SADC 2014 – 2015: Are South Africa and Zimbabwe shaping the organisation?

The document analyzes the roles of Zimbabwe as SADC chair and South Africa as chair of the Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation (OPDSC) for 20142015. It argues that while these roles provide opportunities for leadership, the impact is constrained by SADC's consensus-based decision-making and institutional weaknesses. Key challenges include high dependency on donor funding, political instability in Lesotho, and the influence of domestic political struggles in Zimbabwe and South Africa.

• Decision-making within SADC is structured hierarchically and relies primarily on consensus, which prevents the country chairing the Summit or the OPDSC from monopolizing power.
• SADC faces significant financial instability, with donor funding providing 79% of its budget while member states contribute only 21%.
• Zimbabwe's leadership of SADC is influenced by internal ZANU-PF power struggles and succession battles involving Robert Mugabe, Joyce Mujuru, Emmerson Mnangagwa, and Grace Mugabe.
• Zimbabwe may attempt to shift SADC's foreign policy by promoting non-traditional donors, specifically China, to reduce reliance on the European Union.
• South Africa has a mixed record in regional diplomacy, having been instrumental in Madagascar's 2013 elections and the DRC's Force Intervention Brigade, but criticized for its 'quiet diplomacy' regarding Zimbabwe's 2013 elections.

APA

Motsamai, D. (2014). SADC 2014 – 2015: Are South Africa and Zimbabwe shaping the organisation? Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/PolBrief70.pdf

Chicago

Motsamai, Dimpho. SADC 2014 – 2015: Are South Africa and Zimbabwe shaping the organisation? Institute for Security Studies, 2014. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/PolBrief70.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Motsamai |first1=Dimpho |title=SADC 2014 – 2015: Are South Africa and Zimbabwe shaping the organisation? |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=November 2014 |url=https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/PolBrief70.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{motsamai2014sadc, author = {Motsamai, Dimpho}, title = {{SADC 2014 – 2015: Are South Africa and Zimbabwe shaping the organisation?}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2014}, month = nov, url = {https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/PolBrief70.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }