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S. Africa voices support for SADC candidate for AU Commission Chairperson

Xinhua, July 5, 2016 Adjust font size:

South Africa on Monday voiced support for the candidate fielded by the Southern African Development Community (SADC) for the position of the African Union (AU) Commision Chairperson.

South Africa is bound by the decision of the countries of the South, which have endorsed the candidature of Pelonomi Venson-Motoi, the Foreign Minister of Botswana, to succeed outgoing Nkoana Dlamini-Zuma as the AU Commission Chairperson, said Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Mait Nkoana-Mashabane.

"In this regard, the region is campaigning for Venson-Motoi and South Africa is fully behind our Southern African Development Community candidate for the position of the Chairperson," Nkoana-Mashabane said.

The minister was speaking while briefing reporters in Pretoria on the AU's 27th Ordinary Session of its Assembly on July 17-18 in Kigali, Rwanda.

The summit will look at the election and appointment of the new AU Commission Chairperson.

Other issues to be discussed will include the state of peace and security in Africa, financing of the AU, United Nations reform, integration of the African continent and the Continental Free Trade Area; the implementation of NEPAD (New Partnership for Africa's Development) projects, the African Peer Review Mechanism, and the following reports: Aids Watch Africa, African Trade and Implementation of the Kigali Water Action Plan.

Nkoana-Mashabane praised Dlamini-Zuma for her outstanding work as the AU Commssion Chairperson.

Dlamini-Zuma's ascension to the position made her the first woman ever in 50 years to take that position, and she turned around the working methods of the AU, Nkoana-Mashabane said.

Under her leadership, the AU endorsed the first 10 years of implementation of Agenda 2063 projects at the AU summit last year, Nkoana-Mashabane said.

"We are now in the second year of that and we are already seeing a lot of initiatives that look at the integration of rail networks (among others)," said Nkoana-Mashabane.

The minister also announced that South Africa's two-year term of office as Member of the Peace and Security Council was extended for another two years until March 31, 2018, a decision which places the country at the centre of efforts to ensure that Africa is peaceful, secure and stable. Endit