Zimbabwe’s former Foreign Affairs Minister, Walter Mzembi, who has been in self-imposed exile since the November 2017 military coup, claimed that SADC Heads of State have snubbed the Extraordinary SADC Summit of Heads of State and Government currently underway in Harare.
Mzembi made these comments after only four out of fifteen SADC Heads of State confirmed their attendance at the meeting, which aims to review the security situation in the region, particularly in the Eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The confirmed attendees include Democratic Republic of Congo President Felix Tshisekedi, outgoing Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi, incoming SADC chair Madagascar’s Andry Nirina Rajoelina, and Botswana’s new President Duma Gideon Boko.
Other leaders sent representatives, such as South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, who sent his Deputy Paul Mashatile, and King Mswati III, who sent Eswatini Prime Minister Russel Mmiso Dlamini.
Posting on X, Mzembi suggested that the decision of many leaders to stay away was a message to Mnangagwa. Wrote Mzembi:
There is a salient message being communicated to Zimbabwe’s Chairmanship of SADC by Heads of State in the Region constituting the 15 Member block, and clearly reflected in the attendance list to the Extraordinary Summit which has reduced it to a Council of Ministers Meeting, and it is that they are” sovereigns “, and that Zimbabwe is not a Prefect as Chairman.
They also seemingly are displeased with the downgrading of the agenda which is side stepping Mozambique Election crisis in which the Chairperson and Zimbabwe itself are clearly conflicted. Sort out your mess Mr Chairman is the succinct message.
Mozambique itself will be represented by an expired dependable go to President who has always saved face when there is a no-show, Nyusi, and we have many examples most recently GOH, Harare Agricultural Show which
[President Cyril Ramaphosa] had been billed to open.Cyril is again attending a seemingly more important G20 Brazil-hosted meeting with his sister [Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan] incidentally the Troika Chair whose delegate to a Council of Ministers Meeting incorrectly referred to Daniel Chapo as the President-Elect of Botswana! So Filipe Nyusi has no locus standi in the current scheme of things except to save someone’s face!
DRC is a perennial SADC agenda item, so President Felix will be there, nothing comes out of SADC’s attempts to resolve his issues. He is a permanent guest!
[Botswana President Duma Boko], the new kid on the block had his capital appearance at a Children’s Party in VF exploited to the fullest in a show of childish diplomacy by State Propagandists chiding Opposition leadership in Zimbabwe that you thought you owned him “ndewedu uyu”.
He will soon learn a few things on calibration. The incoming Chairman of SADC will religiously attend in case there is an ad-hoc request for recusal from the floor, potentially possible under the circumstances.
Sum total, the SADC Extraordinary Summit has been snubbed!
Chokwadi chemahara, please fix a few issues starting with non-interference in the internal affairs of member states.
More: Pindula News