Minister Dlamini Zuma departs for Lusaka ahead of President Mbeki for the SADC Ministerial and Summit

 Pretoria – South African Foreign Minister Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma will today Sunday 12 August 2007 depart for Lusaka, Zambia, ahead of President Thabo Mbeki, for the SADC Council of Ministers meeting and Summit of Heads of State and Government scheduled for 14-17 August 2007 respectively. President Mbeki will leave for Lusaka on Wednesday, 15 August.

South Africa is participating in both the SADC Ministerial and Summit as part of its priority of strengthening and consolidating SADC as a sub-regional economic bloc and a vehicle for achieving sustainable regional integration and development.

The SADC Ministerial and Summit take place within the context of the expected tabling of:

• Political reports on the situation in Zimbabwe, Lesotho and the DRC
• Proposed launch of the SADC Brigade
• Integrated Committee of Ministers (ICM) that will include areas of

• Trade, industry, finance and investment;
• Infrastructure and services;
• The water sector;
• Food, agriculture and national resources;
• Social and human development and special programmes

• A progress report on the financing, design and construction of the new SADC headquarters; and
• A report of the Task Force on the Review of Operations of the Integrated Committee of Ministers.

The SADC Council of Ministers is also expected to discuss the regional integration process through consideration of the report of the Ministerial Task Force on Regional Economic Integration.  Linked to this, will be discussion on the outcomes of the African Union Summit held in July 2007 in Accra, Ghana, and the implications thereof on SADC as a Regional Economic Community (REC). In this vein a report on continental integration including the African Union and NEPAD and inter-regional integration will be presented to Council.

Issued by Ronnie Mamoepa on 082 990 4853

Department of Foreign Affairs
Private Bag X152
Pretoria
0001

12 August 2007