Nkosentsha Khumalo
The Southern Africa Development Community’s (SADC) willful blindness to the political violence in Zimbabwe has cast a shadow over the country’s democratic process and future elections, with regional indifference bolstering President Mnangagwa’s third term ambitions.
Despite repeated calls from civil society and international observers, SADC has shown little inclination to address the deadly repression of peaceful demonstrators, opposition supporters, and activists in Zimbabwe, raising concerns that the country’s long-standing human rights violations may continue unchecked.
SADC’s leadership’s dismissive reaction to state-sanctioned violence in Zimbabwe suggests a disregard for the country’s citizens, whose ability to make democratic choices is increasingly curtailed by the use of deadly force.
Mnangagwa’s recent ascendancy to SADC chairmanship has compounded concerns over election fairness in Zimbabwe.
The SADC has historically been the region’s primary body for addressing issues of democracy and human rights, but with its chairman facing allegations of electoral malpractice and a potential third-term bid, the organization’s credibility to address such concerns is called into question.
As SADC’s impartiality comes under scrutiny, the democratic future of Zimbabwe hangs in the balance.
SADC’s reluctance to acknowledge political opposition as legitimate actors and their insistence that it is merely foreign intervention paints a bleak picture of the region’s commitment to democratic values and human rights, which could have dire consequences for the country’s future elections.
When the dust settled after the controversial elections in Zimbabwe, the mounting political violence and lack of intervention from SADC continues to raise serious questions about the prospects of future polls meeting international standards of fairness and transparency.
The failure of SADC to promote accountability for human rights violations and address the growing incidents of party clashes suggests that future elections in Zimbabwe could be marred by the same patterns of repression and manipulation that have dogged the country’s democratic process for decades.
The recent surge in political violence, which began in 2022 with the formation of the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC), adds to a long list of worrying signs that Zimbabwe is careening towards yet another legitimacy crisis.
The pattern of intimidation and violence directed at opposition supporters and activists suggests that the CCC’s emergence as a viable political alternative may have provoked a fierce backlash from entrenched political interests, potentially leading to an even more tumultuous future for the country’s democratic process.
Despite President Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa’s periodic calls for peaceful political engagement, the past several years have witnessed an alarming trend of violent attacks on CCC supporters by Zanu-Pf activists.
Mnangagwa’s public appeals for civility have been met with skepticism, as the persistence of political violence in the face of his rhetoric has led some to believe that the ruling party is complicit in, or at the very least, unconcerned with the plight of opposition groups.
The CCC, Zimbabwe’s main opposition party, has reported escalating attacks on its supporters by ruling party activists, leading analysts to question the country’s commitment to free and fair elections.
In a recent rebuke, Zambian politician Joseph Kalimbwe sharply criticized SADC leaders for their apparent indifference to the violence suffered by CCC members, claiming that they were turning a blind eye to the human rights violations taking place in Zimbabwe.
He said it is mind blogging that if CCC former president Nelson Chamisa had won the presidential election, most of those who were ignoring his calls for help would claim being his friends.
Kalimbwe said that it is indeed sad that no one in SADC spoke or stood in Nelson Chamisa’s corner while his supporters were being killed in the light of day.
Recent brutal attacks on CCC supporters can be related to one of, Tinashe Chitsunge who was on August 3, 2024 assaulted amid revelations that Zanu Pf activists thwarted a planned rally in Harare’s Glen Norah suburb.
Chitsunge, who allegedly fleeing a raging Zanu Pf mob, was trying to jump onto the back of a slow-moving DAF truck when he was hit on the head with a stone and fell down leaving his head partially crushed by the rear tyres of the truck which was carrying other CCC supporters and was being persued by the mob.
Following the incident which occurred in Harare’s Glen view suburb, CCC leader Nelson Chamisa on August 7, the same year made a plea on President Mnangagwa to stop spilling the blood of innocent Zimbabweans in the name of politics as he vowed not to retaliate against what he said was “extreme provocation” on his party.
On his plea, CCC leader said, “Dear Mnangagwa, you cannot lead a country full of graves. This should come to an end. Life is precious.
“We did not go to war so that we can kill each other. We need peace in this country. We need healing in this country, ” Chamisa said.
Another incident of brutal attacks of CCC is that of CCC activist, Mboneni Ncube who was speared to death by suspected Zanu Pf supporters at a rally which was addressed by Nelson Chamisa in Kwekwe ahead of 2022 March 14 By-elections.
Political analyst Vivid Gwede said that , “The SADC Electoral Advisory Council conducted a pre-election assessment in light with its principles and guidelines on democratic elections last year.
“The expectation was that this would lead to implementation of previous SADC recommendations and improvement in the electoral environment through diplomatic engagements.”
“SADC still has a role to play especially in light of cases of political violence, the actual conduct of voting, the results announcement and the post-voting processes such as pronouncement on the freeness and fairness of the process. One hopes that the bloc would adhere to its principles on democratic elections and apply diplomatic influence to safeguard the credibility of the polls. “
Gwede said SADC has previously missed the opportunity to help Zimbabwe reform its elections by endorsing flawed elections without honest comment because it is more concerned with political considerations of the relations between the bloc and governments rather than compliance with its own set of democratic principles and guidelines.
Political Analyst, Effie Ncube said SADC has not taken time to understand the dynamics of elections and how violence has been used in past elections to sway voters and tilt the playing field in favor of the ruling party in Zimbabwe.
“As a result, SADC has constantly underestimated the role of violence in determining electoral outcomes in the country.
“The regional body also comes to observe elections too late when violence has already had its intended results. A better study and analysis of the trends of electoral violence would help in countering it. For now SADC is suffering under both ignorance and lack of political will for decisive action, “Ncube said.
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