President Cyril Ramaphosa has called on Southern African leaders to move beyond declarations and take concrete action to deliver economic liberation for people across the region.
Ramaphosa was speaking on Monday as heads of state, government representatives and delegates from the 16 SADC member states gathered at the Durban International Convention Centre for the 46th Ordinary SADC Summit.
The summit is being held under the theme: “Resilient, sustainable and inclusive industrialisation through Infrastructure Development, Agricultural and Critical Minerals Transformation in Pursuit of a Just World.”
Ramaphosa said people across the Southern African Development Community are looking to their leaders to deliver meaningful improvements to their daily lives.
He said communities want decent employment opportunities, expanding industries, reliable electricity, affordable food, quality healthcare and education, as well as greater opportunities for young people.
The president stressed that the summit should focus on implementing existing regional development plans rather than simply adopting further declarations.
“We must deepen industrialisation and build regional value chains. The minerals and agricultural commodities of our region must become the foundation of Southern African manufacturing,” Ramaphosa said.
He said stronger regional cooperation and investment in infrastructure, agriculture and critical minerals would be essential to achieving inclusive economic growth.
Meanwhile, the summit has resulted in significant traffic disruptions in Durban, with motorists experiencing heavy congestion following road closures linked to the movement of dignitaries.
The M4 from Van Riebeeck Road towards the city centre was closed from 8.30am and was initially expected to reopen at around 9.30am.
However, KwaZulu-Natal police said the movement of dignitaries had fallen behind schedule, resulting in extended delays for motorists.
Authorities had yet to confirm the timing of further road closures planned for Monday afternoon.