Southern African Development Community PREAMBLE We, the Heads of State or Government of: The Republic of Angola The Republic of Botswana The Democratic Republic of the Congo The Kingdom of Lesotho The Republic of Malawi The Republic of Mauritius The Republic of Mozambique The Republic of Namibia The Republic of Seychelles The Republic of South Africa The Kingdom of Swaziland The United Republic of Tanzania The Republic of Zambia The Republic of Zimbabwe CONSIDERING Article 21 of the Treaty of the Southern African Development Community in which Member States undertake to cooperate, inter alia, in the areas of social welfare, peace and security; CONSIDERING FURTHER, Article 22 of the Treaty, which calls upon Member States to conclude such Protocols as may be necessary in each area of cooperation; CONVINCED that the adoption of common rules in the field of mutual assistance in criminal matters will contribute to the development of integration; DESIROUS of extending to Member States the widest possible mutual legal assistance within the limits of the laws of their respective jurisdictions; SADC Protocol on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters 1