Sadc’s stony silence on Zim shocking

THE stony silence by the Southern African Development Committee (Sadc) on rights abuses in Zimbabwe following the arrests of journalist Hopewell Chin’ono, politician Ngarivhume and author Tsitsi Dangarembga, as well as several other activists in the past few weeks, is indeed shocking. One would have hoped that the Sadc leaders, as closest neighbours, would call President Emmerson Mnangagwa to order at their just-ended 40th summit.

The people of Zimbabwe were hoping that the regional leaders could at least implore Mnangagwa to put his house in order, but, alas, it was business as usual, as has always been typical of Sadc — aptly dubbed the old boys’ club.

What makes this development very sad is that Sadc ignored calls by the African Union and the United Nations to look into the issues of torture, abduction, arrest of journalists and unlawful incarceration of political activists by Mnangagwa’s government that have become a cause for concern the world over.

One is tempted to believe the theory that Sadc countries are reluctant to see normalcy return to Zimbabwe so that a lot of international investors interested in Southern Africa who would have preferred Zimbabwe will end up flocking to their countries, which means as long as Zimbabwe burns, their economies will flourish.

It is quite strange that Sadc would want the international community to lift sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe while not making the same noise for Zimbabwe to address the issues that attracted the same sanctions to begin with. Such double standards stink to high heaven! If Sadc was really concerned about Zimbabwe, it would speak some sense into Mnangagwa to fulfil the pledges he made with his own mouth after the coup through which he swept to power in November 2017, and the subsequent discredited July 2018 poll that rubber-stamped his leadership.

Indeed, such “brotherhood” is against the spirit of democracy and can as well be classified as a “brotherhood of devils” against the long-suffering people of Zimbabwe whose lives have continued to deteriorate under Zanu PF’s leadership.

We wonder why Sadc was prepared to discuss the political and security situations in Lesotho and Mozambique which they said were threatening regional peace, while Zimbabwe was treated as a sacred cow? What is it that ED has on these leaders? How do they expect their vision 2050 — which they claim is based on a firm foundation of peace, security and democratic governance — to succeed when Zimbabwe remains a political hot spot?

The people of Zimbabwe are yearning for security, peace and democracy under an excitable quasi-military government that is quick to exercise brute force even when it is not really necessary.

Sadc must clean up its act if it is to remain credible!