LUSAKA Southern African leaders must heed the legitimate concerns of citizens or face north African-style uprising, Zambian President Rupiah Banda told a regional summit called to discuss deteriorating crises in Zimbabwe and Madagascar. “If there is anything that we must learn from the upheavals going on in the northern part of our continent, it is that the legitimate expectations of the citizens of our countries cannot be taken for granted, the Zambian leader told the meeting in Livingstone of the Southern African Development Community (SADC)s politics and security organ that he chairs.
We must therefore continue at the SADC level to . uphold the tenets of good governance, respect for human rights and the rule of law,” Banda said, his remarks in sharp contrast to the worsening situation in neighbouring Zimbabwe where President Robert Mugabes supporters have allegedly stepped up political violence and human rights abuses.
With political violence on the rise, Mugabe and his ZANU-PF party are pushing for elections this year even without a referendum on a new constitution expected in September, which has seen Prime Minister Tsvangirai warning of a boycott if his coalition partners unilateral call for parliamentary and presidential elections.
Tsvangirai, who agreed to join Mugabe in government of national unity in 2009 after inconclusive polls the year before, has repeatedly urged SADC to craft a “road map” that will set benchmarks for credible free and fair elections to end the tenure of the coalition, while avoiding the bloodbath of 2008 when more than 200 opposition members were killed in political violence.
The regional organ comprising the leaders of Zambia, Mozambique and Namibia also discussed political developments in Swaziland, Lesotho and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
South African President Jacob Zuma who is the facilitator in Zimbabwes political dialogue attended the summit and tabled a report on Zimbabwe.
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