The Southern African Liaison Office

The Southern African Liaison Office

International liaison, dialogue and research.

All Posts Policy Dialogues SADC Zimbabwe 

“The Africa We Want” Zimbabwe and the SADC Chairship: The Role of RECs in Times of Instability. The Zimbabwean and Kenyan Experiences. – 11 July 2024

SALO

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In August 2024 Zimbabwe will be hosting the SADC summit and taking over the chairship of SADC. Almost one hundred people have been arrested in the last few weeks, in a clampdown on civic and opposition activists ahead of the summit. Further, there have been direct threats from the president and the minister of home affairs (who is responsible for police), describing those who attend demonstrations as ‘criminals who the government will deal with decisively’. This is in the context of the imminent passing of the PVO Bill alongside the recently passed Patriotic Bill. 

The following issues were explored in the dialogue:

  • The increasing repression of activists in Zimbabwe ahead of the SADC Summit.
     
  • What influence the chairship of President Emmerson Mnangagwa is likely to have on:
    • The processing of at least 6 Southern African election observer mission reports (including the SADC report on Zimbabwe’s 2023 election).
    • SADC institutions such as the SADC Electoral Advisory Council (SAEC) and other human rights protection institutions.
    • Zimbabwe’s domestic politics.
  • Lessons of how the EAC has handled the situation in Kenya, which is not dissimilar from the situation in Zimbabwe. The EAC has been very active in trying to bring President Ruto and former Prime Minister Odinga together in dialogue. When Kenya was chairing the EAC, how did the REC deal with the internal conflicts in the bloc?
     
  • The Nordic-Africa Summit is due to be hosted by Zimbabwe in 2025 following a decision by the African member states. The current clampdown ahead of the SADC summit may be a consideration for the Nordic-Africa summit. 


Panelists included:

  • Janet Zhou – Secretary General SAPSN (Southern Africa People’s Summit Network) and ZIMCODD
  • Anne Kathurima – Election, Mediation, Security and Democratic Governance Specialist
  • Cyprian Nyamwamu –  Future of Kenya Foundation
  • Marvellous Khumalo – Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition
  • Samuel Wadzai – Vendors Initiative for Social and Economic Transformation (VISET)
  • Respondent: Ringisai Chikohomero – Institute for Security Studies