20 May 2015

Chairperson of Southern African Development Community (SADC), who is also the President of Zimbabwe, Mr Robert Mugabe has called on SADC staff members to work as a union for the success of the regional bloc.

Addressing staff during his visit to the SADC headquarters in Gaborone, Wednesday (May 20), Mr Mugabe said through unity SADC would achieve objectives towards a common future of the fifteen member states.

He said the success of SADC programmes and projects depends on the capacity of the secretariat to coordinate the implementation of agreed decisions.

“Your work is profound and personal significance to every citizen of our community,” he said.

The Zimbabwean President said SADC member states were alive to the fact that for the region to achieve its development goals, there was need for an efficient, well- managed and resourced secretariat.

In this regard, he said, SADC endeavours to ensure that the needs of the SADC secretariat are well-taken care of, within the limits of available resources.

“Challenges will always persist, but I am convinced that through consultation, we will be able to narrow our differences for the benefit of our region,” he said.

President Mugabe said the relevant SADC structures would remain ready and at disposal in whatever challenges and concerns the employees might have.

He said SADC Council of Ministers was instituted to deal with human resource and administrative matters and the need to maintain fairness and gender balance in the organisation.

The SADC chairperson said SADC should also ensure that good corporate governance, transparency and accountability, internal controls in the management programmes, operations and projects, remain key guiding principles of the secretariat.

He further said his visit came at a time when SADC decided to realign its strategic direction to ensure that it effectively respond to the challenging needs of the region.

In this regard, he said, the revised regional indicative strategic development plan, as well as the recently adopted strategy and roadmap for industrialisation of the region would be matched with a reorientation of the structure and functions of the secretariat.

“The success of these frameworks is hinged on the capacity of the secretariat to learn from its experiences, as well as its ability to rally behind member states’ efforts towards our common destiny,” he said.

He commended the secretariat for promoting peace and security in the region, explaining that the secretariat’s role in coordinating the SADC Election Observer Mission remains vital in protecting the integrity of democratic processes and in sustaining political stability in the region.

The SADC chairperson also called on the staff members to work towards fulfillment of SADC vision by building a region in which there would be a high degree of integration and harmonisation.

For her part, SADC Executive Secretary, Dr Stergomena Lawrence-Tax said as SADC secretariat, they value the face to face occasion between the chairperson and staff and they consider it an integral part of strengthening development and evolution of the institution.

She further said the secretariat recognises the efforts by member states in exploring ways and means of rewarding staff competitively and appropriately in line with approved policies.

She said the secretariat draws comfort from the fact that council attends to this issue with sensitivity it deserves and the ongoing consideration on the secretariat’s submission on implementing the remuneration policy would be concluded timeously to maintain staff morale. Ends