THE Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition (CiZC) has petitioned the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) to urgently convene an Extra-Ordinary Summit in a bid to ease tensions arising from the just-ended “electoral coup”.
The appeal comes after President Emmerson Mnangagwa was declared winner with 52,6% of the vote ahead of rival Nelson Chamisa.
However, the elections were roundly condemned by both local and foreign observer missions who said they fell short of regional and international standards.
The religiously supportive SADC Elections Observer Mission and the African-Union- COMESA Mission also expressed reservations over the electoral process.
Despite the backlash, Mnangagwa has since forged ahead with his inauguration, swearing in of MPs, councilors and cabinet ministers setting the entire government system in motion.
Chamisa insists on fresh polls and is lobbying for regional and international support
A letter gleaned by NewZimbabwe.com dated September 18 2023 written by the CiZC chairperson, Peter Mutasa and addressed to the SADC chairperson who is also the President of Angola, João Lourenço pleads with the regional bloc to urgently come to the rescue of Zimbabwe.
The communiqué was also copied to the Clerk of Zimbabwe Parliament Kennedy Chokuda, SADC executive secretary Elias Magosi and the SADC Panel of Elders Jakaya Kikwete.
“Your excellency we celebrate having been afforded another opportunity after our historic April 1980 independence elections, to vote and determine Zimbabwe’s future.
“Sadly, as expressed by the various election observer mission reports including the SADC Elections Observer Mission (SEOM), the Zimbabwe Election Support Network (ZESN) and the African Union-COMESA joint EOM (AU), the elections in Zimbabwe were not free, fair or credible,” reads the letter.
The organisation which represents 92 affiliate NGOs in Zimbabwe urged SADC to recall that the current administration took power in a coup that ousted former President Robert Mugabe and emphasised that the just-ended polls were a typical example of an “Electoral Coup” facilitated by a “clique of few individuals wanting to capture the state and usurp the people’s sovereignty.”
CiZC said bearing in mind that Zimbabwe has been assisted by the SADC since 2008, under the leadership of HE Thabo Mbeki and later HE Kgalema Motlanthe all former leaders of the Republic of South Africa, SADC’s intervention at this juncture becomes more important.
Mutasa said the SADC faces the task of pre-empting, and hence stopping the scourge of military coups, by averting and stopping electoral coups in Southern Africa underscoring that Zimbabwe must be assisted by the region to cure the bane of contested elections and governmental legitimacy, which is stalling her economic recovery and sustainable growth.
“In the same vein, SADC must also ensure the protection of all citizens against violation of their fundamental rights and freedoms especially in the post-elections context, as this has an effect of further eroding the sanctity of elections in Zimbabwe.
“As a way ahead, Mr President, we kindly ask your esteemed office to cause a SADC extraordinary summit to meet and receive reports from all parties including our present government and us, civil society. The supremacy of the voices of ordinary Zimbabweans is our primary motive,” added Mutasa.
Source NewZimbabwe
