The SADC Parliamentary Forum Executive Committee (EXCO) Meetings underway in Windhoek are more than a procedural convergence, they are a powerful statement of Southern Africa’s rising institutional confidence, unity, and shared commitment to shaping a parliamentary future rooted in inclusivity, reform, and resilience.
Presiding Officers from across the region, including the Speaker of the Parliament of Zimbabwe, Advocate Jacob Francis Nzwidamilimo Mudenda, gathered in solemn unity at Namibia’s revered Heroes Acre, where they paid homage to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the founding pillars of Namibian sovereignty, His Excellency Dr. Sam Nujoma and the late President, H.E. Dr. Hage Geingob. This symbolic act of remembrance reflected a region deeply aware of its liberation history and determined to preserve the principles it was built upon: self-determination, solidarity, and justice.
Speaker Advocate Mudenda, a veteran of regional parliamentary diplomacy, has emerged as one of the key figures in SADC’s push to transition the Forum into a fully-fledged Regional Parliament. His consistent call for critical review and eventual adoption of the Protocol for Transformation is a rallying point for deeper legislative integration, ensuring that SADC’s collective voice is amplified and coordinated in continental and global forums.
The engagements in Windhoek have also highlighted a renewed appreciation for inclusive governance. The newly elected Speaker of the Namibian National Assembly, Hon. Dr. Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila, the first woman to hold the role, received the EXCO delegation warmly, showcasing the region’s evolving leadership landscape and the rising prominence of women in high office. The atmosphere was one of mutual respect, cultural exchange, and genuine commitment to collaborative progress.
Amid diplomatic courtesies and ceremonial events, the discussions turned substantive as Speaker Advocate Mudenda offered insights into Zimbabwe’s strides in agriculture and youth political inclusion. His narrative was both candid and inspiring. From Zimbabwe’s rising maize and wheat yields under the Pfumvudza/Intwasa climate-smart initiative, to the launch of a national Youth Parliament, his address reflected a governance model aligning production, participation, and innovation, pillars that resonate across SADC.
The spirit of shared development was further echoed in Zimbabwe’s readiness to host both the 57th SADC PF Plenary Assembly and the Ramsar COP15. Speaker Advocate Mudenda presented these as opportunities not just for Zimbabwe, but for the entire region to champion the application of digital technologies in governance and to lead on climate justice at global scale.
With constitutional reforms brewing in Botswana and Lesotho, and efforts to regularize Forum subscriptions by member parliaments, the EXCO’s engagements have quietly but surely affirmed the maturity of the SADC PF as a regional body, one that is increasingly self-aware, solution-driven, and poised for transformation.
As the Forum moves toward the next round of deliberations and Zimbabwe’s Independence commemorations in Namibia, one message is clear: the future of regional governance lies not in rhetoric, but in relationships, built on trust, tradition, and shared transformation. And in Windhoek, that future is being quietly, but powerfully, shaped.
