SADC leaders discuss Cabo Delgado in Namibia summit

And: Gaza prepares to welcome more sand mining

Good afternoon. A summit of the Southern African Development Community’s (SADC) so-called ‘Organ Troika’ is meeting today in Windhoek, bringing together the presidents of Namibia, South Africa, and Zambia, and others including Mozambique’s defence minister.

The summit comes as Tanzania has announced that it is to send a special police force to Cabo Delgado, to work alongside the military it has already sent as part of the SADC mission, SAMIM. In his opening statement today, Namibian president Hage Geingob said the summit would “receive and consider a progress report on the SADC Mission in Mozambique (SAMIM) and recommendations therefrom.”

We are keeping our eye on reports that the head of TotalEnergies is due to visit Mozambique in the coming days; as we reported yesterday, the prospect has generated significant excitement. So much so, we understand, that a report from when he visited exactly a year ago has been doing the rounds and confusing people. That report, we note, quoted Patrick Pouyanne as saying he hoped the Mozambique LNG report would start in 2022.

Zitamar is not, sadly, immune to mistakes either; yesterday we erroneously wrote 2021, in regard to a potential restart in Afungi, when we meant 2023. We also missed a cool $100 million off the $102.5m that the World Food Programme says it needs to cover its deficit in Cabo Delgado. We are happy to correct the record.

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Agenda:

• Today: SADC Extraordinary Organ Troika Summit of Heads of State and Government, in Windhoek, Namibia. Mozambican defence minister Cristovao Chume to attend for Mozambique

• Today: President Nyusi will open the new academic year at Molumbo, in Zambézia

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Today’s headlines:

• Tanzania to send special force to Cabo Delgado

• MCC expects to provide $500m for Mozambique 

• Companies awaiting licences for heavy sands research in Chongoene

• Untrained private security agent shoots 14 people

Today’s front pages in Maputo. Photo © Faizal Chauque / Zitamar News