Ramaphosa accepted the chairpersonship on Monday at the 46th Ordinary SADC Summit at the Durban International Convention Centre, saying he did so “with great humility and a deep sense of responsibility”.
DURBAN — President Cyril Ramaphosa has formally taken over the chairpersonship of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), pledging to use South Africa’s year at the helm to deepen regional economic integration, strengthen trade and investment, and accelerate industrialisation.
Ramaphosa accepted the chairpersonship on Monday at the 46th Ordinary SADC Summit at the Durban International Convention Centre, saying he did so “with great humility and a deep sense of responsibility”.
He linked South Africa’s leadership of the 16-member regional bloc to the country’s history and the support it received from the region during the struggle against apartheid.
“As a nation, we owe a debt of gratitude to the members of SADC and its predecessor, the Southern African Development Co-ordination Conference, for their contribution to the achievement of democracy in our country,” Ramaphosa told delegates.
The summit brought together SADC Heads of State and Government, traditional leaders, African Union Commission Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf and SADC Executive Secretary Elias Magosi.
South Africa takes over the chair from Zimbabwe, with President Emmerson Mnangagwa formally handing over the role to Ramaphosa.
Ramaphosa thanked Mnangagwa for his leadership and praised the SADC Secretariat for supporting the bloc’s agenda.
South Africa’s assumption of the chairpersonship follows an unusual sequence of events.
The country was originally designated to become SADC chair at the 45th Ordinary Summit in Antananarivo, Madagascar, in August 2025. However, political turmoil in Madagascar resulted in the country relinquishing the chairpersonship.
As SADC Deputy Chair, South Africa was subsequently elected interim Chairperson at a virtual Extraordinary Summit on 7 November 2025, several months ahead of the original schedule.
READ MORE: Ramaphosa Urges SADC To Take Control Of Its Industrial Future Ahead Of 46th Summit
The decision followed Madagascar’s inability to continue fulfilling the responsibilities of the chairpersonship amid political developments in the country.
South Africa’s formal assumption of the chairpersonship at Monday’s summit now begins its full one-year term.
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.”
The theme places infrastructure, agriculture and critical minerals at the centre of SADC’s industrialisation ambitions as the region seeks to reduce its dependence on exporting unprocessed commodities.
In his acceptance address, Ramaphosa committed South Africa to advancing SADC’s Vision 2050 and the Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan.
He said South Africa would work closely with all member states, guided by “sovereign equality, mutual respect and consensus building”.
“We will seek greater integration of our economies, building ties of trade and investment that drive resilient, sustainable and inclusive industrialisation,” he said.
Ramaphosa also stressed the importance of peace and security, describing them as essential to the development and well-being of people across the region.
At the opening of the summit, he highlighted the scale of the economic opportunity within SADC, noting that the bloc has a combined population of nearly 400 million people.
Yet intra-regional trade remains relatively low, accounting for about 20% of the region’s total trade.
For Ramaphosa, increasing economic integration will require SADC countries to focus on developing industries, expanding infrastructure and improving the welfare of their populations.
The chairship is therefore expected to place renewed emphasis on strengthening regional value chains, expanding intra-African trade and ensuring that the region derives greater economic value from its natural resources.
Among the key issues expected to occupy SADC leaders during South Africa’s tenure is the operationalisation of the SADC Regional Development Fund, which is intended to finance regional development projects and programmes.
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Leaders are also expected to consider progress on commitments made at last year’s summit in Madagascar, as well as the political and security situation in Madagascar.
The situation in Madagascar was already flagged for further attention at an Extraordinary SADC Summit in June 2026.
Ramaphosa repeatedly returned to the historical ties that bind South Africa to SADC.
The regional organisation’s predecessor, the Southern African Development Co-ordination Conference, was established during the liberation struggle and brought together countries that supported the fight against apartheid.
“Our participation in SADC is founded on this history,” Ramaphosa said. “It is sustained by an abiding conviction that progress in our region will be secured only through unity, cooperation and solidarity.”
He said South Africa’s chairship would seek to honour the sacrifices made by countries across the region in supporting South Africa’s liberation.
“We are determined that through our Chairship and through our continued participation in SADC, we will be worthy of the struggles that were fought by the members of this Community for the achievement of our freedom,” he said.
South Africa will lead SADC until the 47th Ordinary Summit in 2027, when the chairpersonship is expected to pass to the next country in the bloc’s rotation.
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