Latest news with #SouthernAfricanDevelopmentCommunity
The Star
23-05-2025
- Business
- The Star
Southern African bloc reaffirms commitment to environmental conservation
HARARE, May 23 (Xinhua) -- The Southern African Development Community (SADC) on Friday reaffirmed its commitment to environmental conservation to ensure sustainable development in the region. According to a communique issued at the end of the one-day SADC Transfrontier Conservation Areas (TFCAs) International Conference and Summit held in the Zimbabwean capital of Harare, the summit emphasized the need for continued and strengthened collaboration among stakeholders. SADC member states were urged to continue with collaborative efforts to maximize the trade and tourism benefits of TFCAs, and to embrace innovative and sustainable financing mechanisms to ensure that TFCAs continue to deliver socio-economic and conservation benefits to the SADC region, the communique said. According to the communique, the summit urged member states to promote the establishment of coastal and marine TFCAs for enhanced benefits to local communities and regional economies, and it also called for the development of a regional carbon market framework. There are 13 TFCAs within the SADC region spanning both terrestrial and marine environments, covering 7 percent of the region's surface area. The SADC is a 16-member southern African regional bloc, comprising Angola, Botswana, the Comoros, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eswatini, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
Eyewitness News
22-05-2025
- Business
- Eyewitness News
SA's proposals to the US include continuation of AGOA
WASHINGTON - South Africa's proposals to the United States (US) include the continuation of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA). More than 32 African countries benefit from the US piece of legislation, giving them duty-free access to the US market. South Africa has faced threats that it could be booted out of the programme following months of frosty relations with the US. This could have dire consequences on the rest of the continent. There's already a view that the hike in tariffs by Trump already nullifies the trade act. ALSO READ: Ramaphosa says working visit to US achieved goal of opening communication channels South Africa said even as the US mulls over its proposed trade and investment framework, there are no plans to leave the rest of the region and Africa behind. President Cyril Ramaphosa said that as one of the largest economies on the continent, it's important for South Africa to maintain its African Union (AU), Southern African Development Community (SADC), and sub-Saharan perspective. He said this is also how they will approach the tariff war that's currently on pause. 'When we do settle down to talk about, for instance, tariffs, we are part of the Southern African Customs Union, so we will be talking about tariffs in that broader context,' said Ramaphosa. South Africa's president also believes the pair has some views in common when it comes to geopolitics, mainly centred around the building of and keeping peace across nations. He said Trump also acknowledged the role South Africa plays in peacekeeping efforts. 'We were condemned at an early stage, but much later people realised the role we play is a constructive role.' Trump surprised some in the Oval Office when he gave a nonchalant response to questions about South Africa taking Israel to the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
The Star
21-05-2025
- Politics
- The Star
Trump emphasises peace and prosperity for Africa in meeting with Ramaphosa
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa meets US president Donald Trump on amid tensions over Washington's resettlement of white Afrikaners that the US president claims are the victims of genocide Image: Jim Watson/ AFP US President Donald Trump has reaffirmed his support for peace and development across Africa, during his meeting with President Cyril Ramaphosa. Their wide-ranging conversation touched on conflict resolution in Africa, global diplomacy, and the importance of collaboration between nations. Speaking about Africa's potential and his hopes for the continent, Trump said: "I want to see peace, and I want to see happiness. I want to see health. You know, you have incredible land, there's tremendous value. A lot of countries don't have that value in the land, the value you have." Trump referred to recent progress made in conflict mediation efforts, mentioning a signed declaration between Rwanda and Congo. "A couple of weeks ago, they signed a declaration of principle in which they agreed on the way forward. We have submitted draft peace agreements, and we've put together one that incorporates both of their suggestions. We've given it to them, so we're in the process of finalising.'' Ramaphosa praised the support and diplomatic efforts made by both African and international partners in stabilising the Democratic Republic of the Congo. 'The African continent, particularly SADC, our Southern African Development Community, has for years been seeking to foster peace in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. We have to thank you for those efforts. All efforts, including those from outside the continent and inside the continent, are really worthwhile." He added: 'We are removing our troops from there so that peace can then prevail in that whole area. And we hope that, with the support of the international community, we will really have peace in that area. It's so vital and so important for the whole region.' President Trump acknowledged the role of African leaders and expressed appreciation: "We sent our people there, and I think we did a very good job. I'm just hearing phenomenal reports. ''All I was hearing before was death, death, they're chopping heads off. It's so horrible over there. And it was really brave of you to go there. I really appreciate it." The conversation expanded to global issues, including US diplomatic engagement with Pakistan, India, and the war in Ukraine. Trump pointed to trade as a tool for easing tensions. "We just did something good. We're doing a big deal with India. We're doing a big deal with Pakistan. And I said, 'What are you guys doing?' Somebody had to be the last one to shoot. But the shooting was getting worse and worse and we spoke to them. I think you know, I hate to say we got it settled." Touching on the Russia-Ukraine war, Trump said: "We're trying to help. It doesn't affect us. It's not our people, it's not our soldiers. It's Ukraine and it's Russia. But if we can save 5,000 souls, we'll do it. We're pretty good at it. But that's a bad situation, that is a really bad situation." Ramaphosa confirmed South Africa's involvement in humanitarian and diplomatic efforts in the Ukraine conflict: 'We've been involved in the Ukraine-Russia conflict for quite a while. With the Minister of State Security here. We've been dealing with them, the exchange of children who were taken away, going through names and addresses and all that. So we've been invested in that whole process as well. ''The moves you have been making are fully supported by us because we would like to see the end of that war,'' said Ramaphosa. He recalled speaking with President Trump when Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was visiting South Africa: 'We both agreed that we need to push the peace message so that there can really be peace.' Ramaphosa also shared that South Africa had drawn from the lessons of its late leader Nelson Mandela in its peace efforts: 'We were lucky because we had the great Nelson Mandela who taught us how to create peace, to make peace. So we were imparting some of those lessons, some of those learnings. I specifically mentioned to Zelensky that this is how Nelson Mandela taught us, that when you want to have peace in a country, do it on an unconditional basis and sit down and talk.' President Trump highlighted the reflection on the ongoing violence in Ukraine: 'There's a lot of hatred. There's a lot of death. It's a bloodbath. I get the satellite pictures of that field — that killing field. You never saw anything like it in your life. It's horrible. It's a horrible thing that goes on. But I think we've made big progress.' [email protected] Get your news on the go, click here to join the IOL News WhatsApp channel. IOL Politics
IOL News
21-05-2025
- Politics
- IOL News
Trump emphasises peace and prosperity for Africa in meeting with Ramaphosa
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa meets US president Donald Trump on amid tensions over Washington's resettlement of white Afrikaners that the US president claims are the victims of genocide Image: Jim Watson/ AFP US President Donald Trump has reaffirmed his support for peace and development across Africa, during his meeting with President Cyril Ramaphosa. Their wide-ranging conversation touched on conflict resolution in Africa, global diplomacy, and the importance of collaboration between nations. Speaking about Africa's potential and his hopes for the continent, Trump said: "I want to see peace, and I want to see happiness. I want to see health. You know, you have incredible land, there's tremendous value. A lot of countries don't have that value in the land, the value you have." Trump referred to recent progress made in conflict mediation efforts, mentioning a signed declaration between Rwanda and Congo. "A couple of weeks ago, they signed a declaration of principle in which they agreed on the way forward. We have submitted draft peace agreements, and we've put together one that incorporates both of their suggestions. We've given it to them, so we're in the process of finalising.'' Ramaphosa praised the support and diplomatic efforts made by both African and international partners in stabilising the Democratic Republic of the Congo. 'The African continent, particularly SADC, our Southern African Development Community, has for years been seeking to foster peace in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. We have to thank you for those efforts. All efforts, including those from outside the continent and inside the continent, are really worthwhile." He added: 'We are removing our troops from there so that peace can then prevail in that whole area. And we hope that, with the support of the international community, we will really have peace in that area. It's so vital and so important for the whole region.' President Trump acknowledged the role of African leaders and expressed appreciation: "We sent our people there, and I think we did a very good job. I'm just hearing phenomenal reports. ''All I was hearing before was death, death, they're chopping heads off. It's so horrible over there. And it was really brave of you to go there. I really appreciate it." The conversation expanded to global issues, including US diplomatic engagement with Pakistan, India, and the war in Ukraine. Trump pointed to trade as a tool for easing tensions. "We just did something good. We're doing a big deal with India. We're doing a big deal with Pakistan. And I said, 'What are you guys doing?' Somebody had to be the last one to shoot. But the shooting was getting worse and worse and we spoke to them. I think you know, I hate to say we got it settled." Touching on the Russia-Ukraine war, Trump said: "We're trying to help. It doesn't affect us. It's not our people, it's not our soldiers. It's Ukraine and it's Russia. But if we can save 5,000 souls, we'll do it. We're pretty good at it. But that's a bad situation, that is a really bad situation." Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ramaphosa confirmed South Africa's involvement in humanitarian and diplomatic efforts in the Ukraine conflict: 'We've been involved in the Ukraine-Russia conflict for quite a while. With the Minister of State Security here. We've been dealing with them, the exchange of children who were taken away, going through names and addresses and all that. So we've been invested in that whole process as well. ''The moves you have been making are fully supported by us because we would like to see the end of that war,'' said Ramaphosa. He recalled speaking with President Trump when Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was visiting South Africa: 'We both agreed that we need to push the peace message so that there can really be peace.' Ramaphosa also shared that South Africa had drawn from the lessons of its late leader Nelson Mandela in its peace efforts: 'We were lucky because we had the great Nelson Mandela who taught us how to create peace, to make peace. So we were imparting some of those lessons, some of those learnings. I specifically mentioned to Zelensky that this is how Nelson Mandela taught us, that when you want to have peace in a country, do it on an unconditional basis and sit down and talk.' President Trump highlighted the reflection on the ongoing violence in Ukraine: 'There's a lot of hatred. There's a lot of death. It's a bloodbath. I get the satellite pictures of that field — that killing field. You never saw anything like it in your life. It's horrible. It's a horrible thing that goes on. But I think we've made big progress.' Get your news on the go, click here to join the IOL News WhatsApp channel. IOL Politics
eNCA
19-05-2025
- Politics
- eNCA
SADC must account for troop withdrawal delays
JOHANNESBURG - The Southern African Development Community is responsible for the withdrawal of South African troops from the DRC. That's according to the Chairperson of Parliament's Joint Standing Committee on Defence, Malusi The Southern African Development Community is responsible for the withdrawal of South African troops from the DRC. That's according to the Chairperson of Parliament's Joint Standing Committee on Defence, Malusi Gigaba. South African soldiers deployed as part of the SADC peacekeeping mission remain stuck in Goma, with no clear plan for their return home.
