SADC Summit: Migration, security and jobs top agenda as SA takes chairmanship

Southern African leaders will discuss migration, regional security, youth unemployment and economic transformation as South Africa takes over the SADC chairmanship during the summit in Durban.

SADC heads of state and government are meeting in Durban for the 46th Ordinary Summit, with migration, regional security, economic development and job creation among key issues.

President Cyril Ramaphosa will assume the chairmanship of the 16-member regional bloc, with South Africa set to lead SADC for the next year.

Migration is expected to be a key issue at the summit, with Ramaphosa calling for the region to address the conditions driving people to leave their countries rather than relying solely on enforcement measures.

“Migration is a continental and global phenomenon. South Africa’s future is inseparable from the future of the African continent,” Ramaphosa said ahead of the summit.

“Migration pressures cannot be addressed through enforcement measures alone. They require peace where there is conflict, economic growth where there is stagnation, and opportunity where there is poverty.”

Ramaphosa said South Africa would work with neighbouring countries to develop sustainable solutions to migration.

“Through SADC, the African Union, and in our bilateral relations with other countries, we will seek to find sustainable solutions to these challenges,” he said.

His comments come as South Africa faces continued tensions over undocumented migration, while an anti-immigration march is expected to take place around the summit.

Ramaphosa has also warned against xenophobia and discrimination, saying regional integration cannot succeed if citizens of neighbouring countries are treated as outsiders.

“As South Africans, we are deeply concerned and ashamed that nationals from other countries have in recent months been subjected to discrimination and ill-treatment,” Ramaphosa said.

The migration debate is expected to form part of wider discussions about how SADC can strengthen regional economies and create opportunities for its people.

SADC Executive Secretary Elias Magosi said the bloc’s Organ Troika on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation remained central to maintaining peace and stability in the region.

Describing the Organ Troika as a “cornerstone for development and prosperity”, Magosi said peace and security were essential for the region to achieve its development objectives.