Opening remarks by President Cyril Ramaphosa at the Extraordinary SADC Summit

Opening remarks by President Cyril Ramaphosa at the Extraordinary SADC Summit Newsroom Date Monday, 29 June 2026 - 14:00 vanessam Mon, 06/29/2026 - 19:58 Image Body Your Excellency President Emmerson Mnangagwa, President of Zimbabwe and Outgoing Chairperson of SADC, Your Excellency President Hakainde Hichilema, President of the Republic of Zambia and Interim Incoming Chairperson of SADC, Your Excellency President Professor Arthur Peter Mutharika, President of the Republic of Malawi and the Chairperson of the SADC Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation, Excellencies, Heads of State and Government, Honourable Ronald Lamola, Minister of International Relations and Cooperation and Chairperson of the Council of Ministers, Honourable Ministers, Ladies and Gentlemen, Good afternoon Allow me to welcome you all to this important Virtual Extraordinary Summit of the SADC Heads of State and Government. Thank you for availing yourselves at short notice. We meet at a decisive moment for our region and, most urgently, for the Republic of Madagascar. We recall the Extraordinary Summit of Heads of State and Government of SADC, held virtually on 17 December 2025. Upon receiving a comprehensive report from the Chairperson of the Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation, following the Technical Fact-Finding Mission to Madagascar undertaken in October 2025, that Summit took far-reaching decisions. Today’s session will assess the extent to which those decisions have been implemented. Having carefully considered the political and security developments that culminated in a change of government in Madagascar in 2025, the Summit in December last year noted the restoration of relative calm and the launch of national consultations by the Transitional Authorities. We reaffirmed a clear and collective position: SADC will remain actively engaged in Madagascar until our sister country restores constitutional order. We further committed that the reform process must be inclusive, time-bound and nationally owned. The reform process must create space for all stakeholders, including political exiles, to participate meaningfully in shaping Madagascar’s future. Importantly, the Summit had urged Madagascar to submit a dialogue readiness report and a draft National Roadmap by 28 February 2026, with regular updates thereafter. These are not procedural formalities – they are essential benchmarks for accountability, transparency and trust in a process that must lead to credible elections within an agreed framework. We further approved the deployment of the SADC Panel of Elders, led by former President Dr Joyce Banda, supported by the Mediation Reference Group and the Secretariat, to accompany Madagascar’s reform process. We also directed the Secretariat to work closely with the African Union and international partners to mobilise financial, technical and logistical support in a coordinated manner, ensuring coherence and avoiding fragmentation of efforts. The message from the Summit was unequivocal: regional and international support must reinforce Malagasy-led solutions, not replace them. The report of the Mission before us today will indicate whether Madagascar has seized the window of opportunity afforded by our regional organisation. It will indicate if calm continues to prevail, if the nation is fully engaged in inclusive national consultations, if institutions are becoming more representative, and if reforms are taking firm root. Ultimately, it is the responsibility of all actors – government, opposition, civil society, youth, women and traditional leaders – to act in good faith and place national interest above partisan considerations. In this journey, SADC must remain engaged, vigilant and principled. We are looking forward to the report of the Extraordinary Organ Troika Summit held on the 22nd of June 2026 on the political and security situation in the Republic of Madagascar. I thank you.