Gaborone - Crisis-hit Lesotho was on Monday passed over for the second year in a row as chair of Southern Africa’s premier body in charge of regional security.
The mountain kingdom’s Prime Minister Pakalitha Mosisili was supposed to take over the reins from South African President Jacob Zuma as chair of the Southern African Development Community’s Organ for Politics, Defence and Security.
But on Monday, Zuma’s office announced at SADC’s summit in Gaborone that the year-long tenure had gone to Mozambique instead, represented by President Filipe Nyusi, and would go to Tanzania at next year’s summit.
Lesotho was supposed to take over the reins of the security organ from Namibia at last year’s SADC summit, but South Africa stepped in as chair because Lesotho had just been plunged into crisis by an alleged attempted coup.
A snap poll was held in February in an attempt to defuse the crisis, but in June, Lesotho was shaken again when suspended former defence force commander Lieutenant General Maaparankoe Mohao was killed by other soldiers.
On the recommendation of Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa, as SADC mediator, SADC leaders met in Pretoria in July and appointed an independent commission of inquiry into Mohao's death and other causes of the chronic instability in Lesotho.
Again passing over Lesotho for the chair of the security organ on Monday meant SADC leaders still regard the country as unstable. Giving it the chair might also create a conflict of interest since SADC’s security organ is supervising the efforts to stabilise Lesotho.
On Sunday night, leaders of the states that are on the security organ met from 6pm until after midnight to discuss issues of security, mainly Lesotho. Conflict in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and political instability in Madagascar were also on the agenda.
Handing over the reins to Nyusi on Monday, Zuma said when South Africa took over the chair, “we did so, fully aware of the responsibility that lay ahead”.
“We are once again honoured and privileged to have led the Organ on behalf of the region,” he said.
Zuma was praised at the opening session of the SADC summit on Monday for his leadership of the body, by, amongst others, outgoing SADC chairperson Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe.
Mosisili, in turn, in his address to the summit as a newly-elected head of state, said the newly-formed coalition government of seven political parties was “committed to a reform process that will affect various institutions and hopefully ensure that SADC is spared the trouble to douse the flames in the mountain kingdom”.
He appealed to SADC member states “to remain seized with this reform programme and extend the requisite support where necessary”.
He said it was “a matter of grave concern to me personally and my partners in the coalition government that the tranquillity we all yearn for has once more eluded us”.
Zuma said South Africa would continue to support countries in the region that were experiencing pockets of conflict, and he urged other SADC member states to do the same.
Zuma also said the SADC called on the government and people of Madagascar “to ensure that they safeguard the positive gains they have made, by fully supporting the process of nation-building and the implementation of the SADC road map”.
Ousted Malagasy President Marc Ravalomanana had written to, amongst others, Zuma to complain that the current government under Hery Rajaonarimampianina was not heeding the SADC road map which had been agreed on to try to return Madagascar after the March 2009 coup which toppled Ravalomanana.
Ravalomanana returned to Madagascar last year without permission from the current government after fleeing to South Africa after the coup. He complained in his letter to Zuma and other SADC leaders that the security guards he is entitled to under the road map have been withdrawn as have other benefits due to him. He also wants his business reinstated.
Zuma also confirmed that South Africa would host Amani Africa II, from October 19 to November 7, the first continental field training exercise to put into operation the Africa Standby Force.
ANA