Tendai Ruben Mbofana
Bullying!
In 2011, the heads of state of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) were bullied by ZANU PF into disbanding the SADC Tribunal – after the regional court held that the Zimbabwean government’s land seizures violated the rule of law.
That was a very tragic moment for the region, as that signaled the end of a court that could have held SADC governments accountable to their citizens – where the people could seek justice as well as legal redress and protection from the whims of their oppressive leaders.
Today, SADC is poorer without the court – since the absence of a strong regional institution for justice means regimes can ride roughshod over their citizens with impunity – who are abandoned without legal recourse.
In all this, SADC yielded to pressure and bullying from an oppressive government that preferred destroying any entire court – simply because of a judgement that they not like.
Talk about burning the house in an effort to kill a pesky rat!
Why does SADC appear so weak and always ready to bend over backwards in order to placate spoilt childish repressive leaders?
Is this not placing the entire regional block at the risk of collapsing or outright civil unrest?
The regional body faces its biggest test now – after the SADC Election Observer Mission (SEOM) released a damning report on the recently-held elections in Zimbabwe – which characterized the polls as falling far short of both local laws (the Constitution and Electoral Act), as well as SADC Principles and Guidelines Governing Democratic Elections.
In typical fashion, the ZANU PF regime has been throwing angry tantrums, venting their anger towards the head of mission, Nevers Mumba – accusing him of being a Western puppet, and even going as far as threatening his life – which led to the Zimbabwe presidential spokesperson George Charamba being suspended from X (formerly Twitter).
In all the hullabaloo, the Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa administration sought to divide the SEOM, by portraying the report as the work of only one rogue individual.
This, in spite of the SADC Secretariat boldly and unequivocally making it abundantly clear, in a press statement on 26th August, that the SEOM preliminary report was a product of the entire team – comprised of nationals from Angola, Botswana, ESwatini, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, and Zambia.
Furthermore, the findings had been adopted after consultations with Member States of the SADC Troika on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation, supported by advice from the SADC Election Advisory Council (SEAC) – and with the support of the SADC Secretariat.
In addition, the Mnangagwa regime summoned SADC ambassadors, in an attempt at arm-twisting their respective governments into rejection and disowning the preliminary findings – or, at best, watering them down, so as not to be so critical of the elections.
Of course, for those of us in Zimbabwe, every bit of the report was spot on, as it accurately captured the fundamentally flawed nature of the entire electoral process – which made a huge mockery of not only our local laws, but also the SADC Principles and Guidelines Governing Democratic Elections.
I have already chronicled these flaws and undemocratic attributes in previous articles (to be found on my website) – and so there is really no need for me to repeat everything again.
Nevertheless, what troubles me to the core is how the ZANU PF establishment has become accustomed to bullying those who disagree with them or hold them to account.
We, as Zimbabwean citizens, should know – since we face this relentless onslaught on a daily basis.
As we speak, the government has pressured the SADC Panel of Elders (PoE), led by former Botswana labor and home affairs minister Charles Tibone – who replaced former Tanzania president Jakaya Kikwete – to visit the country on a supposed ‘fact finding mission’.
What is there to ‘fact find’, which the SEOM did not do already?
In fact, is it not preposterous that anyone would try to validate or dismiss an election report well after the elections themselves have come and gone?
What is there to assess, when the shadowy ZANU PF affiliate FAZ (Forever Associates of Zimbabwe) have already removed their tables stationed near polling stations – at which they intimidated voters by taking down their names and asking for whom they intended voting?
What will the PoE see, when there are no more rural folk being frog-marched by their traditional leaders to polling stations – where they were forced to seek ‘assistance’ in casting their ballots – a plot to ensure they voted for ZANU PF?
What can this team possibly evaluate when ZANU PF candidates who threatened the electorate that their votes were not secret – as the party had mechanisms of discovering who voted or whom – are no longer on the ground campaigning?
Or, are they going to visit the grave of opposition CCC supporter, Tinashe Chitsunge (and his family) who was brutally murdered by suspected ZANU PF hooligans?
How do they intend verifying whether the electronic voters roll, which is auditable, was availed to all the contesting parties in reasonable time well before the elections – in accordance with Section 21 (6) of the Electoral Act [Chapter 2:13]?
In what way are they expected to confirm if State-owned media complied with the Constitution (Section 155) – which mandated them to afford impartial, and fair opportunity and access to all political parties participating in elections?
As far as I am concerned, this PoE team has come when the horse has already bolted from the barn!
So, why are they here?
The real reason is that the ZANU PF regime is up to its usual tricks again.
This time around (as happened with the SADC Tribunal in 2011) their intention is to bully the regional body into cutting off its own limbs – by going against its own election observers.
This is a very dangerous thing to do, which actually threatens the very existence of SADC itself.
Let us remember that, the SADC Secretariat has already announced that the preliminary report was the product of several players – as the members of the team, Members States of the Troika, with support from SEAC and the Secretariat itself.
As such, seeking to undermine these institutions is playing with fire – which will set a very terrible precedence!
As a result, this will encourage other SADC Member States to willfully disregard their own electoral laws and regional guidelines – since they can always throw a tantrum, in the event of an adverse report being produced – which can lead to its withdrawal.
On the other hand, in future, the SEOM will be rendered toothless and ineffective – with member states even reluctant to participate in a process that can be reversed when the faulted government makes a lot of noise.
In fact, what I see occurring in the foreseeable future is SEOM being disbanded – as happened to the SADC Tribunal – leaving the region a free-for-all, where ruthless dictators reign supreme.
We are headed for a region that has no regard for the rule of law – where Member States do whatever they deem necessary for their continued stay in power.
Actually, even power-greedy opposition parties may be emboldened by the lack of a strong peer review system to use unlawful means to usurp the reins of power – even making the region a hub for military coup d’états.
In other words, allowing Zimbabwe to bully SADC poses a threat to regional security!
Southern Africa is in serious danger of turning into a lawless jungle!
Please do not say you were not warned!
It is time that SADC finally showed that it had teeth – which actually bite!
The regional body needs to respect its own statutes and organs – whilst at the same time, ensuring that they operated without fear of bullies.
There should be no scared cows in SADC.
- Tendai Ruben Mbofana is a social justice advocate and writer. Please feel free to WhatsApp or Call: +263715667700 | +263782283975, or email: mbofana.tendairuben73@gmail.com, or visit website: http://mbofanatendairuben.news.blog/