Speaker of the Parliament of Zimbabwe, Advocate Jacob Francis Nzwidamilimo Mudenda, continues to lead with clarity and vision at the ongoing SADC Parliamentary Forum (SADC PF) Executive Committee (EXCO) Meetings in Windhoek, Namibia. His participation at the high-level engagements has reflected Zimbabwe’s unwavering commitment to regional solidarity, institutional transformation, and people-centred governance across the Southern African Development Community.
In a significant moment of unity and remembrance, Speaker Advocate Mudenda joined fellow Presiding Officers of Parliament in laying wreaths at Namibia’s Heroes Acre. The solemn ceremony, led by SADC PF President, Hon. Advocate John Tokely, paid homage to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, as well as to the tombs of Namibia’s Founding President, His Excellency Dr. Sam Nujoma, and the late President, His Excellency Dr. Hage Geingob. The gesture underscored the shared legacy of liberation struggles that continue to inform SADC’s collective identity and vision.
Speaker Advocate Mudenda, who is attending the Inaugural Orientation and EXCO Meeting of the SADC PF, was later received by the newly elected Speaker of the National Assembly of Namibia, Hon. Dr. Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila. Her election, the first by a woman to that position in Namibia, was widely applauded by the EXCO delegates as a significant stride toward gender equality in parliamentary leadership. The interaction highlighted mutual respect and a shared drive toward deepening regional parliamentary cooperation.
During afternoon deliberations, Speaker Advocate Mudenda addressed the regional leadership on the urgent imperative of food sovereignty in Africa. Cautioning that “a hungry SADC region is an angry region,” he stressed the link between agricultural productivity and peace. He pointed to Zimbabwe’s success under the Pfumvudza/Intwasa climate-smart agricultural programme, which saw over 3 million farmers participating in the 2024–2025 season. With strong government support through Presidential input schemes and mechanized production, Zimbabwe is expecting a maize harvest of 2.7 million metric tonnes, an increase of 635,000 tonnes over the previous season. Similarly, wheat production is projected to reach a record 600,000 metric tonnes, driven by local production following disruptions in global grain imports due to the Ukraine conflict.
The Speaker of the Parliament of Zimbabwe also spotlighted the government’s investment in irrigation infrastructure, revealing that the country is constructing 10,600 water bodies to ensure sustainable agricultural output. These efforts, he said, reflect Zimbabwe’s strategic path toward food security and economic resilience, principles that other SADC nations may draw lessons from in building regional capacity.
Looking ahead, Speaker Advocate Mudenda informed the EXCO that Zimbabwe is preparing to host two major international events in Victoria Falls: the 57th SADC PF Plenary Assembly (31 May–8 June 2025), and the 15th Conference of the Contracting Parties to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands (COP15) from 23 to 31 July 2025. The former, themed “Harnessing Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Innovation in Enhancing Parliamentary Processes in the SADC Region,” reflects Zimbabwe’s readiness to lead on digital transformation in governance and regional innovation.
Speaker Advocate Mudenda also shared key national developments, including the recent stabilisation of Zimbabwe’s opposition through court interventions, an outcome he said bodes well for strengthening democracy and fostering a healthy multiparty system. “A strong opposition party is necessary in strengthening the parliamentary standing of the ruling party ironically to keep it in power!” he said, in a moment of candid political reflection.
Notably, the Speaker of the Parliament of Zimbabwe highlighted the successful launch of a Youth Parliament Model, based on the Kenyan system. Through it, 289 young people from Zimbabwe’s ten provinces were immersed in legislative processes, with the aim of inspiring active political participation among the country’s future leaders.
As a longstanding member of the SADC PF Legal Sub-Committee, Speaker Advocate Mudenda urged fellow leaders to thoroughly examine the proposed Protocol to transform the SADC PF into a fully-fledged Regional Parliament before it is tabled for adoption at the upcoming August 2025 SADC
