South Africa has assumed the chairmanship of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) after Madagascar’s military leader, Colonel Michael Randrianirina, stepped down.
The decision was announced at an Extraordinary SADC Heads of State and Government Summit, held virtually on Friday night.
South Africa, which was scheduled to take over the chairmanship in 2026, will now serve as interim chair until August 2026.
According to a communiqué issued at the close of the meeting, the SADC Secretariat will consult member states to identify a new incoming chair by the end of November.
The summit, chaired by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, also congratulated newly elected leaders Arthur Peter Mutharika of Malawi, Patrick Herminie of Seychelles, and Samia Suluhu Hassan of Tanzania, following elections held between September and October 2025.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa of Zimbabwe, who chaired SADC until August 2025, offered to host selected SADC meetings in Harare during the interim period.
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