View noticesSADC Summit – preparations in full swing
South Africa will host the 46th Ordinary Summit of SADC Heads of State and Government in Durban on 17 August, with President Cyril Ramaphosa formally assuming the bloc's chairpersonship for the 2026/27 term.
Briefing media in Pretoria, international relations and cooperation minister Ronald Lamola said the summit, held under the theme "Resilient, Sustainable and Inclusive Industrialisation through Infrastructure Development, Agricultural and Critical Minerals Transformation in Pursuit of a Just World", would bring together the 16-member regional grouping at a time of mounting geopolitical and economic pressure.
Leaders are expected to adopt decisions aimed at accelerating industrialisation, strengthening infrastructure, boosting food security and deepening regional integration.
Preparations began this week with technical meetings at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre, part of a structured run-up involving officials, ministers and political principals ahead of the leaders' summit.
The Standing Committee of Senior Officials meets from 6 to 7 August to weigh reports from sectoral bodies, followed by the Finance Committee on 8 August, which will consider the SADC budget and resource mobilisation.
Officials will finalise documentation between 9 and 11 August before the Council of Ministers convenes from 12 to 14 August under Lamola's chairpersonship, covering trade, health, food security, peace and security, financing and institutional reform.
Ramaphosa will deliver a public lecture on 14 August at the University of KwaZulu-Natal's Westville campus, focused on implementing Sadc's Vision 2050 and strengthening regional integration.
Security matters will be addressed through the Organ Troika on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation on 15 August and the Organ Troika Summit the following day, ahead of the arrival of heads of state on 16 August and a state banquet hosted by Ramaphosa.
Lamola said the preparatory work was focused on making SADC decisions more effective and measurable, including through a proposed framework under which heads of state would champion priority programmes in areas such as infrastructure, industrialisation, agriculture, mining and social development. Implementation of the Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan 2020-2030, the bloc's core development blueprint, also remains a priority.
According to Lamola, leaders are expected to consider 47 decisions submitted through the summit process, though that figure could shift during preparatory talks. Expected outcomes include progress on regional value chains, transport corridors, agricultural productivity, critical minerals beneficiation, and the operationalisation of the SADC Regional Development Fund, alongside stronger monitoring of existing decisions and institutional reform through the Rationalisation Mechanism.
Migration is also set to feature prominently, with Lamola saying South Africa would use the summit to set out its approach to lawful, orderly and humane migration management in line with the constitution and the country's international obligations. This includes strengthening border security, tackling irregular migration and unlawful employment of undocumented migrants, and improving enforcement of immigration and labour laws, while encouraging greater regional cooperation on migration challenges.