Dar es Salaam. The Southern African Development Community (SADC) has appointed South Africa as its Interim Chair following Madagascar’s decision to relinquish the position due to recent political developments.
The decision was reached during an Extraordinary Summit of SADC Heads of State and Government held virtually on November 7, 2025.
According to the communiqué issued after the meeting, Madagascar stepped down from the chairmanship after acknowledging its limited capacity to fulfil the responsibilities of the role amid ongoing domestic challenges. In line with SADC’s Treaty provisions, South Africa will now lead the regional bloc until August 2026.
The Secretariat has been tasked with engaging member states to identify a new incoming Chairperson by the end of November 2025.
The Summit, attended by Heads of State and representatives from all member countries, also extended condolences to the families affected by recent protests in Madagascar and Tanzania, which resulted in loss of life and destruction of infrastructure.
Leaders expressed deep regret over the unrest and called for stability in both nations.
SADC further congratulated the newly elected leaders of Malawi, Seychelles, and Tanzania—Presidents Arthur Peter Mutharika, Patrick Herminie, and Samia Suluhu Hassan, respectively—on their electoral victories held between September and October 2025.
The regional body agreed to continue implementing its current theme, “Advancing Industrialisation, Agricultural Transformation, and Energy Transition for a Resilient SADC,” until August 2026.
The Summit expressed gratitude to President Cyril Ramaphosa for convening and accepting to chair the Extraordinary meeting, and to Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa for offering to host select SADC meetings during the interim period.
