Parliament, Sunday, 30 November 2025 – The Speaker of the National Assembly of South Africa, Ms Thoko Didiza, together with the President of the Southern African Development Community Parliamentary Forum (SADC PF), Mr Siteny Thierry Randrianasoloniaiko, today officially opened the 58th Plenary Assembly with powerful and aligned messages calling for deeper regional cooperation, stronger climate governance, and accelerated progress towards the establishment of a fully-fledged SADC Parliament.
Hosted by the Parliament of South Africa in the eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality, the Plenary Assembly convenes under the theme “The Impact of Climate Change on Women and Youth in the SADC Region and the Role of Parliaments in Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation.” The gathering brings together Speakers of national parliaments, heads of delegations, and representatives of youth and women’s parliamentary structures from across the region.
In her opening address, Speaker Didiza reflected on the devastating climate-related events recently experienced in South Africa, including floods that displaced thousands and resulted in the tragic loss of lives in severe storms KwaZulu-Natal, the Eastern Cape and the Northern Cape. She emphasised that climate change has become a crisis of inequality, where women and youth continue to bear its harshest impacts due to their socio-economic vulnerability, limited access to resources, and exposure to environmental shocks. She stressed that parliaments cannot remain passive observers in the face of these challenges, but must instead embrace an active, transformative role in shaping policy, strengthening oversight, and ensuring that national responses align with regional priorities and global climate commitments.
Speaker Didiza welcomed the outcomes of COP30, including the Global Mutirāo Decision and the creation of a Just Transition Mechanism, describing these developments as renewed opportunities for collective global action. She underscored the importance of gender-responsive and youth-centred budgeting, transparent oversight of adaptation plans, and legislative reforms that support renewable energy, sustainable land use, and resilient water management. She urged SADC parliaments to harmonise laws and share best practices, insisting that climate change respects no borders and demands a united, coordinated response. She reiterated South Africa’s commitment to a just transition that leaves no community, woman, or young person behind.
SADC PF President Randrianasoloniaiko, in his keynote address, expressed deep gratitude to the government and people of South Africa for their hospitality and for hosting the 58th Plenary Assembly. He noted that the Plenary Assembly remains one of the most significant institutional platforms for regional cooperation, democratic engagement, and the strengthening of parliamentary practice within SADC. He paid tribute to South Africa’s longstanding leadership in advocating for the establishment of a SADC Parliament and recalled the commitments made at the 38th Ordinary SADC Summit in Windhoek in 2018, where President Cyril Ramaphosa reinforced the need for a regional parliament that amplifies the people’s voice and enhances democratic oversight.
President Randrianasoloniaiko reaffirmed that the SADC PF has matured into a credible and well-governed institution, with strong administrative systems and the successful development of model laws that have supported the domestication of SADC protocols across Member States. He said the Forum is fully prepared to transition into a SADC Parliament and urged Member States, particularly South Africa, to continue championing the approval and ratification of the Protocol on the SADC Parliament before August 2026. He emphasised that a stronger regional parliament is essential for deepening integration, advancing accountability, and ensuring that citizens are at the centre of the regional agenda.
Both leaders called for strengthened solidarity across SADC, noting that climate change is already undermining food security, displacing communities and disrupting economic development across the region. They stressed that only a unified regional approach, anchored in responsive legislation and effective oversight, can safeguard the future of the region’s women and youth. They concluded by encouraging delegates to use the Plenary Assembly to refine strategies, reaffirm shared priorities, and renew the region’s collective commitment to building a peaceful, prosperous, and climate-resilient SADC
ISSUED BY PARLIAMENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA
Enquiries: Moloto Mothapo, Parliament Spokesperson
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