President in SA for AU Summit

Takunda Maodza in PRETORIA, South Africa
PRESIDENT Mugabe arrived here yesterday to attend the 25th African Union Summit. Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa is the Acting President. The AU and Sadc chair landed at Waterkloof airbase in Pretoria around 5pm.

President Mugabe was accompanied by Health and Child Care Minister Dr David Parirenyatwa, Foreign Affairs Secretary Ambassador Joey Bimha and Secretary for Industry and Commerce Mrs Abgail Shonhiwa.

He was received by South African Transport Minister Siyambonga Cwele.

Foreign Affairs Minister Simbarashe Mumbengegwi, led an advance team that was part of the team that welcomed the President.

The mid-term summit is running under the theme “Year of Women Empowerment and Development towards Africa’s Agenda 2063”.

It is being held at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg.

The summit started on Sunday with a meeting of the 30th Ordinary Session of the Permanent Representatives Committee (PRC) in Pretoria.

The 27th Ordinary Session of the Executive Council met from Wednesday to yesterday at the ICC.

The 25th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government is expected to meet at the ICC from Sunday (tomorrow) to Monday.

Over 50 Heads of State and Government are expected to attend the summit. The summit comes on the heels of the historic 3rd Tripartite Summit of comesa, the East African Community and sadc held in Egypt, which saw the launch of the Tripartite Free Trade Area (TFTA). The TFTA created the largest economic bloc in Africa and set the pace for the launch of the continental FTA in 2017.