News / Local
Mnangagwa inauguration damp squib?
04 Sep 2023 at 16:13hrs | Views
Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa's much-hyped inauguration in Harare today turned out to be the proverbial Shakespearean tale told by an idiot full of sound and fury signifying nothing.
A damp squib; a non-event.
After making noise and hyping the event to appear like the coronation of a King or Queen,
Zimbabwean officials were left with egg on their face as only three Sadc presidents, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi and Democratic Republic of Congo President Felix Tshisekedi, attended.
Ramaphosa has been publicly supporting Mnangagwa despite that the Zimbabwean crisis has flooded his own country with immigrants from across the Limpopo River, fuelling social tensions and conflict manifested through xenophobic violence.
Zimbabwe has millions of immigrants in South Africa as a result of protracted political instability and economic collapse largely due to leadership, governance and policy failures over an extended period of time.
Most Sadc leaders sent their ministers, ambassadors and other representatives.
This shows that regional leaders have taken into account that Mnangagwa's re-election was characterised by massive irregularities, illegalities and fraud.
The Zimbabwean elections were reduced to a chaotic sham and expensive charade, just like the inauguration today.
What is particularly damning is that the Sadc chair, Angolan President João Lourenço and the chair of the Sadc troika of the organ on politics, defence and security cooperation, Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema, are not there.
Other members of the Sadc troika of the organ on politics, defence and security cooperation which observed the elections are Namibia and Tanzania who also sent their representatives.
The absence of key Sadc leaders from Mnangagwa's event sent a loud and clear signal that the Zimbabwe leader is starting a new term amid lack of political and democratic legitimacy.
Without the much-needed legitimacy, Mnangagwa would have to rely more on coercion - his traditional stock-in-trade - to govern.
A damp squib; a non-event.
After making noise and hyping the event to appear like the coronation of a King or Queen,
Zimbabwean officials were left with egg on their face as only three Sadc presidents, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi and Democratic Republic of Congo President Felix Tshisekedi, attended.
Ramaphosa has been publicly supporting Mnangagwa despite that the Zimbabwean crisis has flooded his own country with immigrants from across the Limpopo River, fuelling social tensions and conflict manifested through xenophobic violence.
Zimbabwe has millions of immigrants in South Africa as a result of protracted political instability and economic collapse largely due to leadership, governance and policy failures over an extended period of time.
Most Sadc leaders sent their ministers, ambassadors and other representatives.
This shows that regional leaders have taken into account that Mnangagwa's re-election was characterised by massive irregularities, illegalities and fraud.
The Zimbabwean elections were reduced to a chaotic sham and expensive charade, just like the inauguration today.
What is particularly damning is that the Sadc chair, Angolan President João Lourenço and the chair of the Sadc troika of the organ on politics, defence and security cooperation, Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema, are not there.
Other members of the Sadc troika of the organ on politics, defence and security cooperation which observed the elections are Namibia and Tanzania who also sent their representatives.
The absence of key Sadc leaders from Mnangagwa's event sent a loud and clear signal that the Zimbabwe leader is starting a new term amid lack of political and democratic legitimacy.
Without the much-needed legitimacy, Mnangagwa would have to rely more on coercion - his traditional stock-in-trade - to govern.
Source - newshawks
