SADC swears in seven Tribunal judges

Seven Southern African Development Community Administrative Tribunal (SADCAT) judges were sworn in at the SADC Secretariat Headquarters on Tuesday in the presence of SADC Chairperson His Majesty King Mswati III.

The judges - both retired and serving - are from Zimbabwe, Zambia, Namibia, Mozambique, Swaziland, Malawi and Tanzania. SADCAT, which was established during the 35th SADC Summit of Heads of State and Government in August 2015 in Gaborone, has replaced the SADC Tribunal.

The mandate of SADCAT is to deal with cases between member states and not individuals or juristic bodies. It will be confined to advisory interpretation of the SADC Treaty and any other protocols that may be negotiated among member states.

King Mswati congratulated the judges on their appointments. He said their role was critical to the successful execution of SADC initiatives.  
The original Tribunal (SADC Tribunal), established under Article 16 of the SADC Treaty to advance and ensure the rule of law by strengthening the rights of SADC citizens, was suspended five years ago because other member states, notably Zimbabwe, were disgruntled with it.