This decision effectively means that the Tribunal will no longer enjoy the power to entertain human rights claims since they are invariably brought to court by natural persons. There are arguements that the Summit's decision to close the SADC Tribunal to individuals is arbitrary, politically motivated and will undermine the regional human rights protection system and consequently undermine SADC's ultimate objectives, namely regional integration and economic growth.
Compared to all regions of the continent, on average, members of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) are performing relatively well in governance. The 2012 Ibrahim Index of African Governance (IIAG) confirms this fact. In terms of that index, out of 52 African countries, eight of the 15 members of the SADC bloc are within the first 10 performers in governance on the continent. These are Mauritius, occupying the first spot, followed by Cape Verde in second, then Botswana in the third spot, Seychelles in the fourth spot, South Africa in the fifth, Namibia in the sixth, then Lesotho and Tanzania in the ninth and tenth positions respectively. The worst performers in Southern Africa, per this index, are Madagascar, Angola, Democratic Republic of Congo and Zimbabwe ranked at positions 35th, 40th, 41st and 47th respectively. SADC has demonstrated continued commitment towards democratisation and peace building in the region by issuing a communiqué on 18 August 2012 informing Rwanda in no uncertain terms to "cease immediately its interference that constitutes a threat to peace and stability, not only of the Democratic Republic of Congo, but also of the SADC region".
