COMPOSITION

The Tribunal consists of not less that ten (10) Members including the President of the Tribunal appointed from nationals of States. The Members are chosen from amongst national so the SADC Member States, who fulfill the conditions required for the holding of the highest judicial offices in their respective Member States or who are jurists of recognized competence.

There are ten (10) Members who have been appointed. Five (5) of these Members are designated as regular Members. The other five constitute a pool from which the President may invite a Member to sit on the Tribunal whenever a regular Member is temporarily absent or is otherwise unable to carry our his or her functions.
All these ten (10) Members are not full time Members. They are neither employed by the Tribunal. They are invited to sit whenever need arises.

The five (5) regular Members are however often invited to meet in Windhoek in order to formulate and direct policies of the Tribunal which are accordingly executed by the Registrar. The Tribunal is run by a Registrar. The Registrar should be such a person who meets the conditions to hold High Judicial office in his or her respective Member State. The Registrar is subject to overall supervision of the President. The Registrar executes the policies of the Tribunal and adheres to the Protocol on Tribunal and Rules of Procedures. The Tribunal is supported by a team of other staff employed by the Tribunal.

The Tribunal therefore comprises of the following Members:

a) The Hon. Dr Rigoberto Kambovo (Angola)
b) The Hon. Dr Onkemetse B. Tshosa (Botswana
c) The Hon. Justice Isaac Jamu Mtambo, SC (Malawi)
d) The Hon. Justice Ariranga Govindasamy (Mauritious)
e) The Hon. Justice Dr Luis Antonio Mondlane (Mozambique)
f) The Hon. Justice Petrus T. Damaseb (Namibia)
g) The Hon. Justice Stanley B Maphalala (Swaziland)
h) The Hon. Justice Frederick B. Werema (Tanzania)
i) The Hon. Justice Frederic Mwela Chomba (Zambia)
j) The Hon. Justice Antonia Guvava (Zimbabwe)

The designated regular Members are:

a) The Hon. Dr Rigoberto Kambovo (Angola)
b) The Hon. Dr Onkemetse B. Tshosa (Botswana)
c) The Hon. Justice Isaac Jamu Mtambo, SC (Malawi)
d) The Hon. Justice Ariranga Govindasamy Pillay (Mauritious)
e) The Hon. Justice Dr Luis Antonio Mondlane (Mozambique)

Pursuant to Article 7 of the Protocol on Tribunal, the Tribunal elected the Hon. Justice Luis Antonio Mondlane from Mozambique as the President.

The Tribunal appointed the Hon Justice Charles Chinganyi Mkandawire from Malawi as the Registrar.

TENURE OF OFFICE.

The Members shall be appointed for a term of five (5) years and may only be re-appointed for a further term of five years (5) years.

The President shall be elected by the Tribunal for a term of three (3) Years.

REGISTRY

The Tribunal’s registry is currently composed of the Registrar who also qualifies to hold high judicial office in his or her Member State. The Registrar is the Chief Executive of the Tribunal. He is subject to the overall supervision of the President of the Tribunal, in his responsibilities as the Manager and Administrator of the Tribunal. The Registrar is assisted by a Finance and Administration Officer and a Librarian. Both these officers have been recruited from the SADC Region and are from Botswana and Lesotho respectively.

Apart from these officers the Tribunal has also employed local staff from Namibia. These are a Personal Assistant to the Registrar, an Administrative Clerk, a Driver and a Court Orderly. Plans are underway to recruit a Court Clerk and a Driver/Messenger. The Registry will hopefully be provided with additional officers as a consultancy is underway to define the Structure of the Tribunal plus the Terms and Conditions of the Members and Staff.

BUDGET

The budget of the Tribunal is separate from that of the SADC Secretariat. The budget is subscribed to as such, by the Member States. This is to ensure the independence and efficient operation of the Tribunal. Since the Tribunal has just commenced operations, it is envisaged that the Tribunal will later on attract International Co-operating partners (ICPs).