BRENNA MATENDERE
THE damning Sadc election observer mission report on Zimbabwe’s August 2023 sham polls is still standing as official record after Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa failed to use his leverage as incoming Southern African Development Community (Sadc) chairperson to influence the regional body to withdraw it.
The Sadc election observer mission report, which said that the elections did not meet the bloc’s threshold of free and fair elections, was endorsed by its extraordinary summit in Angola last year and at a special ministerial meeting in Zambia.
The Zambian leader and Mumba came under vicious attack from Zanu PF and Zimbabwe government officials.
They rejected the bile and insults directed at them by Zanu PF and government.
Much of the venomous attacks came from ruling party spokesperson Chris Mutsvangwa, who was War Veterans minister at the time, and Mnangagwa’s spokesperson George Charamba.
Hichilema was privately pushing for Sadc to tackle the Zimbabwe issue amid diplomatic manoeuvres by different stakeholders involved.
Mnangagwa used the United Nations General Assembly in September last year to engage and lobby Sadc leaders who were pushing for an extraordinary summit after the electoral observer mission’s preliminary report highlighted that Zimbabwe’s general elections had violated the constitution, Electoral Act and the regional body’s Principles and Guidelines Governing Democratic Elections.
The final report highlighted the same concerns, meaning Zimbabwe’s elections were neither free, fair nor credible in the eyes of Sadc.
Chaired by Lourenço, the summit was attended by heads of state and government or their representatives: DRC President Félix Tshisekedi, President Cyril Ramaphosa (South Africa), President Samia Suluhu Hassan (Tanzania), Hichilema (Zambia), Prime Minister Sam Matekane (Lesotho), Vice-President Nangolo Mbumba (Namibia), Dr Lemogang Kwape (Foreign minister Botswana), Nancy Gladys Tembo (Foreign minister Malawi), Verónica Nataniel Macamo Dlhovo (Foreign minister Mozambique), Thabisile Mlangeni (Eswatini) and Mnangagwa (Zimbabwe), among others
