The opening of the Fifty Eighth SADC Parliamentary Forum Plenary Assembly in Durban unfolded with an unmistakable sense of urgency as Acting President of South Africa, Hon Paul Mashatile, delivered a striking regional challenge on climate realities that can no longer be postponed or treated as distant projections. His call resonated through the Durban International Convention Centre with the clarity of a region standing at an irreversible turning point. With a theme centred on the impact of climate change on women and youth and the role of Parliaments in mitigation and adaptation, the Assembly opened with an intensity befitting a region confronted by a crisis that has moved from the horizon to the doorstep.
Acting President Mashatile’s address set the tone for the Plenary Assembly, reminding SADC states that climate change has matured into a lived threat capable of dismantling livelihoods, widening inequality and destabilising the economic heartbeat of the region. He emphasised that the crisis disproportionately burdens women and youth who are already carrying the weight of structural vulnerabilities. Mashatile challenged Parliaments to legislate with courage, insisting that every climate policy, every budget framework, every oversight mechanism must reflect the urgency of a crisis that is advancing faster than institutional responses.
He underscored the need for gender-sensitive legislation, expanded renewable energy pathways, and deliberate support for sustainable critical mineral value chains. These, he argued, are no longer aspirational options but pragmatic building blocks for a green, inclusive and future-proof regional economy. He also reminded MPs that legislative ambition must be matched with strict oversight, asserting that Parliaments must hold governments accountable for domestic climate laws and for the execution of regional and international obligations.
Powerful contributions from regional leaders enriched the ceremony. KwaZulu-Natal Legislature Speaker Hon Nontembeko Boyce anchored her remarks on the lived stress of climate change, pointing to the recurring floods that have devastated the province. Premier Thami Ntuli echoed this vulnerability, urging for regional synchronisation of climate resilience strategies. The message from SADC PF Secretary General Her Excellency Boemo Sekgoma was unmistakable. The climate crisis is now a daily reality, she said, and demands innovation, urgency and bravery from regional Parliaments.
The Southern Africa Youth Parliament and the Regional Women’s Parliamentary Caucus made spirited interventions that sharpened the human lens of the conversation, reminding delegates that women and youth remain at the core of the climate agenda. Host Speaker Hon Thoko Didiza deepened the moment, stressing that the climate crisis is fundamentally a crisis of inequality, one that requires intentional and transformative interventions across both mitigation and adaptation pillars. She called for unwavering legislative resolve, warning that inaction carries a price that the region can no longer afford to pay.
Zimbabwe’s presence at the Assembly was anchored by a committed delegation led by Hon Maybe Mbohwa, accompanied by Hon Chinheza Chigwadzara, Chief Matsiwo, Hon Tendai Nyabani, Hon Mercy Mugomo and Hon Lynette Karenyi. Their participation comes at a critical moment for Zimbabw,e which has just concluded nationwide hearings on the Climate Change Management Bill. The insights gathered across villages, towns and cities painted a stark picture of Zimbabwe’s climate reality. Communities spoke of prolonged droughts, collapsing harvests, water shortages, climate-related health emergencies, cyclone-induced destruction, disrupted tourism ecosystems, and escalating human-wildlife conflicts that have claimed lives and livelihoods. These voices placed Zimbabwe’s climate legislation process on a foundation of lived truth.
Hon Mbohwa captured this sentiment shortly after the opening ceremony, stating that Zimbabwe arrives in Durban with the full weight of its people’s voices. She reflected on women walking longer distances for water, youth losing income to drought, families displaced by floods and entire communities living in precarious conditions shaped by shifting climate patterns. For Zimbabwe, she noted, the mandate is clear. Parliament must translate this lived reality into decisive, inclusive and forward-looking climate legislation informed by the perspectives gathered during national consultations. She reaffirmed Zimbabwe’s commitment to climate-smart agriculture, such as Pfumvudza, the expansion of clean energy systems, enhanced water infrastructure, and disaster preparedness frameworks, all anchored in constitutional environmental rights.
As substantive discussions begin, the Assembly stands united in recognising that climate change is more than an environmental threat. It is a development crisis, a security risk and a justice issue. The coming days will shape the region’s parliamentary posture toward resilience, equity and sustainable progress. Durban has therefore become a platform where SADC Parliaments confront climate realities not with fear but with legislative conviction and a commitment to protect the future of women, youth and generations to come.
