Speaker Thoko Didiza: Media Briefing on Readiness for the 58th SADC Parliamentary Forum Plenary
Speaking notes for the Speaker of the National Assembly, MS Thoko Didiza, on the occasion of the media Briefing on the State of Readiness to host the 58th Plenary Assembly of the SADC Parliamentary Forum
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”
Members of the media,
Fellow Speakers and Presiding Officers,
The President of the SADC Parliamentary Forum, RANDRIANASOLONIAIKO Thierry Siteny
The Vice President of the SADC Parliamentary Forum, Ms Sylvia Lucas
Members of Parliament, distinguished guests, partners, youth representatives, ladies and gentlemen,
Good morning, and we welcome the visiting Speakers and the delegations of Parliaments from the region to South Africa and the eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality.
It is my pleasure to welcome you today as we brief the nation and the region on South Africa’s readiness to host the 58th Plenary Assembly of the Southern African Development Community Parliamentary Forum (SADC PF), which will take place here in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, from tomorrow, Sunday, 30 November, until Friday, 5 December 2025.
Today’s briefing has three objectives: To confirm the state of preparedness of the Parliament of the Republic of South Africa to host the 58th Plenary Assembly; To outline the key focus areas and expected outcomes of the Assembly; and To highlight the importance of this year’s theme for our region. The 5th Plenary Assembly will be held under the theme: “The Impact of Climate Change on Women and Youth, and the crucial role that SADC Parliaments must play in mitigation and adaptation.”
South Africa is honoured to host this important gathering of Speakers, Presiding Officers and Members of Parliament from the SADC Member States. The SADC PF is an institution that has, for nearly three decades, been central to strengthening parliamentary democracy, regional integration, and the harmonisation of legislation that supports development across Southern Africa.
Since its establishment in 1996, the SADC Parliamentary Forum has served as the region’s premier platform for inter-parliamentary cooperation. It has contributed significantly to the advancement of democratic norms by developing internationally recognized model laws, by supporting credible elections through robust observation missions, and by elevating gender equality and human rights within national parliamentary agendas.
The Forum has also amplified the voices of young people, championed sexual and reproductive health rights, and promoted oversight practices that align national parliaments with shared regional priorities. Throughout its history, the Forum has demonstrated that cooperation among legislatures is not only desirable but is indispensable to the collective progress of our region.
This Plenary Assembly, a biannual session of the SADC PF, will once again convene to carry this mission forward. And as South Africa, we are honoured to host it in the province of KwaZulu-Natal, a region deeply shaped by the intersections of climate change, economy, culture, and community resilience. KwaZulu-Natal has experienced, perhaps more than any other province in recent years, the devastating effects of climate change: in floods that have washed away homes, taken lives and disrupted the livelihoods of already vulnerable families. Hosting this gathering here is therefore both symbolic and timely; it reminds us that climate impacts are not theoretical but lived realities and that discussions about mitigation and adaptation must be rooted in the experience of our communities.
The Significance of the 58th Plenary Assembly
We meet here in Durban not merely to exchange ideas, but to confront one of the greatest challenges of our generation, the accelerating climate crisis and its devastating impact on our people, our economies and our ecosystems. This Plenary Assembly takes place at a time when the effects of climate change are no longer abstract forecasts but daily lived realities for millions of people across Southern Africa.
The theme for this 58th Plenary Assembly, which is: “The Impact of Climate Change on Women and Youth in the SADC region and the Role of Parliaments in climate change mitigation and adaptation,” could not be more relevant.
Our region is experiencing more frequent and intense cyclones, floods and droughts. We are seeing rising temperatures and water scarcity. Millions of our people are affected by food insecurity. And growing threats to public health, livelihoods, and infrastructure.
The effects of climate change are visible in our rivers, our farms, our communities and, painfully, in the lives we lose. In recent years, we have witnessed severe floods in KwaZulu-Natal, the Eastern Cape and several parts of Mozambique and Tanzania. We have experienced prolonged droughts impacting Zimbabwe, Zambia, Botswana and Namibia. We have witnessed deadly cyclones like IDAI, Freddy and others, that have torn apart infrastructure and livelihoods.
These events have a common consequence: they push vulnerable people deeper into poverty, widen inequalities and strain the ability of governments to provide support. These impacts are deeply gendered and generational. Women, young people, rural communities, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities carry the heaviest burden of climate-related hardship, whether through loss of income, disrupted education, reduced access to healthcare or heightened vulnerability during disasters.
SADC is among the regions contributing the least to global emissions, yet we suffer some of the world’s most severe climate impacts. This is a climate injustice that demands a strong, united and strategic parliamentary response. Across SADC, women constitute the majority of workers in agriculture, informal trade and rural livelihoods.
Extreme weather events directly undermine their income, food security and care responsibilities. Similarly, young people – who make up more than 60% of the region’s population – face shrinking opportunities due to climate-driven economic pressures. Climate change widens inequality, disrupts learning, threatens health and nutrition and increases risks of displacement, exploitation and social instability. If we do not respond decisively, we risk entrenching a generational crisis.
The 58th SADC Plenary Assembly offers us a platform to strengthen regional solidarity and develop coordinated parliamentary strategies to address these realities. The Plenary Assembly will therefore provide a crucial space for us to deepen our understanding of these realities and to commit, as parliaments, to ensuring that our laws, budgets and oversight mechanisms prioritise climate resilience and justice for the communities most affected.
As South Africa prepares to host this important gathering, we do so conscious of our growing responsibility and reputation as a facilitator of major global parliamentary engagements. In recent months, our Parliament successfully hosted the 11th G20 Parliamentary Speakers Summit (P20) bringing together presiding officers from the world’s largest economies to deliberate on inclusive growth, multilateral cooperation, and sustainable development.
We have also actively participated in G20 legislative dialogues, positioning the South African Parliament as a bridge-builder between the Global South and the broader international community. Looking ahead, we are already preparing to the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association Conference in 2026, yet another demonstration of the trust placed in our Parliament as a convening authority and a place where difficult issues can be confronted through dialogue, diplomacy and democratic exchange.
KwaZulu-Natal, our host province for this Plenary Assembly, has long been a place of gathering, engagement and renewal. From its history of political negotiation to its cultural resilience, it offers a fitting setting for a regional dialogue of this magnitude. The city of eThekwini is ready to welcome all delegations, with the Coastlands Umhlanga Hotel and Convention Centre serving as the central venue equipped to host plenary sessions, bilateral meetings and youth-focused dialogues. Translation services, media facilities, security arrangements and logistical support have all been finalised to ensure a seamless, well-coordinated week of deliberations.
We expect participation from 14 SADC Member Parliaments, as well as representatives from the SADC Secretariat, the Pan-African Parliament, the African Union Commission, UN agencies such as the UNEP and UNDP, and a range of civil society organisations, academic institutions, youth innovators. Their presence will enrich the discussions and help shape the outcomes we seek. Among these outcomes will be a resolution that speaks directly to the urgency of climate action; the need for gender-responsive and youth-responsive policymaking; the importance of harmonising regional climate legislation; and the strengthening of parliamentary oversight to ensure that national climate commitments are implemented responsibly and transparently.
As we prepare to welcome our regional colleagues, we do so with a clear understanding that no single country can address the climate crisis alone. Our vulnerabilities are shared, our ecosystems interconnected, and our resilience dependent on our willingness to work together. That is what makes the SADC Parliamentary Forum so vital. It reminds us that parliaments are central actors in crafting and overseeing the solutions that will define our region’s future.
South Africa stands ready to host this Plenary Assembly. But more than that, we stand ready to contribute thoughtfully and actively to the conversations that will take place, informed by our experiences, strengthened by our commitment to collaboration, and guided by our belief that the path to a more resilient SADC lies in shared responsibility and collective leadership.
We look forward to a productive and impactful Plenary Assembly here in KwaZulu-Natal, one that honours the achievements of the SADC Parliamentary Forum, confronts the urgent challenges facing our people and charts a path toward a future in which women, youth and all communities can thrive in the face of a changing climate.
Colleagues and members of the media,
I can confirm today that South Africa is fully prepared to host this important regional meeting. Accommodation, transport, interpretation services, and conference facilities are in place for all delegations.
Climate change is an emergency – but it is also a call to action. A call to reimagine our policies, strengthen our institutions and build a resilient SADC region that can withstand present and future shocks.
As we gather here in Durban, may our discussions be bold, our actions decisive and our commitment unwavering. Together, we can build a region that is climate-resilient, inclusive, prosperous and prepared for the challenges ahead.
I thank you.
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