Ramaphosa to address SADC Summit

President Cyril Ramaphosa is expected to address the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Heads of State and Government Summit on Monday morning at the Durban International Convention Centre (ICC).

The leaders will discuss the challenges facing the region, including migration, peace and security, among others.

South Africa and other member states have proposed that the matter of migration be placed on the agenda.

Ramaphosa will assume the chairmanship of the bloc until next year August.

He has also called on the region to address the conditions driving people to leave their countries.

Some member countries say the summit gives the leaders an opportunity to thoroughly engage on the migration issue.

The African Union (AU) Commission chairperson, Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, is also expected to address the gathering.

MIGRATION The government of Lesotho says the issue of migration affects the whole SADC region.

It says if one country in particular, South Africa, is experiencing a movement of people, others will be affected.

The country’s Foreign Affairs Minister Limpho Tau says the summit should thoroughly discuss the matter of migration.

Tau says, “Even at the summit itself, South Africa will actually get an opportunity to lay its perspective when it comes to migration.

So we really appreciate that and we are happy South Africa has an opportunity based on that.

We are happy that it actually tabled it.” She says, “We are happy that we can even consult and engage on the issue of migration not only as South Africa but as a region because we deemed that as a collective responsibility for us.” ANTI-UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRATION Security is expected to be beefed up in Durban as anti-undocumented immigration groups plan to march amid the summit.

March and March as well as Operation Dudula activists plan to march in the city to express their grievances over undocumented foreign nationals to the regional leaders.