President Emmerson Mnangagwa returned to Zimbabwe on Friday afternoon, shortly after attending the inauguration of Botswana’s new president, 54-year-old Duma Gideon Boko, in Gaborone.
The event saw the presence of several regional heads of state, including Mnangagwa, Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema, and South African Deputy President Paul Mashatile.
In a rare move, several opposition politicians from various countries were also invited, including South Africa’s Julius Malema and Mmusi Maimane, as well as Zimbabwe’s Nelson Chamisa and Job Sikhala.
Mnangagwa had flown to Botswana earlier that morning from Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport aboard an Air Zimbabwe plane and was back in Zimbabwe by the afternoon.
While there is no formal connection between Zimbabwe’s ruling ZANU PF party, led by Mnangagwa, and Botswana’s new ruling party, the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC), Mnangagwa’s attendance was expected in his capacity as both Zimbabwe’s head of state and the current Chairman of SADC.
The UDC’s victory in the October 30 elections, which ended 58 years of Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) rule, marks a historic shift.
Despite ZANU PF’s support for the BDP during the campaign, the latter came fourth in a four-party race.
While it is common for heads of state to attend such inaugurations, the inclusion of opposition leaders at the event is unusual for the SADC region.
The invitation extended to Chamisa and other opposition figures signals a developing relationship between regional opposition leaders and President Boko.
Chamisa’s invitation to the inauguration follows his attendance at the swearing-in of Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema, a leader seen as sympathetic to Zimbabwe’s opposition.
This trend suggests a growing diplomatic rapport between regional opposition political parties and emerging regional leaders who are not from former liberation movements.
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