By Elizabeth Sitotombe
THE historic 44th SADC Ordinary Summit has come and gone — it was testament to a victory for progressive forces.
President Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa successfully assumed the role of SADC Chair. The Summit was one of the best attended by Heads of State and Government in the past nine years, with some of the Heads of State arriving in the country as early as Thursday.
Thirteen out 16 Heads of State attended, with neighbouring Zambia’s President Hakainde Hichilema, Mauritius’s Prithvirajsing Roopun and Comoros’ Azali Assoumani failing to make it to the Summit. However, President Hichilema addressed members of the SADC Organ on Politics, Security and Defence virtually.
Indeed, it was a moment to behold when the outgoing SADC Chair and President of Angola, Joao Lourenco, pinned the Chairmanship badge on incoming President Mnangagwa.
Zimbabwe’s assumption of the SADC Chairmanship not only places other Southern African countries in the capable hands of a dynamic and exemplary leader who from hereon will serve to foster greater cooperation, industrialisation and economic growth within the regional bloc but it is testimony of the kind of hardworking leader that he is.
Under his guidance, the country has witnessed a remarkable transformation. His implementation of developmental goals and the spearheading of the construction of the pan-African Museum of African Liberation in Harare whose aim is to showcase while preserving the African liberation history is unprecedented.
“On behalf of the people and Government of Zimbabwe, l take over the mantle of Chairperson of SADC with humility and grace. I look forward, Your Excellencies, to your invaluable support, and drawing from your vast experiences and counsel, as we advance our regional agenda for the benefit of our SADC citizens,” said President Mnangagwa in his acceptance speech.
“This year’s theme, ‘Promoting Innovation to Unlock Opportunities for Sustainable Economic Growth and Development Towards an Industrialised SADC’, brings to the fore the role of innovation in sustained economic transformation and development. It is a clarion call for our respective countries to leverage the region’s human capital, to spur technology and innovation that will leapfrog the modernisation and industrialisation of SADC towards a higher quality of life for our citizens.”
The Summit commended Zimbabwe, Eswatini, Madagascar, South Africa and the DRC for successfully holding peaceful elections. Namibia, Mauritius, Botswana and Mozambique are set to hold their elections later this year. While reiterating its firm support to the Republic of Mozambique and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) n promoting and consolidating peace, security and stability in the two countries, they once again called for the removal of sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe, agreeing that they had not only far-reaching consequences on the people of Zimbabwe but to the entire SADC region.
Under discussion was the progress in political reforms in Lesotho which the Summit commended while urging the kingdom to accelerate constitutional amendments.
After the successful conclusion of the Summit, President Mnangagwa offered his Botswana counterpart, President Mokgweetsi Masisi, a tour of his Precabe Farm in Kwekwe, where he has taken the lead in ensuring a food-secure country.
President Masisi was impressed by the vast lush green fields of barley, wheat, potatoes as well as livestock that included, goats, sheep and cattle, not to mention the state-of-the-art farming equipment. No wonder, President Masisi called it a modern-day ‘Garden of Eden’.
Unlike at other national and regional events, conspicuous were some opposition leaders at the Summit who included MDC-T leader Douglas Mwonzora, Citizens Coalition for Change interim secretary-general Sengezo Tshabangu and National Constitutional Assembly president Lovemore Madhuku.
For the past few months, Zimbabwe was under siege from the country’s detractors who were threatening to disrupt the otherwise peaceful Summit through demonstrations.
This, however, like other previous calls to mischief, came to nought.
When the day of reckoning came, Zimbabweans chose to stand on the side of progressive forces and watched in amusement as the dissenters tore into each other in frustration — they had to justify the monies paid them to discredit the Summit.
While the ZANU PF-led Government held the historic Summit, across the border, Nelson Chamisa — the now partyless face of opposition politics in Zimbabwe — and his cronies were brewing their own brand of mischief.
They fervently hoped, then went on to claim, that SADC would reverse the 2023 elections outcome and usher in a transitional government.
When a supporter asked what the next move was, seeing how the Summit had been a success, Chamisa responded: “Wait and see that Our#Godisinit.”
This torched a flood of hostile responses on social media:
“Go with your Godisinit and leave opposition politics now, to allow a new leadership. As l have stated before, you have served the state well by systematically demobilising the masses — a damn disgrace for which you will pay dearly. Declare you departure or we expose you.”
“This nonsense is now nauseating! You can’t keep repeating the same thing for seven years while vana vakazara mumajeri. It is either you are meant to lead or you are not leadership material,” exploded another.
Another asked: “How far neSADC?”
To which he responded: “SADC is we the people! We’re the ones to help ourselves. We’re the answers to our own questions.”
To which another user responded: “No, we are not SADC. SADC is a club of politicians. People voted for you to represent their interests, not to delegate the responsibilities back to them.”
These responses are, however, not exhaustive of the increasing frustrations of the opposition over Chamisa’s ineptitude as a leader; some retorts and postulations are not fit for public consumption in our family newspaper.
The Ordinary SADC Summit is held every year and is attended by Heads of State and Government from the 16 SADC member-states. Zimbabwe is a founder member of SADC, and is among the nine countries that formed the Southern African Development Coordination Conference (SADCC) in 1980.
SADC is a regional bloc of 16 member-states, namely Angola, Botswana, the Comoros, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, Swaziland, United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
