President Mugabe welcomes Sadc executive secretary Dr Stergomena Lawrence Tax and director of Policy Planning and Resource Mobilisation Dr Angelo Eduardo Mondlane at State House in Harare yesterday. — (Picture by Tawanda Mudimu)
Farirai Machivenyika Senior Reporter
ELEVEN Sadc Heads of State and Government have confirmed their attendance of the 34th Sadc Summit slated for August 17 to 18 in Victoria Falls. President Mugabe, who is set to assume the Sadc chair at the summit, opened a zanu-pf Central Committee meeting in Harare yesterday where he expressed satisfaction with preparations made to host the regional annual event.
"Already, out of the 14 Heads of State, 11 have indicated they are coming. The three are yet to indicate, they are in countries which are preparing for elections, but we know should they be held back by those preparations which they are doing they will send formidable members to represent their countries," President Mugabe said.
Botswana and Mozambique are expected to go to elections in October, while Namibia is scheduled to hold its plebiscite in November.
The President told Central Committee members that he had met with Sadc Executive Secretary Dr Stergomena Lawrence Tax earlier in the day and she was satisfied with the country's state of preparedness told the Sadc summit.
"It is also our fortune this year that we have been elected by Sadc as its host for this year and the chairmanship for the whole of the Sadc year which means up to next year, and just now the Minister of Foreign Affairs (Simbarashe Mumbengegwi) and I have been meeting with the Sadc Secretariat, the Executive Secretary and we have been working on the preparations as done to see whether the rhythm, the format of those preparations are in accordance with the Sadc tradition, what has become a tradition of holding our yearly conferences, and I am happy that the preparations have been well done," President Mugabe said.
He urged the inter-ministerial committees tasked with ensuring the successful hosting of the summit to ensure they completed their work on time.
"As we look within ourselves as Sadc, we should also have an inward domestic look, are we fully prepared?" he said. "And our committees which have been set to undertake the task of working on those areas where preparations are necessary, those committees must complete their work where it has not been completed.
"We would have to ensure that transport facilities are ready, that we are not only providing cars that are apt and proper and befitting, but cars in good condition, that our accommodation is comfortable, accommodation and befitting to the status of people as we are used in Sadc."
President Mugabe called on Zimbabweans to be hospitable to the visitors and guests who would be in the country during the Summit.
