Tanzania's President John Magufuli has once again been absent from the SADC summit of Heads of State and Government. The east African leader instead assigned his vice-president Samia Suluhu to attend. It is the second time Magufuli misses the gathering of the region's highest decision making body and provided no explanation. Other notable absentees are Lesotho's monarch, King Letsie III who is represented by Prime Minister Thomas Thabane and Angola's President Eduardo dos Santos, represented by External Relations Minister Georges Chikoti. Dos Santos will bid farewell to the regional bloc leaders, as he is set to step down after the 23 August elections in Angola.