The SADC Organ for Defence, Politics and Security

Senior SADC officials are frank in stating that `without stability, investment and development will not follow`

While the South African Development Community (SADC) defines itself as a community devoted to development integration, it has become clear that economic growth and development cannot be achieved without peace, stability and a concomitant move towards democracy – part and parcel of an approach to emancipate the market, increase trade and reduce trade barriers within the region. South Africa being accepted as a member of SADC in 1994 and Mauritius in 1995, increased the number of member states of this sub-regional organisation to twelve. The other members are Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Swaziland, Tanzania and Zimbabwe. Among these members are some of the poorest nations in the world, with a declining share in the global economic product – a paltry 0,58 per cent in 1993, or 0,13 per cent without South Africa`s input.1 Despite its size within SADC, South Africa is a dwarf in the global context, with its GNP only one third of that of the Netherlands and six per cent of that of Germany.

Senior SADC officials are frank in stating that `without stability, investment and development will not follow`. The recognition of the interrelationship between economic growth, stability and democracy heralds an important paradigm shift within the region. Similar to developments at the level of the OAU, sovereignty is no longer a holy cow in Southern Africa and, albeit grudgingly, governments accept that the manner in which they conduct their internal affairs are open to legitimate scrutiny. The move to include a focus on conflict mediation, preventive diplomacy and peacekeeping in SADC with the establishment of the Organ for Defence, Politics and Security earlier this year, is therefore borne from a process and with the perspective of development.  

Author

Jakkie Cilliers, Executive Director, Institute for Defence Policy