07 Jul 2021

Botswana has enough points to field a candidate for the position of SADC Executive Secretary.

Minister of International Affairs and Cooperation, Dr Lemogang Kwape told Parliament on Tuesday that the 37 points that Botswana had already accumulated were sufficient to field a candidate for the Executive Secretary position.

So far, no Motswana has held the position of SADC Executive Secretary, which is pegged at 30 points and the deputy at 23 points.

Dr Kwape said each position at the Secretariat required a certain number of points for countries to field candidates.

He said SADC’s recruitment policy was governed by a quota point system in addition to rotation of member countries. 

In that respect, he said, each member state was allocated 157 quota points for its nationals to seek employment at different levels at the Secretariat.

In that regard, he noted that for a member state to qualify for nominating a candidate, it had to have sufficient points for the position to be filled. 

The system, he said, was intended to ensure equitable representation of member states.

Other requirements for qualification for candidates include a Masters Degree or its equivalent, over 20 years’ experience in a top leadership position in public or private organisation, regional or international institution as well as knowledge of leadership governance and effectiveness in regional or international organisations.

Furthermore, Dr Kwape said SADC’s recruitment policy was also guided by the principle of rotation and competitiveness, especially for the posts of Executive Secretary and deputy.

“This is to ensure that all member states participate in filling up these positions,” he said.

In addition, he said no country was allowed to have more than one position from director to executive secretary while others were not represented.

Consequently, he said it was in that regard that Botswana decided to field Mr Elias Magosi as a candidate for the position of Executive Secretary. 

He said Mr Magosi was competing for the position with a candidate from the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The final decision, he observed, was expected during the 41^st Ordinary Summit of the SADC Heads of State and Government, scheduled for Lilongwe, Malawi next month.

Dr Kwape was responding to questions from Ghanzi North Member of Parliament, Mr John Thiite, who wanted to know if a Motswana had ever held the position of SADC Executive Secretary.

He also asked the minister to state if there was any protocols prohibiting a Motswana from holding the position and to state the level of experience and qualification required for the position.

 

Mr Thiite also wanted to know how the point system worked and how many points Botswana had accumulated so far. ENDS