Group wants Sadc to discuss Tanzania-Malawi lake dispute
A Namibian-based group, Forum for the Future of Africa (FFFA), has asked Sadc Heads of State meeting in Malawian capital, Lilongwe to discuss the dispute between Malawi and Tanzania over ownership or sharing of the Lake Malawi.
Sadc’s 33rd session of Heads of State Summit is scheduled for today and Sunday.
FFFA, in an open letter to the heads of State signed by Saunders Jumah, has also asked leaders to discuss the just-ended Zimbabwe elections declared as free and peaceful by some observers
On the Tanzania-Malawi lake dispute, the group calls upon the Heads of State to call for restraint over how the two states handle the matter until the Elders Forum from Sadc pronounce themselves.
It reads: “In this case, provocative attempts by any of the State on the lake are unacceptable. Tanzania as a new claimant of the lake must not be a provocateur of the dispute; if they all agreed to take the matter to the elders they must wait till the council of elders pronounce themselves.
“We must try all means to make sure that peace in the region is maintained and upheld. We have enough troubles in the region; we do not need to provoke more.”
But on Zimbabwe, director of Sadc organ on Politics Defence and Security Cooperation Tankie Mothae said based on a preliminary report, the region is satisfied with the Zimbabwe election issue.
