Africa / World – News Stand

06 Aug

Zimbabwe launches national campaign against child abuse

info_e12wt4csAfrica / World, National News

Moses Magadza The minister of state for provincial affairs and devolution for Masvingo Province in Zimbabwe, Ezra Chadzamira, has officially launched a national campaign against child abuse, rape, and the denial of sexual and reproductive health and rights. The initiative forms part of the SRHR, HIV and AIDS Governance Project (2023–2026), funded by the Swedish Government and implemented through the SADC Parliamentary Forum and the Parliament of Zimbabwe. It supports the domestication of key regional legal instruments, including the SADC Model Laws on Eradicating Child Marriage and Protecting Children Already in Marriage (2016), Gender-Based Violence (2021), and Public Financial Management…

31 Jul

Clerks urged to back SADC parliament shift

info_e12wt4csAfrica / World, Featured

Moses Magadza The chairperson of the committee of clerks and secretaries general of the SADC Parliamentary Forum (SADC PF), Xolile George, has highlighted the role of clerks and secretaries of national parliaments in transforming the forum into a fully fledged SADC regional parliament. George, who is the clerk of the Parliament of South Africa, did this on Tuesday when he officially opened a statutory meeting of the Committee under the theme “Ensuring Operational Continuity Post Elections in SADC Member States.” “We gather here as a special crop of clerks and secretaries to our national parliaments with a special call and…

29 Jul

SADC parliamentarians push for right to food legislation

info_e12wt4csAfrica / World, Featured

Moses Magadza Parliamentarians from SADC member states have concluded a high-level meeting and training toward transforming food systems and eradicating hunger in Southern Africa with strong commitments to legislative reforms, regional cooperation, and rights-based governance of agrifood systems. Convened from 22 to 24 July 2025, the inaugural meeting of the SADC Parliamentary Alliance on Agrifood Systems, Food Security and Nutrition, coupled with an intensive Subregional Training on Legislating the Right to Adequate Food, brought together lawmakers from Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. The SADC Parliamentary Forum (SADC PF) and the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the…

22 Jul

Alliance calls for binding legislation on food rights in SADC

info_e12wt4csAfrica / World

Moses Magadza and Angel Alessandri The inaugural meeting of the SADC Parliamentary Alliance on Agrifood Systems, Food Security and Nutrition, began in Johannesburg on 22 July 2025, with the SADC Parliamentary Forum and the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) calling for stronger parliamentary action to combat hunger, malnutrition, and build resilient agrifood systems across Southern Africa. Speaking to lawmakers from different SADC Member States, development partners, and technical experts, SADC PF Secretary General Ms Boemo Sekgoma noted that the meeting came at a time of global food crises exacerbated by conflict, climate change, and inequality. "As…

17 Jul

Global democracy body urges action on women’s political inclusion

info_e12wt4csAfrica / World

Moses Magadza An intergovernmental organisation that supports sustainable democracy globally has called for sustained action to dismantle systemic barriers impeding women's full participation in political life. Gram Matenga, the regional head of programmes for Africa and West Asia at the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA), made the call on Wednesday at the official opening of a high-level roundtable on women in politics and decision-making roles in Namibia. Matenga commended Namibia for electing its first female president earlier this year, calling it “an extraordinary achievement that resonates across the African continent and globally.” He also paid tribute…

02 Jul

Call for SADC Parliamentarians to put children at heart of climate action

info_e12wt4csAfrica / World

Moses Magadza A SADC regional seminar on children’s rights and climate change got underway in Cape Town on 2 July 2025 with the deputy speaker of the parliament of Botswana, Helen Manyeneng, challenging SADC parliamentarians to reimagine climate governance through the eyes of the region’s most vulnerable - its children. Speaking at the opening of the seminar, Manyeneng, a member of the SADC Parliamentary Forum, made a call to action, warning that “the storm is already upon us” and children are bearing the brunt. “We meet here not out of routine,” told delegates gathered at the School of Public Health at the University…

19 Jun

SADC workshop advances digital tool to track child marriage laws

info_e12wt4csAfrica / World

Moses Magadza A three-day regional workshop got underway in Cape Town on Tuesday to finalise a pioneering digital dashboard to track the implementation of the SADC Model Law on eradicating child marriage and protecting children already in marriage. The SADC Parliamentary Forum (SADC PF) and other partners convened the meeting, which brought together delegates, including monitoring and evaluation specialists, data scientists, SRHR researchers, youth activists, and civil society partners from SADC member states, with several participating online. The gathering is the latest milestone for a technical working group that, after earlier sessions in Johannesburg and Windhoek, has already produced a…

18 Jun

SADC PF mourns passing of Angolan legislator

info_e12wt4csAfrica / World

Moses Magadza The Southern African Development Community Parliamentary Forum (SADC PF) has joined the National Assembly of Angola in mourning the passing of Diamantino Domingos Mussokola, an Angolan legislator and active member of the Forum. Mussokola died on Friday, 13 June 2025, in Luanda at the age of 54. In a statement issued in Luanda, the speaker of the National Assembly of Angola, Carolina Cerqueira, paid tribute to the late parliamentarian, hailing his legacy of humility, camaraderie, and wisdom. “As a Member of Parliament, Diamantino Domingos Mussokola leaves behind a legacy of humility, camaraderie, and wisdom that enriched political debates…

11 Jun

SADC PF embraces strategic partnerships

info_e12wt4csAfrica / World

Moses Magadza The SADC Parliamentary Forum has signed five memoranda of understanding (MoUs) with key regional and international organisations towards inclusive and strategic collaboration. The MoUs with Oxfam, the Southern Africa Youth Forum (SAYoF), the Zimbabwe Environmental Law Association (ZELA), the Electoral Commissions Forum of SADC countries (ECF-SADC) and the Centre for Trade Policy and Development (CTPD) were signed on the margins of the SADC PF’s 57th Plenary Assembly Session hosted by the Parliament of Zimbabwe in Victoria Falls City last week. Speaking during the signing, the Secretary General of the SADC PF, Boemo Sekgoma, stressed the strategic importance of…

15 May

Africa Trust calls for feminist, people-centred trade justice framework

info_e12wt4csAfrica / World

Moses Magadza The Chief Executive Officer of the Southern Africa Trust, Alice Kanengoni, has called for a bold reimagining of trade justice in Southern Africa, urging a shift away from exclusive technical approaches to inclusive, people-driven frameworks that centre those most affected by global economic shifts. Kanengoni made the call when she delivered welcome remarks at the beginning of a High-Level Dialogue on Trade Justice in Johannesburg co-convened with the SADC Parliamentary Forum. She welcomed the gathering of parliamentarians, civic organisations, feminist movements, cross-border traders, and policy experts to what she described as “a pivotal convening”. “This is not just…