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Joseph Madzimure and Blessings Chidakwa
THE Southern African Development Community will be in safe hands under the chairmanship of President Mnangagwa, visiting Heads of State and Government have said.
The regional leaders, who are in the country for the 44th SADC Summit which opens in Mount Hampden today, yesterday paid courtesy calls on President Mnangagwa at State House in Harare.
After separately meeting President Mnangagwa, who takes over the SADC reins today, the regional leaders said they have confidence in Zimbabwe and its leader.
Lesotho Prime Minister Sam Matekane was confident that President Mnangagwa would lead the regional bloc in the right direction.
“Zimbabwe has always been great. We believe it is going to do better and take over from where other countries have left and we are wishing them well. We will give them our full support as always,” he said.
Mr Matekane said they also discussed areas of co-operation with President Mnangagwa.
“Some few sectors where we have agreed to cooperate are agriculture, renewable energy, and education among others. Those are the critical ones that we are going to start with, beginning now,” he said.
“We are looking forward to this being implemented as soon as yesterday. We are also going to be working together as Africans to try to see how we can make Africa a better place for us all together as brothers and sisters.”
Namibian President Nangolo Mbumba also threw his weight behind Zimbabwe.
“In the first place, we discussed why we came here for the SADC meetings that we are going to have today and tomorrow. I expect a very dynamic leadership from President Mnangagwa in his standard style,” he said.
President Mbumba, a member of the South West Africa People’s Organisation (SWAPO), said they also discussed the historic ties between his party and Zanu PF.
“Zimbabwe has been very helpful and supportive, and has always worked in solidarity with the Namibian people. We remember the time of the struggle and also the current history of the two countries during the Covid-19 period.
“Zimbabwe was able to use its transport means to deliver the Covid-19 medicine to Namibia from here and even from as far away as China,” he said.
President Mbumba said when Namibia lost President Dr Hage Geingob in February this year, Zimbabwe was there “to mourn with us, support, advise, guide and was there even the last time we laid him to rest.”
“I came here also to thank him (President Mnangagwa) for all the support. We are co-operating and supporting one another. Our Foreign Ministers are instructed to work and co-operate,” he said.
Malawi President Lazarus Chakwera said he was happy to be “back home”.
“I congratulated him (President Mnangagwa) as he is now the chair of SADC. I expect that we will continue to rally behind the leadership as a region so that the regional integration agenda becomes a reality. We can do that with innovation, industrialisation emphasis and trading amongst ourselves for the best,” he said.
SADC leaders started arriving in the country on Thursday and yesterday for today’s Summit that will conclude tomorrow.
Online Reporter