George Sanzila
A trust that was registered in May 2024 to mobilise additional resources to support the work of the SADC Parliamentary Forum held its first meeting on 29 November, with trustees gathered at the National Assembly of Namibia to lay the groundwork for its operations and strategic objectives.
The trust’s first meeting saw the election of Namibia’s speaker of parliament, Peter Katjavivi, as its chairperson and Aia-Eza Nacilia Gomes da Silva Troso, a former deputy minister of finance from Angola, as deputy chairperson.
The meeting also appointed Namibian lawyer Kauna Angula, a trust practitioner, and BDO Namibia as the external auditors.
Three additional trustees are Pedro Sebastiao of Angola, Brian Katjaerua from and Lionel Mathews from Namibia.
They were appointed, expanding the established board to include a diverse range of perspectives and expertise.
Katjavivi hailed the establishment of the SADC Parliamentary Forum and its Successors Trust as “a significant milestone” and expressed hope that philanthropists, donors and well-wishers who support democracy across the globe would support the Trust.
Katjavivi expressed her delight over the successful meeting and stated that they are fully committed to helping the Trust begin its operations in earnest.
“This is an important milestone in the process of strengthening the work of the SADC Parliamentary Forum. The Trust will help us mobilise resources to enhance activities of parliaments at the regional level as the region prepares to set up a SADC parliament,” he said.
The Speaker of the Parliament of Zimbabwe and the chairperson of the legal sub-committee of the SADC PF Executive Committee of the forum, Advocate Jacob Francis Nzwidamilimo Mudenda, is among those who believed in the significance of the Trust and championed its establishment in Windhoek.
He said the aim was to create “a special purpose vehicle to raise additional funds necessary for the operations of the SADC PF” as it advances toward its transformation into a regional parliament.
“We need to leverage this Trust for fundraising, especially as we implement projects related to model lawmaking and climate action change,” he noted in an interview.
Sebastiao of Angola underscored the importance of the Trust responding efficiently and transparently to address its set objectives and the SADC PF’s needs.
Leon Tumba Mukendi from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) said the first board meeting of the SADC Parliamentary Forum and its Successors Trust was a step forward in enhancing regional collaboration and governance for the benefit of citizens across Southern Africa.
“This is proof that things are moving,” he said.
Trust Practitioner Angula added, “We are excited to work closely with the SADC PF to achieve the Trust’s strategic objectives, ensuring that all trustees understand their mandate.”
The SADC PF is hopeful that the SADC Summit of Heads of State and Government will approve the Protocol on the SADC Parliament in August 2025, which coincides with the first meeting of Trustees and the completion of the Trust’s formation.
By creating this independent trust, the region is working toward innovative avenues to secure funding for the SADC Parliament to support the implementation capacity of SADC’s regional integration agenda.
Furthermore, the benefits of the trust are that it positively impacts the lives of SADC citizens through processes, particularly the domestication of SADC protocols, treaties, and conventions.
The Trust will operate in parallel and not interfere with the traditional resource mobilization initiatives of the SADC Parliamentary Forum.
