With the impact of climate change intensifying across the Southern African Development Community (SADC), Secretary General of the SADC Parliamentary Forum (SADC-PF) Ms Boemo Sekgoma has called on the region's parliaments to respond with unprecedented urgency, innovation and courage.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of the 58th SADC-PF Plenary Assembly held at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre in Durban, Ms Sekgoma warned that the escalating climate crisis demands collective, coordinated action from all 15 member parliaments. The biannual Assembly is being held under the 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."
Ms Sekgoma underscored that the challenges posed by climate change cannot be effectively confronted if member states act in isolation. Drawing inspiration from the region's history, she said: "From the legacy of King Shaka, whose strategic genius transformed regional dynamics, to the unyielding pursuit of justice that shaped South Africa's liberation and Constitution, Durban reminds us that progress is built when people stand together, think together and act together. And with the current geopolitics, we need to be reminded of unity of purpose."
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Her remarks come as KwaZulu-Natal continues to grapple with the aftermath of devastating floods that claimed more than 400 lives, displaced thousands and contributed to worsening drought conditions affecting food security. Against this backdrop, she stressed that climate change "is no longer an approaching threat - it is immediate and with us today."
Ms Sekgoma highlighted that women, young girls and the elderly remain on the frontline of climate impacts, facing heightened risks such as disrupted healthcare, supply chain breakdowns, forced migration, increased gender-based violence and loss of income. "Parliaments are called to scale up and respond with equal urgency, innovation and courage," she urged.
She also emphasised the importance of deepening regional integration - an achievable goal, she argued, if parliaments commit to shared purpose. Referencing South Africa's first democratic President, Nelson Mandela, Ms Sekgoma said Parliament must remain "a moral compass and an instrument of justice", especially as the world contends with new forms of conflict, geopolitics, ecopolitics and shrinking civic space. "Nelson Mandela's moral instructions are more relevant than ever," she added.
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In closing, Ms Sekgoma praised parliamentarians who have used their legislative mandates to advocate for peace, humanitarian access and the protection of human rights. "This is parliamentary activism at its best, principled, people-centered and guided by a global conscience. It affirms that Parliament is not just a law-making body but a voice of conscience, a mediator, a guardian of constitutionalism," she said.
As part of the Plenary Assembly, SADC-PF delegates today participated in a symposium on climate change and later toured several flood-affected sites in Durban to witness first-hand the impacts of recent disasters and the city's response efforts.
Malatswa Molepo
