President Hage Geingob has thanked his South African counterpart, Cyril Ramaphosa, for making his transition as chairperson of the SADC Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation much smoother, although he takes two days to return his calls.

"I thank the outgoing chairperson, president Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa, for his unwavering support and cooperation. He has always been available to take my calls and provide support, and I believe we will continue in this spirit," Geingob said during his opening statement at the Extraordinary SADC Troika Summit in Windhoek on Tuesday.

"I will call him or leave a message - sometimes he takes two days to answer me. But all the same he does reply and provide support. I do understand he is very busy, we all watch TV.

"So sometimes I am even surprised when he tries to answer and talk to me. So, thank you very much."

Geingob chaired the first meeting of the organ in Windhoek since he took over the rotating role, to discuss the political and security situation in the region.

"I have been receiving excellent support and cooperation from all

of you to discharge my responsibilities of steering this important structure of the SADC.

"In this context, we are addressing the challenges we are facing in the region in our quest for a peaceful, stable, harmonious and prosperous region," he said.