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The situation in Eastern DRC, undermines the aspirations bequeathed to us by our Founders fathers and outlined in the the SADC Vision 2050. The time to “silence the guns”, de-escalate tensions and hostilities, as well as engage in dialogue to secure mediated outcomes and long-lasting peace in DRC is now.
Fellow SADC Citizens,
Our region has been greatly affected by the recurring climate change induced disasters, leading to far-reaching consequences for our people, economies, and environment. The extreme weather patterns have resulted in frequent and severe droughts and floods, threatening food security and livelihoods across our region. It is our collective responsibility to take decisive action to mitigate and manage the effects of these natural disasters.
To this end, the need to enhance our early warning capabilities, build resilience, leveraging on the deployment of science, technology and innovation cannot be over-emphasised.
I wish to take this opportunity to galvanise all SADC citizens to unite for the good of the present and future generations. I appeal to every one of us, no matter where we are, to remain vigilant in safeguarding our rich liberation heritage, collective sovereignty and territorial integrity.
The modern, industrialised and integrated SADC “we all want” shall be realized through hard-honest work , focus, commitment, unity of purpose and collective determination. None but us the SADC citizens will build and transform our Region.
In conclusion, I wish the SADC family a blessed, peaceful and commemorative liberation day.
Long live our Solidarity,
Long live our Independence, Freedom and Sovereignty,
I thank you.
| Attachment | Size |
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| Southern Africa Liberation Day Statement by the SADC Chairperson 23 March 2025.pdf | 2.71 MB |
