The Extraordinary Summit of the SADC Heads of State and Government scheduled for 04 November is expected to discuss Zimbabwe’s disputed general elections held on 23 and 24 August 2023.
The Extraordinary Summit was held virtually on Tuesday, 31 October but was adjourned to Saturday due to connectivity issues, according to Zimbabwe’s Foreign Affairs and International Trade Minister Frederick Shava.
Speaking to The Herald soon after the meeting, Shava revealed that Zimbabwe was on the agenda of the meeting of SADC Heads of State and Government yesterday but the meeting adjourned before the matter was discussed.
SADC Chairperson and Angolan leader, President Joao Lourenco, commended Zimbabwe and the Kingdom of Eswatini for recently holding elections “in a democratic manner”. Said Shava:
He (President Lourenco) was very positive and congratulated Zimbabwe once again. If you remember he did congratulate His Excellency, President Mnangagwa, for his re-election when we were in New York during UNGA.
Today at the opening ceremony, he repeated that same message and also congratulated the Kingdom of Eswatini.
Nothing more about Zimbabwe came out, although we identified an agenda item that wanted to discuss Zimbabwe but we adjourned before we got to it. Of course, it was included by the people who prepared it, the Secretariat…
The meeting ended because we were having connectivity glitches in the various places from which we were following proceedings, so the meeting became inconsistent because of audibility issues.
The chairman suggested that we should defer it so we could meet in person.
The opposition Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) has been urging SADC leaders to address the issues raised by the SADC Electoral Observer Mission (SEOM) to Zimbabwe for the 23 and 24 August 2023 elections.
In a statement yesterday after SADC adjourned the Extraordinary Summit, CCC deputy spokesperson Gift “Ostallos” Siziba said:
It is time for decisive regional action. We call upon SADC to uphold their Observer Mission Report and facilitate a process whereby Zimbabwe can regain legitimacy, firmly rooted in the free will of the people.
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