Established in 1980, the Southern African Development Community (SADC) is an international organisation with 15 member states: Angola, Botswana, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, Swaziland, United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe (SADC 2010).
The SADC Declaration by the Heads of State or Government of Southern African States was adopted in 1992 and the SADC Treaty came into effect in 1993 (Cillers 1995). The overarching goal of the organisation is to enhance socio-economic development, regional integration and the quality of life of all people in the region.
The SADC Secretariat consists of four Directorates:
- Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources
- Trade, Industry, Finance and Investment
- Infrastructure and Services
- Social and Human Development
The SADC Water Division, within the SADC Directorate of Infrastructure & Services, is tasked with overall coordination and management of the SADC Water Programme.