4. Direct the Respondent States to implement the recommendations made in the final report on the
review of the role, responsibilities and terms of reference of the SADC Tribunal (dated 6 March
2011).
Summary of Respondent State's Submission
121. Although the Complainant's Submissions on the Merit were transmitted to all the fourteen (14)
Respondent States, only the Sixth (6th) Respondent State (Mauritius) has made its Submission on the
Merit.
Mauritius' Submission on the Merit
122. The Sixth Respondent's Submission is divided into two main parts. One part contains the Sixth
Respondent State's observations on the Admissibility while the other part contains the arguments on the
merit. On Admissibility, the Sixth Respondent State argues that the Communication does not satisfy the
requirements for Admissibility in Articles 55 and 56 of the African as supplemented by Rule 103 of the
Commission's Rules of Procedure.
123. In relation to the merits, the Sixth Respondent State contends that since by Article 3 of the SADC
Treaty, that organisation is an international organisation with separate legal personality from its member
states, the Sixth Respondent State cannot be held liable for the acts and omissions of SADC. In view of
SADC's international legal personality, the Sixth Respondent State submits that the African Commission
cannot interfere with the workings of SADC which is not a party to either the Constitutive Act or the African
Charter. The Sixth Respondent State argues further that it has no power of direction as regards SADC and
its institutions.
124. It is the Sixth Respondent State's further contention that the SADC Tribunal cannot be considered as
a domestic tribunal since it is established by an international Treaty. It is argued further that decisions of the
SADC Tribunal cannot be enforced by additional judicial means but by reference to the political organs of
SADC. Contending that there is no averment that it has breached its obligations under the Constitutive Act
of the AU or the African Charter, the Sixth Respondent State submits that it has not violated any provision
of the African Charter.
Complainant's Supplementary Submission
125. In response to the Sixth Respondent State's Submission on the Merit, the Complainant cites the case
of Falana v The African Union76 to argue that the recognition of the international legal personality of an
international organisation is not the same as saying that the legal personality, rights and duties of the
organisation are the same as those of a state. The Complainant submits that SADC cannot be considered
as a representative of its member states in respect of their international Treaty obligations.
126. The Complainant argues further that by Articles 61(1)
× A State member of an international organization incurs international responsibility if, by taking advantage
of the fact that the organization has competence in relation to the subject-matter of one of the State's
international obligations, it circumvents that obligation by causing the organization to commit an act that, if
committed by the State, would have constituted a breach of the obligation.
and 62(1)
× A State member of an international organization is responsible for an internationally wrongful act of that
organization if: (a) it has accepted responsibility for that act towards the injured party; or (b) it has led the
injured party to rely on its responsibility.
of the Draft Articles on the Responsibility of International Organisations as well as by General Principles of
International Law, the Respondent States cannot escape liability for breach their international
responsibilities by the mere fact that they have established an international organisation, especially if the
wrongful act of the International Organisation would have constituted a breach of international human rights
obligations were they perpetuated by the states themselves.77 The Complainant contends further that the
Respondent States cannot rely on their own wrongful act of suspending and ousting the Tribunal as a
defence to the present action.
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