Speaker of the National Assembly, Hon. Prof. Peter Katjavivi receiving a gift as a token of appreciation for his dedicaed service to the SADC-PF.
Story by George Sanzila
Date: 10/12/2024
Livingstone, Zambia – Speaker of the National Assembly of Zimbabwe, Hon. Adv. Jacob Mudenda, has hailed his Namibian counterpart, Hon. Prof. Peter Katjavivi describing him as a towering figure in efforts to transform the Southern African Development Community Parliamentary Forum (SADC-PF) into a regional parliament. A valedictory ceremony was organised by the SADC-PF in his honour on the margins of the 56th Plenary Assembly hosted by the Parliament of Zambia in Livingstone, Zambia.
Hon. Mudenda, who is part of the Executive Committee of the Forum and who also serves as the head of the SADC-PF Strategic lobbying team that has spearheaded the transformation agenda, commended Hon. Katjavivi for his commitment to the transformation and regional integration.
“I would like to acknowledge Honourable Peter Katjavivi as the host of the SADC Parliamentary Forum and a dedicated member of the Strategic Lobbying Team for the transformation of the SADC PF into a Regional Parliament in the past 10 years. His visionary leadership and commitment towards SADC regional integration have established a strong foundation for regional interface and democratic governance within the SADC region. His contributions to this noble cause are both hallowing and inspirational”, stated Hon. Mudenda.
According to Hon. Mudenda, the Forum traces its origins in Namibia with the 1992 Windhoek Declaration having laid the foundation for its creation. “The formation of the SADC-PF has its genesis in Namibia, which has played a pioneering role in the evolution of the regional SADC parliamentarism. The historic 1992 Windhoek Declaration laid the foundation. Namibia’s contribution to the creation of the SADC Parliamentary Forum is historic. The country’s leaders, especially the late founding Speaker of the National Assembly (1990-2014), Hon. Dr. Moses Tjendero, were instrumental in fervently advocating for the establishment of this parliamentary institution. Consequently, it is no wonder that Namibia became the privileged country to be the SADC PF host up to today”, said Hon. Mudenda.
Echoeing similar sentiments, President of the SADC-PF, Hon. Roger Mancienne, described Katjavivi as a dedicated proponent of regional integration and the transformation of the SADC-PF into a regional parliament.In his valedictory remarks, Hon. Katjavivi who recounted his life journey dating back to the time of Namibia’s struggle for independence, thanked the SADC-PF, urging members of parliament to continue contributing to the forum to impact the lives of ordinary citizens. Hon. Katjavivi noted that unity and cooperation in the region were imperative after the attainment of independence hence the creation of institutions such as the SADC-PF. He further noted that Namibia has been actively involved in the work of the regional parliamentary body from the time of his predecessors adding that he was delighted that transformnation has been achieved including the recently launched SADC-PF Trust Fund.
“My dear friend, Advocate Mudenda referred to the role played by our founding Speaker and Dr. Theo Ben Gurirab when he took over. I have inherited that responsibility to be actively involved in the work of the SADC-PF. We are proud that today, we are talking about transformation as well as the Trust Fund which we just launched as a vehicle to drive an extra budget and fund raising. The honour that you have bestowed on me through this get together is overwhelming”, said an emotional Katjavivi to loud applause.
The current Plenary Assembly will be Hon. Katjavivi’s last in his capacity as Speaker. A revered politician, educationist and diplomat, he has been the Speaker of the National Assembly since March 2015 after several roles as founding Vice Chancellor of the University of Namibia, Ambassador and Director General of the National Planning Commission among others. He is a long serving member of the SADC-PF’s Executive Committee and the Vice President of the IPU task force on the Russia-Ukraine conflict. He will be retiring as Speaker in March 2025.
