International Relations and Cooperation Minister Ronald Lamola has called for a decisive shift from policy commitments to implementation as South Africa chairs the Southern African Development Community (SADC) amid growing global uncertainty.
Delivering closing remarks at an interdepartmental workshop on the Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan (RISDP) 2020 – 2030 at the O.R. Tambo Building in Pretoria on Friday, Lamola said the region’s primary challenge was no longer a lack of frameworks, but the failure to effectively execute them.
“The feedback I have received confirms that the SADC region is not constrained by a lack of frameworks, vision or institutional architecture. The core challenge is implementation,” he said.
The workshop, supported by the European Union and the SADC Secretariat, brought together senior government officials, representatives of State-owned enterprises, development finance institutions and senior officials from the SADC Secretariat in Gaborone, Botswana, to develop a strategy and identify priorities for South Africa’s chairship of SADC.
The workshop also reflected on the implementation of the SADC RISDP in order to foster synergies with South Africa’s national development frameworks, National Development Plan (NDP) 2030 and the Medium-Term Development Plan (MTDP) and priorities.
Lamola said discussions over the past two and a half days had focused on assessing performance, identifying constraints and proposing practical interventions aligned with the RISDP, whose implementation currently stands at just over 60%.
“This requires a decisive shift from policy articulation to disciplined execution, and from broad commitments to focused, high-impact priorities,” he said.
He warned that South Africa would assume the regional leadership role at a time of “considerable global uncertainty”, with geopolitical and economic developments placing added pressure on the region.
“We cannot afford to be passive observers, while some states reshape the global order in ways that risk reversing gains achieved over decades in international law, global trade, peace and security, food security and ocean governance,” Lamola said.
Among the challenges facing the region are slow domestication of protocols, limited enforcement mechanisms and reliance on external financing, alongside climate vulnerability, debt pressures and exposure to external shocks.
Lamola noted that intra-regional trade remains between 19% and 23%, while manufacturing contributes just over 12% to regional GDP. Indicators, he said, must inform planning and prioritisation during South Africa’s tenure.
He also highlighted the need to strengthen public support for regional integration, warning that low awareness and rising anti-migrant sentiment could undermine progress.
Citing Afrobarometer findings, Lamola said while six in ten South Africans support easier trade with other countries, awareness of key continental initiatives remains low.
“Only 12 per cent of South Africans interviewed had heard of the African Continental Free Trade Area. This means that more than 80 per cent of our citizens were unaware of one of the continent’s most important economic integration projects,” he said.
He condemned recent acts of violence and intimidation against migrants, stressing that such actions have no place in a constitutional democracy.
“Acts of lawlessness, intimidation and violence against migrant communities have no place in our constitutional democracy. Acts of violence constitute a threat to our constitutional order,” Lamola said.
Looking ahead, Lamola urged officials to confront two key questions: how to build public confidence in regional integration, and how to navigate an increasingly unstable global environment.
“This places upon us both a responsibility and an opportunity: to provide steady leadership during a period of transition, and to shape regional integration in a manner that is practical, responsive and focused on implementation,” he said.
SADC consists of 16 Member States, including South Africa. On 07 November 2025, South Africa was elected as interim Chair of SADC until August 2026, where it will be elected as Chair until August 2027. – SAnews.gov.za
