The South African Government to host the third Southern Africa Customs Union (SACU)Summit in Pretoria on 25 March 2011

The President of the Republic, H.E. Jacob Zuma,will host the third SACU Summit for Heads of State and Government which is scheduled to take place on 25 March 2011 in Pretoria.

The Summit is preceded by meetings of the SACU Commission which takes place today, 23 March 2011, and the SACU Council of Ministers which will take place tomorrow, 24 March 2011.

The third SACU Summit will receive a progress report from the Council of Ministers on the wide ranging work programme the Heads of State adopted at the Second SACU Summit on 16 July 2010. In order to make the work manageable, it is anticipated that Heads of State and Government will only focus on some of the identified objectives in their deliberations.

During SACU’s 100 year Commemoration proceedings, held on 22 April 2010 in Windhoek, Namibia, the SACU Heads of State and Government adopted a new vision and mission statements for SACU and agreed to translate it into a strategic work programme. The commemoration marked a great milestone for the institution and demonstrated the important political, cultural, economic and developmental relationship that exists amongst the SACU Member States.

It is thus anticipated that the SACU Heads of State and Government will consider SACU’s approach to the SADC-COMESA-EAC Tripartite Free Trade Area (FTA) negotiations to be launched at the occasion of the second Tripartite Summit later this year. This process is critical to the advancement of the regional economic integration agenda.
 
The Summit will be attended by the Heads of State and Government of Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, Swaziland and South Africa.

For further information contact the DIRCO Spokesperson, Mr Clayson Monyela,on  082 884 5974.

ISSUED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS AND COOPERATION

OR Tambo Building
460 Soutpansberg Road
Rietondale
Pretoria

23 March 2011