09 Oct 2016

Minister of International Affairs and Cooperation, Dr Pelonomi Venson-Moitoi says SADC has re-endorsed her for African Union Commission’s candidature.

She said the regional block re-endorsed her during the SADC Summit in Swaziland in August and the campaign team was set and will be run by the regional body and also said government of Botswana has offered a budget and a team of ministers to assist her in the campaign.

Briefing  the media in Gaborone on Thursday (October 6), Dr Venson- Moitoi said Botswana still believes that she is the rightful candidate for the post as per the African Union Commission’s requirements and that is why the country and the region  still think it is still proper for her to contest.

Dr Venson – Moitoi said though they are still waiting for the official confirmation of the contesting candidates, she is aware that four other countries have fielded candidates in the likes of Senegal, Somalia, Kenya and Equatorial Guinea.

She however, emphasised that what she said is not an official confirmation of the African Union and said the official confirmation will be announced by the AU in October 14.

Minister Venson-Moitoi said some of the issues that one has to deal with when elected in to the AU Commission.

She said there are issues such as migration, terrorism, funding of AU and integration among others.

She said as a candidate from Botswana, she is confident that dealing with the issue of terrorism which is a foreign thing to Botswana to avert such to happen in the continent she will preach dialogue as the tool to address issues of security in the continent, stating that it is easy to address issues over the table before they turn into bloodshed.

Regarding migration, the minister said it is wise to find out what really make people to migrate to other continents and also to have exact figures of those who have migrated and where they are and produce documents which will help address the problem.

During the July elections held in Kigali, Rwanda, Venson- Moitoi managed to pass all election hurdles to the last stage as she remained the last candidate standing after former Uganda Vice President, Specioza Wandira Kazibwe and Equatorial Guinea’s Foreign Minister Agapito Mba Mokuy were eliminated one after the other. However, she too was unable to obtain the necessary two-thirds majority required to usher her into office.

She said ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Southern African Region met in New York, USA to consider and adopt the strategy for the campaign.

The strategy was adopted and the Secretariat and Coordinator were urged to commence with full involvement of the SADC Secretariat.

Dr Venson- Moitoi said the meeting was chaired by Augustine Mahiga, Minister of Foreign Affairs (United Republic of Tanzania) in his capacity as Chairperson of the SADC Ministerial Committee of the Organ.

Regarding the increased number of candidates, she said every country has the right to contest, but said since the establishment of the organisation in 1963, the OAU and later the AU has been led two times by the

Eastern Africa; three times by Central Africa; Seven times by West Africa and only once by the Southern African Region.

The SADC region has therefore in the past suffered unsuccessful candidates' bids in respect of some of the distinguished citizens from the region such as Botswana's Former Foreign Minister Mr Archie Mogwe and Zimbabwe's Former Minister Mapuranga. ENDS