Page 31 - 40th Summit Brochure 2020

SADC@40
1980-2020
Southern African Development Community since 1980

“SADCC is our major instrument for self-reliant development in
this part of Africa.” President Mwalimu Julius Nyerere opening SADCC
Summit in Arusha, 9 August 1985

“We need to gain mastery of our own destiny... and we can
only succeed within the framework of a united Southern
African community.... I am calling for cooperation and unity
of purpose so that we can together plan for our future and
the future of our children... President Sir Seretse Khama opening
SADCC conception conference in Arusha, 2 July 1979

“What is it from our past experience that hinders reaching the goals? What is it in our
present that hinders reaching the goals? What needs to be done to improve things?”
Dr Kenneth Kaunda address to UNDP MDGs Forum in Johannesburg, 2 July 2003

T e Southern African Development Coordination Conference
(SADCC) was born in conf ict and it is not an overstatement to say
that SADCC and its Member States brought peace to Southern Africa,
its greatest achievement of the 1980s. But the visionary leaders who
created SADCC were already articulating the next goal, even as the re-
gion was negotiating peace, they were thinking about unity, economic
development and regional integration.
It was a miracle, this vision of a united and inte-
28 grated region with a shared future, but the f rst steps did-
n’t happen by chance, it took vision and courage, and the
support of the continent and the diaspora, with interna-
tional solidarity, to succeed -- and the loss of too many of the conti-
nent’s people, mainly youth. T at should never be forgotten....
T ese leaders took risks, with their lives and with their economies,
delaying national development by investing their resources in the fu- “Among the good, but generally unreported things of Africa, is the
ture. Some had found their way to independence and others were still Southern African Development Community, SADC.”
f ghting colonial rule and racism and apartheid, but their shared ex-
perience told them that their independence would not be complete “During its twelve years of existence (1980-1992), the
without the independence of their neighbours. coordination conference gave greatest priority to the building up
T ere can be no doubt of the commitment of SADC Member of a sub-regional infrastructure, so that all its members become
States to human rights and democracy, as they have been there, they linked together by road, railways, telecommunications, civil
know what it is, they fought for it together, and they won. T ey used aviation, and a shared electricity grid. Much remains to be done,
weapons and sabotage, and took defensive action, but mostly they but it is now possible to drive from Tanzania to Angola or
used strategy, diplomacy, determination, and solidarity. Namibia, as well as to South Africa. I am not saying it will always
be comfortable, or quick, but t it can be done, whereas previously,
it was virtually impossible.
“Also, despite the destructions of war in the two countries, it
SADC, SARDC partner to document SADC@40
is now, or soon will be, possible to telephone from Maputo in
THE SOUTHERN African Research and Documentation Centre Mozambique to Luanda in Angola without passing through
(SARDC) is partnering SADC to document the road that SADC has trav- Portugal. T ere were no such links before SADC. T e railway
elled as it commemorates its 40th anniversary this year. Based on SADC network leaves many great areas unconnected by rail but when a
documents and SARDC’s extensive library of the period, an illustrated his- secure peace has been established in Angola, so that the Benguela
tory of SADC will be presented with key achievements and milestones railway can be repaired along its length, each of eleven mainland Mwalimu Julius K. Nyerere was
the first recipient of the Seretse
since the SADCC was formed in 1980 and since the transformation to countries will be connected by rail to all others, however, devious Khama SADC Medal
SADC in 1992.
T e publication – SADC@40: T e Southern African Development the route at present. T e improved communications links facilitate the planned
Community 1980-2020 – traces the milestones and achievements as well expansion of intra-SADC trade, and then develop into a common market.
as the challenges encountered. T is is a commemorative publication in- “Also, cooperation on agricultural research is fast being organized. I am told
tended to present and celebrate the achievements of unity and integration that some new seeds, suitable for ecological conditions of the community have been
in the regional community, ef ective practices and lessons learned, toward developed and spread in member states, under the auspices of the coordination
a shared future. T e publication will be accessible in print and online, in conference and, lately, of the community. T is scientif c cooperation is just a part of
three of cial languages of SADC. the total ongoing movement towards the organization of food security, on a
SARDC is an independent regional knowledge resource centre es- Southern African basis.”
tablished in 1985 with Mwalimu Julius K. Nyerere as founding patron, to Mwalimu Julius K. Nyerere, the late Chairman of the Frontline States and a founder of SADC,
strengthen regional policy perspectives and track implementation on a at a conference in New Delhi, India on Understanding Contemporary Africa, February 1996
range of issues in southern Africa.