The Southern African Development Community (SADC) summit concluded in Harare, Zimbabwe, yesterday, amidst growing concerns about the human rights situation in the country. While the summit itself was meant to address regional issues, the silence from South Africa on the ongoing crackdown on dissent in Zimbabwe has been deafening.
Earlier this month, The Democratic Alliance (DA), South Africa’s main opposition party, had urged Pretoria to intervene and relocate the summit, citing the recent crackdown on dissent in Zimbabwe. The DA had highlighted the arrests and alleged torture of several opposition politicians and activists in Zimbabwe, claiming that President Emmerson Mnangagwa is tightening his grip on power to prevent protests during the summit.
However, South Africa’s Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) maintained that the summit would proceed as planned in Harare, emphasizing that South Africa has no authority to overrule the SADC’s decision.
“South Africa would have no authority to tell SADC that this summit can’t take place in Harare when Zimbabwe is the incoming chair,” said Clayson Monyela, DIRCO spokesperson.
Monyela, however, asserted that South Africa believes these issues are best resolved through dialogue.
“South Africa sticks to the principle that these issues are best resolved by the Zimbabweans themselves sitting around a table. South Africa stands ready to facilitate such discussions as it has before,” he said.
South Africa’s ruling party, the ANC, also dismissed the DA’s call and stated that the summit would proceed as planned in Zimbabwe.
“If there are any issues needing the region’s attention in Zimbabwe, they would be discussed in Zim, not away from it,” ANC spokesperson Zuko Godlimpi told the DA and everyone else who bothered to listen. Interestingly, nothing of that sort was ever discussed at the SADC summit which concluded yesterday.
The silence from South Africa on the human rights situation in Zimbabwe is a cause for concern. It appears that President Cyril Ramaphosa’s government is willing to turn a blind eye to the abuses taking place in Zimbabwe, choosing instead to focus on maintaining regional stability.
This stance has been criticised by many, who argue that South Africa has a moral obligation to speak out against human rights violations, regardless of the political implications.
The DA’s call for the relocation of the summit was a bold move, but it ultimately fell on deaf ears. South Africa’s ANC government, which has close ties with the Zimbabwean government, appears to be content with the status quo, despite the growing evidence of human rights abuses.
The fact that the SADC summit concluded without any meaningful discussion on the human rights situation in Zimbabwe is a testament to the region’s unwillingness to hold Zimbabwe accountable. This silence sends a dangerous message to the Zimbabwean government, suggesting that it can continue to violate the rights of its citizens with impunity.
The human rights situation in Zimbabwe is a regional issue, and it is time for South Africa to step up and play a more active role in addressing it. The silence from Pretoria is deafening and hurts the entire region.
Meanwhile, Zimbabwean human rights lawyer Arnold Tsunga has been outspoken about the significance of SADC’s lack of action amid these violations, saying that it “undermines SADC as a whole and reinforces the notion that the SADC heads of state do not respect the rule of law and judicial oversight”.
Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa being the incoming SADC chairperson has brought this into focus.
The situation in Zimbabwe is not just a matter of internal affairs; it has a direct impact on the stability of the entire region. The ongoing human rights abuses are leading to a growing number of Zimbabweans fleeing to neighbouring countries, including South Africa, in search of safety and better opportunities.
This forced migration is placing a strain on resources and social services in these countries, and it is creating a climate of instability and insecurity. South Africa, as the largest economy in the region, has a responsibility to address this issue, but it is failing to do so.
It leaves one wondering what exactly should be discussed at the SADC summit that leads to greater stability and peace in the region. SADC member countries are clearly unable to openly denounce and sanction their peers in the organisation that have proven themselves to be working against its establishing principles and aims.
History will not judge South Africa kindly in its review of this period.
Zimbabwe needs South Africa to solve its problems and Zimbabwean politicians know it. Last week, Nelson Chamisa, the former leader of the Citizens’ Coalition for Change (CCC), dismissed calls for Zimbabweans living in South Africa to return home and participate in Zimbabwe’s elections, labelling the notion as “futile” and a return to “hell”.
This sharp response comes in direct rebuttal to comments made by South African opposition activist Julius Malema, who earlier this week urged Zimbabweans living in South Africa to engage in the political process back home. Malema had argued that Zimbabweans should not be passive spectators in their country’s political landscape.
However, Chamisa, in an interview with South African broadcaster NewzroomAfrika, countered Malema’s call, painting a bleak picture of Zimbabwe’s political reality.
“Just the past year we have had a number of Zimbabweans leaving the country seeking better and greener pastures, better opportunities,” Chamisa stated, highlighting the exodus of Zimbabweans seeking a better life abroad due to the country’s economic woes.
“To invite people back into hell or to invite back into this very difficult situation, I think it is disingenuous. We have to correct the settings. Zimbabweans have a role to play in elections, but the elections are actually not proper elections,” he added, casting doubt on the legitimacy of Zimbabwe’s elections.
Chamisa went on to detail his concerns about the electoral process, citing past irregularities.
“So even if Zimbabweans were to come, look at what happened in the past elections, people were in the queues, the ballot papers were not there. The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission could not produce ballot papers, and it turned out that Mr Mnangagwa’s friend Wicknell Chivayo was actually printing the ballot papers and playing the sabotage. The election was just a sham. So, to talk of elections and Zimbabweans coming to those elections and participating is a bit of a challenge.”
