NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
FOR WRITTEN REPLY
QUESTION NO: 1889 (NW 2127E)
PUBLISHED IN INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NO 20-2011 OF 29 JULY 2011
QUOTE
MR S MOKGALAPA (DA) TO ASK THE MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS:
Whether the SADC Ministerial Troika has removed Zimbabwe from the Agenda;
if not, what is the position; if so (a) why and (b) when will the situation
be reviewed?
REPLY:
Yes.
(a)The removal of this item from the SADC Ministerial Committee of the
Organ Troika Agenda was determined and informed purely by SADC statutory
documents. Zimbabwe has been elevated to the Summit primarily because
President Zuma is the Facilitator and responsible for the mediation with
regard to the implementation of the Global Political Agreement. It would
be appreciated that in terms of established protocols, where mediation
efforts are led by a Head of State, he or she then reports to his/her
counterparts equals, that is, to SADC Heads of State and Government Summit.
It is against this background that the MCO referred the matter to Summit.
The facilitator being the President cannot report to a Ministerial forum
that still has to report to Summit in the context of what is outlined
above.
(b) As indicated above the matter remains the domain of Summit.
UNQUOTE