SADC has finally stepped in to try end the cycle of violence and political unrest in Eswatini. SA President Cyril Ramaphosa, who is also the current Chairperson of Chairperson of SADC’s Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Co-operation, send envoy to Eswatini follow the outbreak of violent street protests in that country.
“The Special Envoy paid a courtesy call on His Majesty, King Mswati III. Subsequently, amongst others, the Special Envoy met with members of Cabinet led by the Honourable Cleopas Sipho Dlamini, the Prime Minister, members of the Diplomatic Corps, civil society organizations, Members of Parliament, trade unions and members of the all society in Eswatini,” announce President Ramaphosa.
“During the engagements, all stakeholders agreed that the conduct of national dialogue should be the appropriate platform to address the current challenges facing the country. In this regard, they recognised the need for a peaceful and conducive environment for the dialogue to take place.”
It is a great pity that Eswatini has been allowed to burn before SADC leaders finally stepped in.
The borne of contention in Eswatini is King Mswati III is an absolute monarch and he has creamed off the country’s wealth to bankroll a lavish lifestyle for himself and his many wives. The majority of ordinary people now live in abject poverty. The people’s cry for democratic change so they can have a meaningful say in the governance of the country have fallen on deaf ears; the King might as well have a bale of cotton staffed in each of his ears.
SADC leaders have completely ignored the suffering people and have sided with the King under the pretext the serious human rights violations and tragic human suffering caused by the criminal waste of the nation’s human and material resources were internal Eswatini affairs. SADC was not going to interfere in a member country’s internal affairs.
The people of Eswatini are disappointed at SADC and AU’s, the continent body, indifference to their suffering and cry for help! Rightly so too! And so should every thinking person in SADC and Africa; African leaders’ indifference to the human rights violation and suffering is one of the reasons why the continent is in this economic and political mess.
African leaders a notorious for siding with the continent’s despotic leaders or, at best, kicking the can down the street at the expense of the suffering masses. These leaders do not like outsiders such as the UN to help solve the continent’s many problems; “African solutions to African problems!” they have often argued. Only to sit on the problems allowing them to fester and spread!
One hopes that SADC leaders will see to it that the national dialogue in Eswatini address the root causes of the political unrest and the economic meltdown in that country. Eswatini must end absolute monarch and move with the times and uphold the freedoms and rights of all citizens as pronounced in the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights including the right to a meaningful say in the governance of the country.
As a Zimbabwean, I will be following what happens in Eswatini like a hawk!
After 41 years and counting of rigged elections it is clear come 2023, without even one token reform in place, Zanu PF will once again rig those elections. If SADC leaders manage to force King Mswati III to relinquish his absolute power one hopes the regional leaders will have the guts to force Zanu PF thugs to relinquish their dictatorial powers too!
SADC leaders have endorsed Zimbabwe’s the 2013 and 2018 elections as “substantially free, fair and credible” when they know that was not true.
“Notably, major shortcomings in the pre-election environment impacted on the free expression of the will of electors, state resources were misused in favour of the incumbent and coverage by state media was heavily biased in favour of the ruling party. Further, the electoral commission lacked full independence and appeared to not always act in an impartial manner,” reported the EU Zimbabwe 2018 Election Observer Mission final report.
“The final results as announced by the Electoral Commission contained numerous errors and lacked adequate traceability, transparency and verifiability. Finally, the restrictions on political freedoms, the excessive use of force by security forces and abuses of human rights in the post-election period undermined the corresponding positive aspects during the pre-election campaign.
“As such, many aspects of the 2018 elections in Zimbabwe failed to meet international standards.”
ZEC failed to produce something as basic as a verified voters’ roll, a legal and common sense requirement, for Pete’s sake. How SADC election observers managed to give their thumbs up to such a flawed and illegal election process beggars belief. It is already clear that ZEC will not have a verified voters’ roll in 2023!
The people of Zimbabwe will be looking to SADC leaders, especially those who have held free, fair and credible elections in their own country to judge the 2023 Zimbabwe elections to international standards and not the usual one foot long yard stick!
By declaring the 2023 Zimbabwe elections null and void and thus refuse to give Zanu PF regime legitimacy; SADC will be breaking the cycle of rigged elections as happened in 2008 when the region body also refused to recognised that year’s election process as a democratic, free, fair and credible.
Zimbabwe needs a new GNU; only this time competent men and women will be appointed to make sure all the democratic reforms to dismantle the Zanu PF dictatorship are implemented. The 2008 to 2013 GNU failed to get even one reform implemented but that was because the Zanu PF and MDC leaders in the GNU lacked the political will and vision. Zimbabwe deserves a second bite at the cherry; this time the democratic reforms, all of them, will be implemented fully!
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ATTACKS AGAINST PRESIDENT OF THE MDC ALLIANCE OF ZIMBABWE MR. NELSON CHAMISA IS AN ATTACK AGAINST DEMOCRACY WHICH ACT WAZALENDO STRONGLY CONDEMNS
ACT Wazalendo is saddened by the attacks on the President of Zimbabwe’s Opposition MDC Alliance Ndg. Nelson Chamisa. Ndg. Chamisa has survived at least two attacks with clear indications of attempted murder within seven days.
Moreover, ACT Wazalendo calls upon Tanzania’s ministry of Foreign Affairs to communicate to Zimbabwe authorities about these sad concerns and demand that Zimbabwe adhere to SADC Protocol on Democracy.
Issued by:
Bonifasla A. Mapunda
Deputy Head of Foreign Affairs Department,
ACT Wazalendo
I am touched! It is gratifying to see a neighbour taking more than a passing interest in one’s wellbeing to the point of sticking up their head above the pulpit to point out the wrong doing. The principle of “don’t interfere in the other’s internal affairs” in the face of serious human rights violation has been discredited by experience because it is only a feeble excuse for allowing those who have no respect for human rights and human dignity to do as they please.
It must be said Tanzania has the history, from the pivotal role it played in the struggle for independence for many countries like Zimbabwe to the help it gave people of Uganda to topple Idi Amin, of standing with the weak and oppressed instead of siding with those in power.
@ Tendai
Rubbish, SADC forced Mugabe to agree to the reforms and it was Morgan Tsvangirai and MDC who sold out by failing to get even one reform implemented! If you don't understand what the GNU was about, even now with benefit of hindsight, it speaks volumes of your competence!
Former MDC Alliance vice-chairman, Job Sikhala was recently demoted for his involvement in the founding of a party that was destined to split the MDC Alliance vote, it has emerged.
Opposition leader Nelson Chamisa quickly relegated Sikhala to an ordinary card carrying member in a reorganization that was widely viewed as a ploy to shore up his grip on power amidst growing factional feuding within the party.
The source said that efforts by Chamisa's lieutenants to stop the demotion of Sikhala as it was in violation of the party constitution, hit a brick wall. The source argued that Sikhala was a product of congress hence only congress was supposed to dethrone him. The lieutenants feared that the breach of party constitution would soil the image of the party which is smarting from a similar case where the Court nullified Chamisa's leadership of the MDC Alliance citing that his appointment as vice leader by the late Morgan Tsvangirai was in violation of the party constitution.
A source from the other camp said there was a counter plan by the rival camp to take Chamisa to court over the violation of the party constitution. The source said the co-vice leader, Tendai Biti was initiating the legal battle that might lead to a major split.
"TB (Biti) wants to influence a proxy to take Chamisa to court by, imitating the circumstances that brought Douglas Mwonzora to the helm of the MDC T. Plan B for Biti camp is to resign en masse citing a breach of the party constitution," said the source.
Biti faction believes Chamisa is getting a big head from the #Ngaapinde hake mukomana slogan. Biti loyalists hold the view that the slogan promotes a cult of personality and was geared to ban it.
The MDC leaders are always squabbling amongst themselves and, worst of all, more often than not it is over trivial matters. Giving the sheer incompetence in Zanu PF one has to ask why has the MDC failed to take advantage of this? The answer is they fighting over power is so intense they are failing to secure power.
The forces that unite the opposition is their fight to wrestle power from Zanu PF are strong whilst the opposition’s chances of winning are small but as those chances improve, the rivalry among themselves generate a force pushing them apart.
It is most disheartening that anyone should even have to argue the case for universal freedoms and rights much less be fighting to be heard! Still, one hopes that all the players in Eswatini will now see the need for democratic change, will implement the necessary democratic change to guarantee the country’s transition from an absolute monarch to a healthy and functioning democratic nation.
SADC leaders had the opportunity to end the Zanu PF dictatorship during the 2008 to 2013 GNU in Zimbabwe; it is a great pity they allowed MDC sell out and get away with it. One only hopes the regional body will not be found wanting again and let the people of Eswatini down.
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