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Malawi

17 August 2021 | Foreign Affairs

Your Excellency President Lazarus Chakwera, Chairman of the 41^st Summit of Heads of State and Government,

Colleague Heads of State and Government,

Honourable Ministers,

Madam Executive Secretary of SADC,

Distinguished Delegates,

Ladies and Gentlemen.

There is no greater test of character of a leader, than that which calls upon us to make difficult and justified decisions for the betterment of our people, but also to discard inaction as the undoing of even the most well-thought-out plans.

“With these words, I would like to pay tribute to the exceptional African leaders who have recently passed. Late President John Pombe Magufuli was an extraordinary leader and a true visionary. His achievements for the people of the United Republic of Tanzania bears true testament to his lasting legacy.”

To our brother Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth, your late father Sir Anerood Jugnauth commands our respect and our admiration. Mauritius is a shining beacon today because of Sir Anerood’s sterling leadership that saw the transformation of the Mauritian society.

Let us also pay a special tribute to the loss of the last founding father of SADC and a true African Icon, the late Dr. Kenneth Kaunda. His everlasting legacy should serve as an inspiration for today’s African leaders to continue to honour his vision of a unified and prosperous Africa.