South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and other leaders of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) on Sunday paid tribute to late anti-apartheid icon Oliver Reginald Tambo ahead of the regional bloc’s summit in Durban.
Ramaphosa laid a wreath at Tambo’s statue at Durban’s South Beach, joined by heads of state and government from SADC member countries attending the gathering.
The bronze statue commemorates Tambo’s decades-long struggle against apartheid and his efforts to mobilise international support for the African National Congress (ANC).
Tambo served as president of the ANC both in South Africa and during his years in exile, helping to sustain the liberation movement’s campaign against apartheid.
He died in 1993, a year before Nelson Mandela became South Africa’s first democratically elected president.
The 16-member SADC summit, which begins on Monday, is expected to focus on economic development, regional security and migration.
Ramaphosa, who is set to assume the SADC chairmanship, is expected to urge member states to address the economic and social conditions driving people to leave their countries.
The migration issue is likely to attract attention outside the summit venue, with anti-immigrant groups planning a march to protest regional migration policies.
SADC promotes sustainable and equitable economic growth, socio-economic development, regional cooperation and integration, good governance, peace and security among its member states.
The summit is being held under the theme: “Resilient, Sustainable and Inclusive Industrialisation through Infrastructure Development, Agricultural and Critical Minerals Transformation in Pursuit of a Just World.”
The annual meeting will set strategic priorities for regional cooperation, integration and development while addressing key economic, security and social challenges facing Southern Africa.
