Sadc In Extraordinary Summit Mess

Election Rigger Hosts Polls Meeting

The Southern African Development Community (Sadc) is caught in an ironic mess as Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa – whose controversial re-election regional leaders bodly rejected last year amid electoral fraud – is now paradoxically convening an extraordinary summit to discuss elections and their outcomes in the region.

This comes amid raging post-election violence and chaos in Mozambique, a shock and far-reaching outcome of examplary democratic elections in Botswana which has shaken liberation movements in the region and forthcoming polls in Nambia where a ruling party is now under threat.

Mnangagwa’s re-election in August last year was rejected by Sadc leaders, first through their election observer mission, and subsequently at an extraordinary summit in Angola following another special meeting in Zambia.

After a cabinet meeting on Tuesday, Zimbabwean Information minister Jenfan Muswere said a special Sadc summit will be held – chaired by Mnangagwa – next week to discuss elections in Mozambique, Botswana and Namibia. Muswere said cabinet discussed preparations for the summit after a presentation by Vice President Constantino Chiwenga.

Muswere said:

“The summit is expected to be briefed on political events in the region, including the recent elections in Mozambique and Botswana and upcoming polls in Namibia”.

Mnangagwa currently chairs Sadc. President Andry Rajoeline of Madagascar as the incoming Sadc chair.

The Sadc troika of the organ on politics, defence and security, which handles elections in the region, is chaired Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan.

President Lazarus Chakwera of Malawi as the incoming chair of the troika of the organ.

These leaders will play a major role in dealing with Sadc’s key political and security issues for the next two years.

The Sadc Election Observer Mission led by former Zambian Vice President Nevers Mumba said Zimbabwe’s elections did not comply with the country’s own constitution and electoral laws.

Further, the Zimbabwean elections violated the Sadc Principles and Guidelines Governing Democratic Elections, it said, hence invalid and illegitimate.

While Zimbabwe hosted the Sadc summit in August and installed Mnangagwa as the current chair, the regional body maintained its position:

It did not change, revise or reverse its damning report on last year’s elections.

The Harare Sadc summit came against a backdrop of resistance by some countries, led by Zambia, in the region who felt it was inappropriate to have a country and leader accused of electoral corruption and fraud convening it.

Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema boycotted the Harare summit as a result.

Part of the reason is Mnangagwa is supporting former Zambian president Edgar Lungu to remove Hichilema who beat him in 2021. Zambian elections are in 2026.

Hichilema was chair of the Sadc troika of the organ on politics, defence and security when Zimbabwe held its elections, hence played a major role in rejecting Mnangagwa’s re-election. Despite some opposition to Zimbabwe hosting the summit, it went ahead with most heads of state and government in attendance.

One of the major outcomes of the summit, as indicated in the communique, was the removal of Eswatini from the agenda of the organ troika, at the request of King Mswati.

In the communique, Sadc noted the “positive progress” made towards political and security stability in Eswatini.

However, the removal from the agenda comes despite that Eswatini has not implemented recommendations made by Sadc in 2021 to address political instability in the Kingdom, which included hosting of a national dialogue.

Since the Sadc mission to Eswatini during the height of political instability in the Kingdom, the Mbabane government has repeatedly made commitments to host the national dialogue to resolve the questions raised by citizens on authoritarian powers of the monarchy and democracy in the country.

In a dramatic and ironic turn of events, Mnangagwa has now called for an extraordinary summit of Sadc Heads of state and government in Harare next week to discuss post-election violence and chaos in Mozambique.

Mozambique held elections on 9 October which were disputed. Although President Daniel Chapo won, his main rival Valencio Mondlane rejected the outcome and took to the streets. Mnangagwa, who is the Sadc chair, congratulated Chapo before official results were even announced, practically declaring the outcome himself.

Chapo, the candidate of the ruling party Frelimo, was officially declared the winner with over 71% of the vote, with Mondlane getting 20%. Zanu PF and Frelimo have close ties dating back to the liberation struggle. Frelimo supported Zanu PF’s fight against the Rhodesian colonial regime in the 1970s.

Two of Mondlane’s supporters were killed.

That triggered protests and more violence.

🔵The situation in Mozambique which followed recent disputed elections has led to Zimbabwe calling for an extraordinary SADC summit in Harare next week.
Ironically, the summit with be chaired by Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa, the Sadc chairperson, whose own… pic.twitter.com/QSVQAOFZjF

— TheNewsHawks (@NewsHawksLive) November 7, 2024

Now more than two dozen people have been killed.

Mozambique Defence minister Cristóvão Chume has threatened to deploy the army to quell the protests.

Government has closed social media in a bid to stymie the demonstrations. Mondlane, who leads the Optimistic Party for the Development of Mozambique, has now escaped to South Africa, after an assassination attempt.

In a video posted on Facebook, Mondlane said he was now in “mortal danger” after assassins had gone to his home to try to kill him.

He said he had to jump through the back door and run through a hair salon, while carrying his bags, accompanied by his wife and daughter in his scared flight.

The militant Mondlane, a former opposition Renamo official, has promised a “march on Maputo” to overthrow the Frelimo government.

Chapo’s government says it is ready to use the military to crush the protests against electoral manipulation, fraud and rigging.

However, a general strike called by Mondlane has continued, despite government’s call for people to return to work.

The Mozambican crisis is now affecting Sadc’s political and security situation, with some contagion effect on Zimbabwe and other countries, especially on cross-border trade; people and freight movements.

Traffic through the eastern Forbes Border Post between Zimbabwe and Mozambique has been occasionally disrupted by Mozambican protesters.

Zimbabwe mainly relies on the Beira Corridor in Mozambique for access to the sea and trade.

Apart from Zimbabwe, the extraordinary summit will also discuss the recent polls in Botswana where the recent general elections in Mozambique and Botswana will be discussed.

Also up for discussion will be the Namibian elections due on 27 November 2024.

The summit will be held from 16 to 20 November in Harare where a leader accused of manipulating and rigging elections will suddenly become the champion of electoral integrity, credibility and accountability to ensure political and security stability in the region – a dramatic irony.