ZAMBIAN President and Southern African Development Community (Sadc) organ chair on politics, defence and security, Hakainde Hichilema has appointed Nevers Mumba as the head of the regional bloc’s electoral observer mission. The team will be deployed in Zimbabwe from tomorrow to August 31.
“As chair of Sadc organ on politics, defence and security, I am pleased to announce Nevers Sekwila Mumba as head of Sadc electoral observation mission for Zimbabwe’s elections,” Hichilema announced in a statement.
“We are optimistic for a peaceful and democratic process before, during and after elections in Zimbabwe.”
Mumba is a Zambian politician and religious minister. He is the leader of the Movement for Multi-Party Democracy. He served as the eighth vice-president of Zambia in 2003 and 2004 under the late Levy Mwanawasa. Sadc is deploying an observer mission in line with the bloc’s principles and guidelines governing democratic elections.
The Commonwealth is sending a 15-member observer mission for next week’s polls. This marks the second time the Commonwealth Observer Group (COG) will be observing the country’s polls since Zimbabwe left the 56-member bloc in December 2003.
COG is expected in Zimbabwe today to observe the August 23 polls and submit a comprehensive report containing observations and recommendations to the Commonwealth secretary-general. After assuming power in 2017, President Emmerson Mnangagwa applied for readmission to the Commonwealth in 2018 as part of his push for international recognition.
Source Newsday
