‘Mantṧali Phakoana
Prime Minister Sam Matekane will tomorrow participate in a meeting of Heads of State and Government of the Southern African Customs Union, (SACU) in Eswatini.
According to information from the PM’s office, Matekane will be accompanied by the minister of finance and development planning, Retṧelisitsoe Matlanyane, minister of trade, industry, business development and tourism, Mokhethi Shelile and other senior government officials.
Member states are expected to receive an update from the Council of Ministers on the status of implementation of the SACU Work Programme, which is hinged on the union’s strategic plan.
The summit is also expected to reflect on other important strategic issues and provide guidance to the Council of Ministers on the implementation of the SACU Agenda.
Lesotho is next in line after Eswatini and will be assuming the Chair next month.
SACU, an African regional economic organisation, is the world’s oldest customs union, founded in 1910.
Its members are Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa, and Swaziland. The five member states maintain a common external tariff, share customs revenues, and coordinate policies and decision-making on a wide range of trade issues.
Article 7A (5) of the SACU Agreement 2002 provides that the SACU summit shall meet at least once in a year and may hold extraordinary meetings at the request of any member, says a statement from the premier’s office.
