SADC needs a unified position on Ebola

Mmegi Editor | Friday August 29, 2014 14:44

The decision to prevent non-residents and non-nationals of Botswana who are arriving from the DRC and indeed other Ebola affected countries from entering Botswana may not be popular, but is understandable. In fact it is in times like this that governments need to make bold decisions, no matter how unpopular. And for this, we salute the government of Botswana.

Yes, our own people will suffer as a result of the ban. Our brothers and sisters from other SADC countries will also suffer. But isn’t the inconvenience of a few better than the death of thousands of Botswana and SADC nationals?  It is however worrisome that while Botswana has closed its borders to travellers from the DRC and has banned its citizens and residents from visiting the country, until the Ebola epidemic is over, other SADC members have different arrangements. From this single episode we can safely reason that SADC does not have a common position on Ebola.  This is a recipe for failure. The reason the disease eventually spread throughout West Africa was because the countries in that region made the same mistake.

They allowed free movement while claiming to monitor the disease.  What SADC needs is a coordinated response that consolidates resources to ensure Ebola does not spread beyond the DRC. It is doubtful if facilities in SADC countries – perhaps with the exception of South Africa – would be up to the task should there be an outbreak.

Given the limited resources that SADC countries have, the regional block must lead any response to the deadly virus. In other words there is need for regional coordination and preparedness so countries have appropriate support and resources to effectively and efficiently manage the response to Ebola beyond the country level.  SADC needs to appoint and deploy a response team to manage and support efforts against the disease in both the DRC and the rest of region.

The team must comprise various professionals - from health to communications to media.  The regional block needs to undertake a preparedness and training of staff and volunteers for immediate response to outbreaks. Individual countries should not be left to find ways of protecting their citizens, as is the case now.

Efforts must be coordinated through SADC, working together with its member states, the WHO and development partners to allow for a unified, coherent response. That, will go a long way in keeping Ebola out of our borders, or effectively dealing with any outbreak.

Today’s thought

“ Organisations exist only for one purpose: to help people reach ends together that they couldn’t achieve individually”

 – Robert H. Waterman