Mwalimu Julius Nyerere, chairman of the South Commission and former President of Tanzania, today visited the Harare-based Southern African Research and Documentation centre (SARDC)
of which he is the patron.
During his 90-minute tour of the impressive high-tech institution he met all of the 32 full and part-time staff with each department head briefing him on projects currently underway.
Mwalimu agreed to become patron of SARDC in June 1986 when he was in Harare to receive an honorary law degree from the University soon after he retired as Tanzania’s President.
SARDC is an independent donor-funded foundation involved in the collection, analysis, and dissemination of information about the southern African region.
Its objective is to improve knowledge about political, economic, social and cultural developments, and their implications, to assist governments and other policy planners, nongovernmental organisations, development agencies, international organisations, academics, diplomats, the media and private sector.
Twice each month SARDC circulates a package of special reports, background features on topical issues, chronological summaries, bibliographies and acquisition lists to subscribers.
In addition it undertakes consultancies for the United Nations, Commonwealth Secretariat, African-European Institute, Organisation of African Unity and many other regional and
international organisations. It has also produced a number of books and major papers on southern African topics.
The head of research, Masimba Tafirenyika, briefed Mwalimu on current major projects: an environmental study to include networking with almost 800 identified regional contacts, debt,
structural adjustment, southern Africa after apartheid, regional cooperation, post-conflict electoral processes, AIDS, gender and other topical issues.
Mwalimu was clearly amused when Memory Sachikonye, head of data processing, extracted from her computer the “Nyerere file” to show him what he had said in recent years.
The Centre contains over 2,500 files on regional issues, a library of books and periodicals, a computerised data base of select materials and reading room facilities.
SARDC has trained a number of people from the region as well as providing in-house training and has a sub-office in Maputo.
Mwalimu Nyerere arrived in Harare on Monday to personally pay his condolence to President Mugabe over the death of the late First Lady, and to discuss issues relating to the South
Commission, the forthcoming environmental conference in Brazil and political developments in Southern Africa. (SARDC)
