Kasingo dishes meat on PAP

Speaking at a recent press briefing in Windhoek, Loide Kasingo said the election of Zimbabwe”;s Fortune Charumbira to the helm of the PAP should be celebrated by the whole African continent.

She was giving feedback on the concluded PAP meeting which ended in South Africa earlier this week.

“We will ensure that sufficient support will be given to the elected bureau in terms of the prevalence of democracy, unity and inclusiveness for all Africans,” she said.

Kasingo said the southern African region will push the PAP to achieve gender parity, while eradicating poverty and hunger, poor health, and poor sanitation.

“While we impress upon honourable Charumbira to lead the Pan-African Parliament in a way that showcases his vast experience and in the interest of all Africans and the developing world, we implore the leadership in different committees to implement the principle of rotation,” she said.

“We are thrilled and proud of this victory and to be part of this historic leadership shift on the continent, and will ensure that the plans promised by chief Charumbira during his campaign are implemented, for example,” she said.

Kasingo expressed her gratitude to the African heads of state, including president Hage Geingob, for ensuring that the principle of rotation is adhered to.

The Protocol to the Treaty Establishing the African Economic Communities created the PAP.

It subsequently went into effect in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in 2004, with its headquarters being in South Africa since 2005.

“As you may be aware, the Pan-African Parliament election session was suspended between May and June 2021, following disagreement over the application of the principle of rotation in the election of the president,”Kasingo said.

She said the fourth session of the fifth parliament was prepared by African Union Commission (AUC) chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat, assisted by the office of the Legal Counsel of the AUC.

“AUC chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat reaffirmed that the principle of rotation is an established practice of the African Union,” Kasingo said.

She said that obliges the union and its organs to ensure each region is elected as a member of the bureau on a rotational basis.

“In this case the northern region did not put up a candidate, and therefore Charumbira was the sole candidate,” Kasingo said.

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