HIS Majesty King Mswati III yesterday returned from the 9th Summit of the Southern African Customs Union (SACU) Heads of State and Government, which was held in Cape Town, South Africa.
He was welcomed by hundreds on his arrival at KMIII International Airport around 8pm. The King was accompanied by Inkhosikati LaGija, some members of the royal family and Cabinet ministers.
Upon arrival, His Majesty met a cheerful crowd made up of members of the royal family, traditional authorities, government officials, Buckswood College students and ordinary citizens.
The SACU Summit had brought together leaders from Botswana (President Duma Boko), Eswatini, Lesotho (Prime Minister Samuel Matekane), Namibia (President Dr Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah) and South Africa (Cyril Ramaphosa). It was also attended by the SACU Council of Ministers, parliamentarians and senior government officials.
The summit focused on strengthening regional trade, reducing reliance on imports from outside the bloc and accelerating industrialisation. Key discussions also covered customs revenue reform, infrastructure to ease cross-border movement of goods and strategies to support small and medium enterprises within SACU Member States.
Addressing the assembly on Friday, His Majesty issued a powerful call for a unified and deliberate joint approach to the future of the customs union. He said deeper regional integration was no longer merely an aspiration, but a strategic economic necessity to cushion Member States against severe global instabilities.
His Majesty noted that since the last summit hosted by Eswatini in June 2023, the global economic landscape has deteriorated significantly. He pointed to heightened geopolitical competition, rising protectionism, international supply chain disruptions and the increasing use of unilateral trade measures that leave SACU nations highly vulnerable to escalating energy, transport, and production costs.
SA President Cyril Ramaphosa delivered both the opening statement and closing remarks during the summit. He called for shared infrastructure investment and a shift from commodity dependence to industrialisation to make SACU a dynamic engine of regional development.
SACU Executive Secretary Dumisani Masilela addressed the summit on the re-imagined SACU agenda. Masilela, the first Liswati to hold the post substantively, was congratulated by the leaders.
He highlighted the need to accelerate work on tariff setting, regional export strategies, financing for industrialisation, and management of the common revenue pool. He also stressed the importance of leveraging the African Continental Free Trade Area and urged the private sector to seize new opportunities.
The Summit ended with leaders thanking President Ramaphosa for his stewardship and reaffirming unity amid global economic uncertainty.
