The Southern African Development Community (SADC) has urged all the citizens in its 16 member countries to unite and adhere to measures put in place to avoid or minimise the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19).
In a press statement released today on the commemoration of the Southern Africa Liberation day which falls on 23 March, SADC Executive Secretary Stergomena Lawrence Tax said the region will only succeed in the fight against COVID-19 if its citizens follow measures which have been recommended by their governments.
Dr. Tax stated that the Southern African region is, like the rest of the world, grappling with COVID-19, which the World Health Organisation (WHO) has since declared a global pandemic and a health emergency.
We shall not fail, let us cooperate and move in unity, everyone must play their part, a paradigm shift in the way we conduct ourselves and our businesses is a must,
Dr. Tax said.
Meanwhile, Dr. Tax has urged SADC member states to work together to transform their economies and liberate their citizens from the bondage of poverty.
SADC member states should work hard and do their best to ensure that the regional organisation’s hard-earned freedom is sustained for posterity.
She said.
And the SADC Executive Secretary has asked member countries to ensure that their unique liberation history is not forgotten adding that their freedom was one of the many achievements the region can be proud of.
Dr. Tax has meanwhile paid tribute to the men and women who sacrificed their lives for the liberation of the Southern African region.
She noted that without their commitment and selflessness, the SADC region would not have achieved its political liberation.
In August 2018, the 38th SADC Summit of Heads of State and Government endorsed 23rd March, as the day for commemorating the liberation of Southern Africa. The summit was held in Windhoek, Namibia.