12/08/2005 The Deputy
Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism
Rejoice Mabudafhasi will attend a meeting
of the SADC Council of Ministers taking place
in Gaborone , Botswana from 15-17 August 2005.
The meeting takes place against the backdrop
of a successful restructuring of the organisation
and its relocation to the new headquarters
in Botswana.
This meeting will deal with a wide range of
issues, including but not limited to the following;
Tourism development, food security, gender
development , management of natural resources
and country reports on the achievement of
the Millennium Declaration Goals (MDGs).
Some of the issues that the department of
Environmental Affairs and Tourism is taking
to the meeting are as follows:
Tourism Development
The department as mandated by SADC member
countries will be presenting the Trans Frontier
Conservation Areas (TFCA) Strategy to be streamlined
within the SADC structures. Once accepted,
this strategy will ensure that SADC countries
benefit from the 2010 Soccer World Cup that
will be hosted by South Africa.
Food Security
4 SADC member countries are in the top 20
countries in the world for capture fisheries
per capita. The Marine Protection Strategy
seeks to ensure that our marine resources
benefit all communities especially those living
along the coasts. Aquaculture must be promoted
as it is seen as having great potential to
contribute to local food security especially
in developing countries.
Gender Representation
The recent appointment of a female Deputy
President in South Africa demonstrate our
government’s commitment to ensuring that women
are represented in political and decision-making
structures. In general terms, SADC countries
have performed well with regards to women
representation in parliamentary positions.
Mozambique and South Africa are the two leading
SADC members state in terms of gender representivity
at 33% and 32.72% respectively.
The Deputy Minister is expected back in the
country on the 17 August 2005
