Africa-Press – Zimbabwe. SOME Zimbabwean nationals have petitioned the Southern African Development Community (SADC) not to hand over chairmanship to their President Emmerson Mnangagwa, whose integrity they have questioned in the last election.
Yesterday the Zimbabweans had planned to hold a peaceful demonstration at Mulungushi International Conference Centre during the opening of the 26th Ordinary Meeting of the Ministerial Committee of the Organ (MCO) on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation, but could not succeed as they were not granted permission by the police.
Addressing the media in Lusaka Trust Njobvu who is SADC Citizens Democratic Society director wondered why SADC wants to hand over chairmanship to their President and go against the SADC Electoral Observation Mission (SEOM), which indicates that the election in the neighbouring country was not free and fair.
They accused Mnangagwa of manipulating other leaders within the region so that he could be given the position.
“We ask why should he be elected? If SADC allows him to be the next chairperson that will be going against the SADC SEOM report which is very clear that elections in Zimbabwe were not free and fair because they did not meet the standard guidelines of SADC,” Njobvu said.
“In that context we see a clear contradiction we are saying as Zimbabwean citizens the current Zimbabwean President is illegitimate because of this report. That report was very clear it was not written by us as the citizens it was not written by anyone else but the SADC observer mission which constituted of many technocrats many professionals from across the board and entrusted body and the outcome of that report is authentic.”
He said the interest of the Zimbabweans is to champion democracy within the region hence their decision to petition ministerial committee organ so that the issue can be considered before the summit scheduled for next month.
“Putting Mnangagwa as the next chair of SADC is putting the life of Zimbabweans at risk. Not only Zimbabwe but the region itself. Because it’s like you are now giving a mandate to somebody whom you have accused of being a thief,” Njobvu said.
“We feel he has rigged SADC protocols to put himself there but we pray that there are still level headed minds and in the sober minds of the SADC whom we trust so much and pray that they will use wisdom to hold the process of handing over.”
They proposed that Angolan President João Lourenço holds on to the chairmanship until the SEOM report is dealt with.
Njobvu further urged Zimbabweans to stay calm and wait on directives from the Zambia Police Service regarding their protest
“They asked us to give them time so that they can process our notification. We don’t know what time they will get back to us. When they get back to us we will proceed with our demonstration,” said Njobvu.
And Elisha Chambara said most Zimbabweans are opposed to Mnangagwa’s government due to hunger, suppression of human rights among other issues.
He said Mnangagwa’s election was reported to be flawed by SADC therefore it will be an embarrassment to install him as a chairman of SADC.
“How do we have somebody who has massacred people in his own country where people saw it on camera, where elections have been disputed, where he came in through a coup and you want to make him the chairman of SADC,” Chambara said.
“How can you put somebody like this who is going to Russia asking for weapons, to represent SADC? How can you put somebody who is tainted with legitimacy and also destabilising the region. We are not talking about Zimbabwe alone we are talking about the whole region.”
He added that the country cannot continue on the trajectory of having disputed elections since 1980.
“Since 2002 there’s an election challenge in court which has not been heard. These are the issues we want SADC to deal with so that we do not have disputed elections and the issue of legitimacy must be sorted out in Zimbabwe,” said Chambara.
By Mwaka Ndawa
For More News And Analysis About Zimbabwe Follow Africa-Press
