Status on the removal of Zimbabwe from the SADC Ministerial Troika Agenda

NATIONAL ASSEMBLY 

FOR WRITTEN REPLY

QUESTION NO: 1889 (NW 2127E)

PUBLISHED IN INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NO 20-2011 OF 29 JULY 2011

QUOTE

MR S MOKGALAPA (DA) TO ASK THE MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS:

Whether the SADC Ministerial Troika has removed Zimbabwe from the Agenda; if not, what is the position; if so (a) why and (b) when will the situation be reviewed?   

REPLY:

Yes.

(a)The removal of this item from the SADC Ministerial Committee of the Organ Troika Agenda was determined and informed purely by SADC statutory documents.  Zimbabwe has been elevated to the Summit primarily because President Zuma is the Facilitator and responsible for the mediation with regard to the implementation of the Global Political Agreement.  It would be appreciated that in terms of established protocols, where  mediation efforts are led by a Head of State, he or she then reports to his/her counterparts equals, that is, to SADC Heads of State and Government Summit.

It is against this background that the MCO referred the matter to Summit. The facilitator being the President cannot report to a Ministerial forum that still has to report to Summit in the context of what is outlined above.

(b) As indicated above the matter remains the domain of Summit.  

UNQUOTE