SADC has officially launched the electoral observation mission to the Kingdom of Eswatini and deployed observers to all regions.
Former Vice President of Zambia Enock P. Kavindele, who is leading the delegation as Head of the SADC Electoral Observation Mission (SEOM), officially launched the mission for the deployment of observers to four regions of the kingdom.
SEOM will be observing the upcoming General Elections on September 29, 2023.
The Ministerial Committee of the Organ on Politics, Defence and Security was able to implement 86% of the decisions taken.
The Chairperson, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, disclosed this during the closing ceremony of the five-day meeting of the organ held in Windhoek.
The decisions are part of the Ministerial Committee Organ meeting held last year.
The SADC Secretariat has distanced itself from media reports that SADC election observers will visit the Kingdom of Eswatini on the 14th of this month.
The reports were made through the Electoral Commissions Forum of SADC Countries, a non-governmental organisation that supports the electoral monitoring process.
However, it is not a structure of SADC and has no mandate to deploy the regional body's Election Observation Mission.
The Kingdom of Eswatini is urged to convene an urgent national dialogue.
The two-day Extraordinary Summit of the SADC Organ Troika wants talks to be held in a calm and peaceful environment.
The call by the Organ Troika comes amid rising acts of sporadic violence in Eswatini, with all sides blaming one another.
In recent days, a prominent opposition leader and chairperson of the multi-stakeholder forum, Thulani Rudolf Maseko was gunned down.
SADC has called on the Kingdom of Eswatini to swiftly, transparently and comprehensively investigate the killing of human rights lawyer and political activist, Thulani Rudolf Maseko.
Maseko was gunned down outside his home in Eswatini's capital, Mbabane on Saturday.
Maseko, at the time of his death, served as chairperson of the multi-stakeholder Forum which was established as a coalition of non-State actors advocating for a process of national political dialogue.
