President Mokgweetsi Masisi on Monday met his Democratic Republic of Congo counterpart Felix Tshisekedi as he continued with his diplomatic charm offensive to galvanise support for Botswana’s pick for the Southern African Development Community top post.
Masisi said the candidature of Elias Magosi for the position of SADC executive secretary was one of the issues that came up for discussion during Masisi’s meeting with Tshisekedi at the Palais de la Nation in the Congolese capital Kinshasa.
Magosi, who is currently Botswana’s permanent secretary to the president, is vying for the top SADC job which is expected to fall vacant this year when incumbent Stergomena Lawrence Tax’s eight-year tenure comes to an end in August.
The DRC is understood to also have fielded a candidate and part of the purpose of Masisi’s visit was to urge the Congolese leader to support Magosi’s candidature.
He said Botswana had never contested for the SADC executive secretary post and has been urging other members of the organisation to give her the nod for the top post.
If elected, Magosi will head the Gaborone-based SADC Secretariat for an initial four-year term, which is extendable once.
Discussions between the two leaders also focused on bilateral relations, the security situation in the DRC and the status of continental integration. The DRC is chairing the African Union this year.
JN/APA