Nkosentsha Khumalo
IN the just ended Southern African Development Community (SADC) Summit in Harare, the new regional block Chairperson gave the general populace and the entire Southern region an illusion of “all is well”. But Zimbabwe is suffocating under the weight of authoritarian rule and an imploding economy.
The aftermath of the summit, has become painfully clear that the warnings issued by the Zimbabwe African People’s Union (ZAPU) President, Sibangilizwe Nkomo before the gathering were not mere hyperbole. But rather an eerie foreshadowing of a future that has now become the harsh present reality for the citizens of Zimbabwe.
In the pre-summit statement dated August 16, the Zapu president ominously warned that the country’s citizens are under an oppressive regime which does not tolerate divergent political views, where opponents are quickly labeled unpatriotic and/ or Western puppets.
This dark vision of Zimbabwe’s future has become the bleak reality for the people today, as the post-summit landscape reveals the extent of the country’s political, economic, and social decay.
While the SADC Summit mainly focused on issues to do with climate change and the Mpox outbreak, critical concerns raised by the Zapu President Nkomo prior to the summit were largely ignored, and this has left citizens facing a grim reality.
Summit participants might have discussed the impact of rising global temperatures or the spread of disease, but the everyday struggles of Zimbabweans have taken on a more urgent and visceral form as they contend with a regime bent on silencing dissent and enforcing a failing economic system.
Bringing to light the nation’s growing authoritarian tendencies, Nkomo highlighted the disturbing trend of criminalizing dissenting voices under the guise of the ‘Patriotic Act.’ He also drew attention to the erosion of basic rights and freedoms, from manipulated elections to the silencing of opposition, that have increasingly characterized the Zimbabwean political landscape.
“In reality, we are under an oppressive regime which does not tolerate divergent political views, where opponents are quickly labelled unpatriotic, Western puppets. Vague legal instruments have been put in place to criminalize dissenting voices and stifle debate.
“One such instrument is the infamous Patriotic Act, whose ulterior motive is to disarm citizens by robbing them of the right to access international collaboration. The supreme authority of the country is its citizens, who forged the current Constitution through a historic, national consultative program in 2013. However, that authority has been taken away from the public by a minority ruling elite.
“The Declaration of Rights as enshrined in the 2013 Constitution is disregarded while the well-intentioned Judiciary and Human Rights Commissions have been made toothless. There exists, a deliberate, determined effort to avoid transparency and accountability by the executive arm of the State.” Said Nkomo.
He further stressed that hundreds of citizens and opposition activists are behind bars on frivolous, trumped up charges.
“Honorable Jameson Timba and 76 other citizens are locked up for simply commemorating the International Day of the Youth at his private residence,’ He said.
“Many other citizens have been jailed for long periods without trial and usually denied bail through a seemingly captured Judiciary. We have witnessed the incarceration of Job Sikhala for 595 days and 9 members of Mthwakazi Republic Party, all perceived as enemies of the state.
“Journalist Itai Dzamara, a victim of enforced disappearance, remains unaccounted for, 9 years since his abduction by suspected state security agents in broad daylight.”
Nkomo had warned SADC participants in Harare, that the comfort they were being funneled into what, was just cosmetic, to falsify that the country’s economy is doing well. Yet most citizens are languishing in abject poverty.
Due to high unemployment rate, many families cannot afford a decent meal per day, with the attendant malnutrition causing health challenges and lowering life expectancy within the masses.
The rhetoric of a Second Republic, and its open-for-business mantra, have only helped in murky ‘mega deals’ primarily used in funding for state security operatives to terrorize citizens.
“Their sanctions narrative remains a smokescreen, as our cancer is state-ordained corruption. Citizens leave Zimbabwe in large numbers due to political persecution, economic meltdown, unemployment and disregard for the rule of law.”
“Despite our God-given, vast mineral wealth, we are a troubled nation, surviving on the kindness of other nations through international aid and donor agencies. Sadly, our youths are the most affected without hope for the future.”
Nkomo said part from guarded statements calling out the ZANU PF regime for its excessiveness, the independence of the country’s Commissions remain questionable, giving state actors the carte blanche to shred large sections of the Constitution with impunity.
“Our harmonized elections in August 2023, clearly showed that our electoral processes failed to meet basic SADC protocols on free, fair and credible elections. Consequently, we have an illegitimate administration that thrives on violence and intimidation,” added Nkomo.
In the aftermath of the SADC Summit, the hard truths laid bare by Nkomo loom over Zimbabwe like a heavy cloud of uncertainty as the country continues to grapple with the increasingly authoritarian policies of Mnangagwa’s regime and a crumbling economy.
The question of how long the nation can endure these painful punishing conditions remains unanswered, while Zimbabwean citizenry can only hope that the words of warning issued by Nkomo do not ultimately prove prophetic.
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