South Africa will assume interim leadership of the Southern African Development Community after Cabinet approved a request from Executive Secretary Elias Mpedi. The country will host all SADC meetings from November 2025 while the bloc awaits a formal Summit decision, in line with treaty provisions that assign interim duties to the incoming chair when the sitting chair cannot serve. South Africa is due to take the chair in 2026 and will set up an interministerial committee to coordinate logistics and strategy.
The shift follows a political crisis in Madagascar, where the African Union suspended the country after the military took power following Parliament’s impeachment of President Andry Rajoelina in October 2025. SADC has pursued dialogue and faced criticism for a slow response. Pretoria’s interim role is expected to center on regional integration, peace, and development. Officials say the agenda will keep work on trade under the African Continental Free Trade Area, climate and security, while aligning with South Africa’s G20 presidency that begins Dec. 1, 2025.
The shift follows a political crisis in Madagascar, where the African Union suspended the country after the military took power following Parliament’s impeachment of President Andry Rajoelina in October 2025. SADC has pursued dialogue and faced criticism for a slow response. Pretoria’s interim role is expected to center on regional integration, peace, and development. Officials say the agenda will keep work on trade under the African Continental Free Trade Area, climate and security, while aligning with South Africa’s G20 presidency that begins Dec. 1, 2025.
