Page 74 - sadc40en

Dr Tax appointed Executive Secretary
Dr. Stergomena Lawrence Tax of the United Republic of Tanzania was appointed SADC
Executive Secretary for a period of four years 2014-2017, and later re-appointed for a second
term 2018-2021. She is the first woman to head the SADC Secretariat.

Madagascar
An Extra-Ordinary SADC Summit held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on 30 January 2014,
welcomed the presidential and parliamentary elections in Madagascar in October and
December 2013. The Summit commended the SADC Organ on Politics, Defence and
Security Cooperation and its successive Chairpersons 2009-2013/14 for their focused
leadership in supporting Madagascar, and the SADC Mediator, former President Joaquim
Alberto Chissano of Mozambique for his skilful mediation, as well as Member States who
made financial contributions to the process.

2014-2015 The 34 SADC Summit was held in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe on 17-18 August 2014 hosted
th
and chaired by President Robert Gabriel Mugabe, with the theme of, SADC Strategy for
Economic Transformation: Leveraging the Region’s Diverse Resources for Sustainable
Economic and Social Development through Beneficiation and Value Addition.

Introduction of Summit themes
For the first time, it was agreed that each Summit would be held under a particular theme,
64 which would reflect the focus for the coming year.
Industrialisation
On the Theme, the Summit directed that industrialisation should take centre stage in SADC’s
regional integration agenda, and mandated the Ministerial Task Force on Regional Economic
Integration to develop a strategy and roadmap for industrialisation in the region.

Founding Leaders
Summit underscored the need to appropriately honour the Founding Leaders who played
an outstanding role in the liberation of Africa, at both regional and continental levels.

SADC Hashim Mbita Project
A nine-volume publication of interviews and documents on the liberation of
Southern Africa was launched at the 34 SADC Summit in Victoria Falls,
th
Zimbabwe, by the host and incoming SADC Chairperson, President Robert Gabriel
Mugabe. The publication titled Southern African Liberation Struggles, was produced by
the SADC Hashim Mbita Project initiated at the 25th Summit for the collection,
cataloguing and compiling of oral texts and documents in SADC Member States
and elsewhere, under the leadership of Brig-General (Rtd) Hashim Mbita, who was
the Executive Secretary of the OAU Liberation Committee for 22 years from 1972
until his mission was accomplished with the democratic elections in South Africa in
1994. The Summit urged Member States to honour Ambassador Mbita as
demonstrated by Zimbabwe which conferred on him the Order of Munhumutapa, which
was received by his daughter, Shella, shown in the picture at left with President Mugabe
(right) and the SADC Executive Secretary, Dr Stergomena Lawrence Tax (left).

Protocols and other Legal Instruments
The Protocol on Environmental Management for Sustainable Development was adopted,
and also the Protocol on Employment and Labour, and the Declaration on Regional
Infrastructure Development.