Vusumuzi Dube
Robin Muchetu, Senior Reporter
THE recently ended 44TH SADC Summit was a success and the media has been hailed for telling the Zimbabwean and SADC story accurately while outstanding works that commenced in the buildup to the summit will be completed soon.
President Mnangagwa, during the Summit, took over the Chairmanship of the body in a move that has been lauded by the Government.
This was highlighted in a Post Cabinet Briefing by the Minister of Information Publicity and Broadcasting Services Dr Jenfan Muswere.
“Cabinet joins the nation in congratulating His Excellency the President on assuming the SADC Chairmanship and for successfully hosting the 44th SADC Summit on 17 August, 2024. All Member States were represented at Heads of State and Government or other appropriate high-ranking levels. A total of 2 306 delegates were accredited during the SADC Industrialisation Week and 3 041 during the Summit. The accreditation proceeded flawlessly under secure conditions,” said Dr Muswere.
The media was also applauded for the coverage of the Summit.
“In general, media coverage was well provided by both private and public media and generated the needed education and awareness, while other events such as the SADC Tourism Night and Tour of Geo Pomona and the Museum of African Liberation were well executed; and Media houses and citizens did a marvelous job on cleaning and beautification of the city,” noted Dr Muswere.
Cabinet also noted that there is need to sustain the momentum created across the board and agreed that all outstanding projects and programmes be completed and that the building of the New City in Mt. Hampden be accelerated.
The briefing also highlighted that SADC Committees and Sub-Committees need to remain active and committed to the implementation of the projects and programmes under their purview as well as manage envisaged SADC meetings.
Some of the work that was done in the build-up to the Summit include the rehabilitation of major city roads that link the Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport to hotel, internal and external works on the Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport VVIP Pavilion.
The refurbishment of hotels in the city was also done and the installation of standby generators to ensure sustainable power supply.
“Internet connectivity, mobile network coverage, and delivery of ICT equipment and services to host a seamless Summit, were provided as per SADC ICT guidelines. Infrastructure and platforms to allow hosting of hybrid meetings and interpretation services were installed at Parliament, the main venue of the Summit, the University of Zimbabwe, Geo Pomona and Museum of African Liberation. The SADC Industrialisation Week was a resounding success, with over 3 500 local, regional and international participants registering for the event, as well as the Public Lecture delivered by His Excellency the President at the University of Zimbabwe which was live-streamed,” said Dr Muswere.
@NyembeziMu
Online Reporter