Beatrice Kumbana Political Reporter
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Zimbabwe \u2014In one of his speeches last year, President Dr. Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa proudly declared,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe are all SADCshis to the extent we are SADCshi.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But as Zimbabwe\u2019s term at the helm of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) ends, the nation\u2019s own economic troubles have many wondering whether our state of SADC-on-position has quietly stripped us of that title.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While regional leaders applaud Mnangagwa\u2019s chairmanship, many Zimbabweans are asking a harder question<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If our president has been such a strong leader abroad, why do ordinary citizens still feel so little change at home?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Regional Achievements on Paper<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hon. Webster Shamu, speaking in Parliament, hailed Mnangagwa\u2019s tenure as Chairman of SADC from August 2024 to August 2025 as<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cstrong and unifying.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He pointed to major infrastructure and policy achievements<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Completion of the Beitbridge\u2013Harare\u2013Chirundu Highway and upgrades at Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport, aimed at boosting trade and transport.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hosting the 7th SADC Industrialisation Week, focusing on youth entrepreneurship and regional manufacturing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Expansion of the Education 5.0 programme to encourage research, agricultural innovation, and food security.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Support for election monitoring missions in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Madagascar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Launch of SADC\u2019s first Summit on Conservation, linking environmental care with tourism and local community benefits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The SADC Executive Secretary praised Zimbabwe\u2019s leadership as \u201ceffective and forward looking,\u201d and South Africa\u2019s President Cyril Ramaphosa recognized Mnangagwa\u2019s efforts to promote regional stability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Progress or Public Relations?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yet away from summit halls and ribbon-cuttings, the picture looks different.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHighways are great, but I can\u2019t even afford bus fare,\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
says Tafadzwa Moyo, a shop assistant in Gweru.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe hear about development on TV, but prices keep rising, salaries stay low, and jobs are disappearing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Economist Dr. Nkosilathi Sibanda warns that infrastructure alone will not fix the economy:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cModern roads help trade \u2014 but if industries are idle and unemployment is over 80%, these gains don\u2019t trickle down. Without real economic reform, projects risk becoming showcases rather than lifelines.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Education 5.0 programme, credited for encouraging entrepreneurship, has yielded success stories in agriculture and small-scale manufacturing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But teachers\u2019 unions report underfunding in schools, while graduates still face scarce opportunities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A Leadership Transition<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At the 45th SADC Summit in Antananarivo on 17 August 2025, President Mnangagwa handed the chairmanship to President Andry Rajoelina of Madagascar, as Mauritius formally joined SADC, expanding the bloc to 15 states.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hon. Shamu praised Mnangagwa for leaving the regional bloc \u201cstronger and more united,\u201d urging Zimbabweans to celebrate his record.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But analysts caution against confusing regional prestige with domestic progress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cLeadership abroad is valuable,\u201d Dr. Sibanda adds, \u201cbut the ultimate measure is whether Zimbabweans are materially better off than they were a year ago. If the answer is no, we must ask why.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hon. Shamu insists that Zimbabwe\u2019s role at SADC proves the country can \u201cdeliver results and inspire unity.\u201d Citizens, however, are waiting to see if summit achievements can translate into affordable food, decent wages, and reliable services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As the SADC chairmanship passes to Madagascar, Zimbabwe faces a sobering truth:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
International praise cannot substitute for local prosperity. Until summit headlines match village and township realities, the title of SADCshi may remain more ceremonial than lived.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Zim GBC News\u00a92025<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Beatrice Kumbana Political Reporter Zimbabwe \u2014In one of his speeches last year, President Dr. Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa proudly declared, \u201cWe are all SADCshis to the extent we are SADCshi.\u201d But… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8618,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[109],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8617","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8617","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=8617"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8617\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8619,"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8617\/revisions\/8619"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/8618"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8617"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=8617"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=8617"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}