Five Sadc heads in maiden summit

FIVE Heads of State and Government are making a maiden appearance at the 38th SADC Heads of State and Government summit underway in Windhoek, Namibia.

These are President Emmerson Mnangagwa, Cyril Ramaphosa (South Africa), Mokgweetsi Masisi (Botswana), Joao Lourenco (Angola) and Azali Assoumani (the Comoros).

President Mnangagwa was inaugurated last November when long time ruler Mr Robert Mugabe resigned amid impeachment proceedings that followed mass protests.

President Mnangagwa won the Presidential poll held on July 30, but is yet to be sworn in until the Constitutional Court rules on a poll petition filed by MDC Alliance leader Mr Nelson Chamisa.

He is attending the summit at a time when Zimbabwe is on the verge of ushering in a Second Republic, which he said will be defined by more economics and less politics.

President Ramaphosa comes to the summit as South Africa’s fifth president following the resignation of Jacob Zuma in February this year.

He was South Africa’s deputy president since 2014.

President Ramaphosa automatically assumed SADC’s chairmanship when he was sworn in as the president earlier this year.

He is expected to hand over the chairmanship to Namibia’s Hage Geingob.

President Masisi of Botswana assumed power in April this year following the stepping down of Ian Khama.

Angolan President Lourenco replaced long-time leader Jose Eduardo dos Santos last September.

He is famed for revitalising the economy and leading an anti-corruption crusade.

The Union of Comoros President Assoumani, whose country was admitted as a member of SADC this year, first became president from 1999-2002 after taking power from acting president Tadjidine Ben Said Massounde.